Sales of low-cost, high-speed core XY printer, especially Voron-style printers, are increasing. Will these affordable printers capture market share from Bambu Lab?
Depends on whether these Voron-style printers adequately respond to the needs of the users.
You know, I realized yesterday. Out of any given printer I’ve owned over the years, I’ve probably put more hours into my Bambu printers than any of the past printers, in a shorter period of time with a lot less headache, a lot less troubleshooting, a lot less having to swap and replace parts.
It’s easy to go oh hey, cheaper option gonna run Bambu out of town, but I think it fails to look at the realities of what’s on offer, and what sets some of these companies apart from what Bambu is doing.
I think maybe if Bambu didn’t exist, I’d be more interested in some of the given options, personally. I always liked CoreXY machines, and even built my own out of frustration of a lack of affordable options. The CoreXY kits I’ve come across over the years have been junky at best.
I never bought an Ender or Creality 3d printer in general because they’re just low end junk printers. People make them work, and can do brilliant things with them, but more than not I’m just reading horror stories from Creality users. Like when Creality first hit the scene, I already expected more out of a printer than what they offered. They’ve always just been the near bottom of the barrel in terms of features, price, and quality. (The likes of Tevo probably had them beat to the bottom).
I’m sure it’ll give some enticement to those ballers on a budget, or those looking for a core experience without much consideration beyond the machine itself. These cheap machines will always be a boon to those that look at specs on the website, but don’t actually use the machines, as spec-sheets often don’t tell of poor quality control.
Beyond that, AMS! Do I need to write a paragraph about it? Even if one isn’t into tons of colors, an AMS is still a valuable part of the setup, and one of the most valuable additions to this new age of printers. To me, it’s more important than the corexy machine itself and the part of the whole experience that sells me the most.
That’s just thinking about the core machine itself without any consideration of the other parts of what makes Bambu… Bambu! Those further aspects aren’t as easy as a sell though, at least not to existing 3d printer users. Most people that have been around the 3d printing block don’t see the added value of Bambu’s Ecosystem and how it ties everything together. There’s a lot of value in that, that I don’t think people always take into consideration. Even if one doesn’t find personal value in it, it has been providing a lot of value to new users to the 3d printing scene. 3D Printing in general has been kind of a mixed-bag of bring your own, so getting everything to jive together hasn’t always been peaches and cream. I think that’s the value in Bambu’s eco-system, it builds up a system that is mostly just working and helps streamline and ease the whole process, from download to final print.
I think some of the A1+Combo clones might prove to be more competitive, especially if they upsize it. If Anycubic did their Kobra 3 in the max variety, with their AMS-knock-off. That actually gives something to compete. It gives a much larger slice of the sort of pie we’ve come to expect from Bambu while also giving a new flavor they’ve yet to offer.
Looking at CoreXY machines like the one linked, is like being at a high-end bakery (Bambu) and going nah, I’d prefer the grocery store bought pie instead.
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While low-priced 3D printers can attract a segment of the market, several factors will influence whether they can effectively seize market share from established brands like Bambu Lab:Bambu Lab is known for high-quality prints and reliable performance. Low-cost printers may struggle to match these standards, which could deter serious users.
I often judge BBL as a consumer electronics seller. Other 3D printer brands now make their products as machine tools. only those who concentrate on DIY may buy other cheap 3d printers (and lots of them will then turn to Voron). BBL printer buyer just use 3D printer to make products,they concentrate on THE products.
The answer is clear: unless a product has must-have features or status appeal, like Rolex, similarly priced and featured competitors will split the market. This is a basic market dynamic.
AliExpress’s $90 FDM printers succeed due to “availability and ease of purchase.” Channel availability is crucial; for example, Coke and Pepsi dominate shelf space in North American supermarkets because they understand the power of crowding out competition.
Will Bambu lose market share? If they continue direct-to-consumer marketing, likely yes. As the product becomes mainstream and last year’s innovative features are copied, non-technical companies will enter, making channel marketing key. Bambu has ignored major marketplaces like Amazon and AliExpress. Initially, this made sense for control as a startup, but now, as logistical challenges grow, Bambu is struggling. Bezos sees Amazon not just as a retail company but as a “logistics” company, highlighting the importance of logistics in scaling a business.
The one company that has unfortunately been caught napping at the wheel is Prusa. Josef Prusa is someone easy to admire because of his innovative approach and free giving back to the community. He reminds me a lot of Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple. Woz was the genius behind early Apple, but Jobs was the one who swindled everyone in his path. Who became the billionaire? Josef Prusa should have ventured beyond his factory walls in Prague and into the world. Instead, the world has come to his doorstep (Bambu), and like the ancient Romans, he has been caught totally unprepared for the invaders at the gate.
If I were a betting man, my money for the long game in consumer-level 3D printing would be on those who are big in the consumer products space right now. HP? Epson? Or perhaps the lesser-known Amazon brands like Anker, Qidi, Voxelab, Kingroon, etc.
Bambu may have disrupted the market, but if they don’t improve their customer service soon, they’ll be overtaken by competitors. Customers have short memories, and one bad experience can drive them away. I experienced this when I had to buy a competitor’s black PLA due to Bambu’s stock issues. Now, I know their competitors offer a better product at a third of the cost with superior service and delivery.
The only way 3d printing becomes main stream is if they are a hit with the craft centers. They would have to penetrate the craft scene like Cricket has. Due to the difficulty in designing models I don’t see that happening. That’s where you would see a low cost closed source type products become popular. Actually I think the A1 could be that printer
I’m sure BL did the analysis and wants to avoid that market included Amazon. Problem is massive returns. I don’t see an issue with their approach as long as they keep innovating.
The other approach is to do what HP did with printers. Cheap printer and a lock on cartridges. All that is the reason why I’d never consider another HP product.