this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2025
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3DPrinting

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144
Bambu Lab Controversy Deepens: Firmware Update Sparks Backlash (3dprintingindustry.com)
submitted 4 days ago by cm0002@lemmy.world to c/3dprinting@lemmy.world
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[–] Bob_Robertson_IX@discuss.tchncs.de 39 points 4 days ago (4 children)

I get the appeal of Bambu printers, I've been tempted myself to get one... but the thing that keeps me away is that they are closed source and I don't want a world with closed source 3D printers because when the company goes evil - and they all eventually do - I don't want to be held hostage. I've fallen in that trap before and don't want to again.

Don't give them backlash, instead stop using their printers. Release your models under a license that requires the printer that prints it to be open source. Let friends and colleagues know the dangers of supporting such a company.

[–] Ptsf@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Genuine question, are there any "just hit print" open source printers on the market yet? I don't have the time for maintaining a printer on it's own, which is why I've enjoyed my A1 mini so much (it just works), but I'm of the same opinion as you and would love a viable open-source alternative.

[–] swizzlestick@lemmy.zip 17 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

Release your models under a license that requires the printer that prints it to be open source.

That has about as much sway as me telling you what bowl you must eat your breakfast from. Completely unenforceable.

Restricting models in such a way is also in itself against core values.

Bambu make great printing appliances but that's about it. It's still a good recommendation for someone who just wants to print as a starting point, and unconcerned with much else. The same kind of people would buy OEM cartridges at 3-5x cost for their paper printers and simply don't care. File goes in, model comes out. Vendor lock-in doesn't matter to them.

Other options exist for those of us who want to tinker, learn a thing or two, or simply just be in control of their shit.

Still, there will always be a 'but...' when I'm mentioning the company to someone looking to start printing. Then they can decide based on their own values.

[–] nesc@lemmy.cafe 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

There is also a problem of printers calling home regularly with unknown payload. Add to it that these devices have a camera it's not a good look. Anecdotally mine stopped working in "lan-mode" after two or three weeks before it was allowed to connect and phone home again.

[–] swizzlestick@lemmy.zip 1 points 4 days ago

That is also a very good point. Not something I would ever allow.

Keep the target audience in mind though, who probably have Ring cameras and other 'phoney-homey' budget Chinese crap littered around. Still doesn't really register on their radar.

[–] Bronzie@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago

Honestly, for the price and reliability, it's hard to beat them.
Personally I am unhappy with what they are doing, but acknowledge that buying a "no-fuzz, just works"-printer was the only way I would ever be allowed to have one in the house.
Now that the missus and kids love printing, it's easier for me to get another that is open source.
If RatRig can get their Vcore 4 sorted, I'd love to grab one and have a project in the future.

[–] CosmoNova@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

Bambu as a company are pretty much the poison for 3D printing that made ink home printers a nightmare. That and lobbying to regulate and criminalize a lot of what makes 3D printing great. I fear we‘re at our peak already and it can only go downhill from here. We are just not allowed to have nice things in the 21st century.

[–] princessnorah@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 4 days ago

Release your models under a license that requires the printer that prints it to be open source.

Then you wouldn't be releasing your models under a free and open source license. It's that simple really. The only restriction that is universally agreed to be FOSS is the GPLs requirement to release any modifications under the same license. But you can still commercialise and run the software on whatever machine you want, for example a Windows device.

[–] Cyberflunk@lemmy.world 22 points 4 days ago

Welcome to January. I thought something new happened

[–] arc99@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I've set my P1S to print through LAN and it works fine. I don't want or need to use an app to control the printer so I'm not concerned by that loss of functionality. IMO printing via LAN makes more sense anyway for most users. Having to upload some multiple megabyte file to the cloud just to download it back down to a machine you're sitting beside makes no sense.

I like Bambulabs hardware but I don't get their obsession with locking down the firmware. Ultimately it's just a 3d printer that takes an STL and prints it. There is very limited IP in a firmware that needs protection or that couldn't be figured out by monitoring the I2C or whatever protocol it uses to send instructions to various systems like AMS, camera, printer board etc. Somebody could reverse engineer it already and all this controversy just makes it more likely that someone will.

[–] KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 days ago

I mean, I kinda understand where they are coming from. I don’t agree with their implementation though.

Why add this? Public/unsecured/shared wifi. The moment someone is on the same network, they had full access to the printer. Yeah, technically the fault of the end user, but I can understand them not wanting the potential hate for it.

But in reality, all they needed to do was add a proper local API with full access behind a login/token system. It would suck in the short term as all previous tools would break, but it would solve both problems.

[–] nullroot@lemmy.world 17 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Bambu lab is just doing a capitalism, no one should be surprised. These guys have wide reach and bring many people who'd otherwise never 3d print into this world.

Also, they push all kinds of innovation in the industry. The h2d is arguably the best consumer printer on the market currently. My a1 mini is a workhorse with over 700 hours of prints on it. The thing is a champ that will likely never receive another firmware update and I'm okay with that. I already have a security camera pointed at the thing for better viewing, I can easily put the thing on a controlled outlet if Bambu handy stops working. I guess I'll lose the ability to exclude failed objects in a print, but I'm still not gonna knock this machine. It prints good and made me love 3d printing.

That being said my new qidi Q1 pro is open ish source, runs on a modified klipper and often produces better prints but is definitely quirkier. It has already frustrated me more than my a1 and taken more hours of troubleshooting and calibration at a third of the print hours.

I'm into electronics and a huge nerds who halfway got this to be able to tinker, mod, and fine tune, but I could imagine my experience with the qidi would turn off many to 3d printing. But my journey started with Bambu, a printer that just worked and turned me into a full fledged 3d printing nerd who is eyeballing a third printer because now I want a kit or bom and to build one.

I hope that wasn't too long winded or nonsensical, I'm a little on vacation

[–] KingRandomGuy@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago

I agree with your thoughts. I hate what Bambu has done to the industry in terms of starting a patents arms race and encouraging other companies to reject open source, but I do love how they've pushed innovation and have made 3D printing easier for people just looking for a tool.

I hope the DIY printers like Voron, Ratrig, VzBot, and E3NG can continue the spirit of the RepRap movement.

[–] zorflieg@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

This is Lemmy, I come here for the long winded and nonsensical.

[–] nullroot@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

whew

I still mostly lurk but I really want to see the 3d printing scene grow on Lemmy so I'm trying my hardest to participate and maybe even add content.

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

My Q1 Pro was awesome for weeks without issue, but now the motor is jammed (I can see the little gear trying and failing to move) and I've been too afraid to take it apart.

[–] nullroot@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I'm sorry to hear that! Have you contacted customer support yet? I've heard and found them to be very helpful, but I can't speak for that issue directly

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

I have not yet - I did join the relevant discord, but it hasn't been much help at this point. Thank you for the recommendation.

[–] Tinkerer@lemmy.ca 6 points 4 days ago

I blocked my printer from having internet access and blocking its random DNS attempts as well 2 months after I bought it. They are amazing printers for beginners and priced very well IMO. I love my printer bit will never update the firmware because of this enshittification.

[–] oyzmo@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Any good alternatives to Bambulab printers? Don't want a printer that I habe to tinker with, want one that just works😅

[–] philpo@feddit.org 5 points 4 days ago

Elegoo Centauri Carbon, Artillery M1 Pro, Qidi Plus4, Prusa Core One

[–] AliasAKA@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Prusa Core One. Can buy it prebuilt or as a kit.

Disclosure: I do not have one. I have a creality k1 and it’s mostly great for me, but it isn’t perfect and I personally would buy a prusa if I was buying a new printer.

[–] korn@feddit.org 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

But is a 1000€ printer an alternative for a 200€ Bambu A1?

[–] ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

They're not comparable printers though, you should be comparing the Prusa core one to the Bambu P1-series. The Bambu P1-series is still less than half of the prusa core one of course.

[–] korn@feddit.org 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I get your take, the A1 Mini is smaller, but in the end, it's a printer with crazy good value.

I guess I will also buy a Prusa next time. My P1S has internet blocked in my firewall, and I'll use it in LAN mode until it dies.

[–] ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

It's not just smaller, it also has limitations in materials it can print because it's not an enclosed printer. The core one can print ABS/ASA much more reliably, PC, Nylon and other fancy stuff the A1 just can't. Their motion systems are also completely different as the core one uses coreXY and the A1 is coreXZ (aka. bedslinger).

A decent bedslinger is easy to come by these days, if that's all you need there are many others to go with, e.g. Sovol which is using open source klipper.

[–] lapis@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Any good alternatives to Bambulab printers?

absolutely, see other comments

Don’t want a printer that I habe to tinker with

nope, and this is why I have a P1S and not one of the alternatives (and the one time I did need to tinker, because my AMS' internal hub unit failed and needed replacing, Bambu CS handled it well and fairly quickly)

[–] muntedcrocodile@hilariouschaos.com 6 points 4 days ago

Can someone come out with a main board swap some time soon.

[–] BigTrout75@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

I have an A1 and it's been a fun learning 3d printing. I got it before all this started last year. While I'm happy with my device I'll probably just wait for it die or a major upgrade comes along. Elegoo looks nice.