#15 Does Bambu Lab make or follow history?

Is Bambu Lab going with the flow of history or making a new one? I mean a new era—a new chapter. If it’s just going with the flow, historically it has only 3-4 years left at the top—then someone new will replace it. But if it’s rewriting history, well... all legacy companies might need to consider alternative career paths.

Joris Peels has written another important article. A week ago (October 8), he published “The Bambu Lab 3D Printing Platform… or Trapdoor?” on 3DPrint.com . I highly recommend reading it.

In short, the article discusses the rapid growth of Bambu Lab in the 3D printing industry and the consequences of its business strategy. Initially, Bambu Lab offered a closed ecosystem, where the printers, software, and materials came exclusively from the company, similar to Formlabs. Over time, Bambu opened up to third-party materials and software, increasing flexibility and attracting advanced users and professionals in the industry.

Peels emphasizes that Bambu is playing an increasingly important role in both the consumer 3D printing market and among larger enterprises, offering high-quality printers at a fraction of the cost of more expensive systems. However, the company is cautious about system openness, which limits its development in the open-source software market, though it engages in strategic partnerships, such as with E3D, allowing it to outperform competitors in many areas.

In conclusion, Peels warns that Bambu may dominate the 3D printing market, much like DJI did in the drone industry. He suggests that companies that underestimate or ignore this could soon find themselves out of the market. Ultimately, Bambu is seen as a company with great potential, one that could reshape the entire industry by leveraging its resources, strategy, and partnerships to become a dominant player.

He ends with the words:

Consider the scenario: a group of former DJI employees with near-unlimited funding set out to create the 'DJI of 3D printing.' This is literally what’s happening. DJI dominates many markets beyond what we can even fathom, thanks to its excellent software and high-quality products. To me, this is exactly what’s unfolding in the 3D printing space. We have a player in our midst that could consume the entire industry if we let it. And how do we allow that to happen? By being complacent.

That’s Joris Peels. Do I agree with him? Well, I’m not sure yet. Because everything boils down to the question asked at the beginning:

Is Bambu Lab going with the flow of history or making a new one?

Scenario 1: Bambu Lab is going with the flow of history

Now, let me refer to some of my articles. First, to my January 8, 2024 piece: “There’s always a cheaper fish.”

In it, I describe the history of desktop 3D printing companies and the market shifts among industry leaders. How MakerBot was dethroned by Zortrax, which was replaced by Ultimaker, which in turn was overtaken by Prusa Research, and two years ago, Prusa was replaced by Bambu Lab.

I note that, on average, every 3-5 years, a reshuffling occurs—leaders become followers. There's always someone new, better, faster—and each time, cheaper (hence the title of the article).

This is also a foundation of my Third Market Law: 3D printing market value and 3D printing company value are not correlated.

Historically, Bambu Lab’s dynamic growth should dramatically slow around 2026-2027, due to a completely new company presenting a new technological solution at a comparable or lower price. Of course, by “new solution” I mean an upgrade over existing methods, much like how Bambu Lab introduced its innovations compared to Prusa, UltiMaker, Raise3D, and others…

What will that be? I refer to my January 15, 2024 article: “What’s next for FDM/FFF 3D printers?” In my opinion, the next breakthrough will be 3D printing with granules instead of filaments. The company that first introduces this to desktop 3D printing, while keeping the price relatively low (under $1,000 per 3D printer), will conquer the world.

If this happens—and someone new does it—Bambu Lab will find itself in the same place UltiMaker is today.

Scenario 2: Bambu Lab is making new history

What if this is the end of the line? What if Bambu Lab becomes what Peels mentioned—like DJI in the drone market? Or Google in the search engine market, or Nvidia in graphics cards?

What if desktop 3D printing becomes dominated by one company, with the rest being just artificial alternatives? Solutions for those who “don’t like following the crowd,” but nothing meaningful from a business perspective?

How will we navigate such a reality? What if Bambu Lab becomes to desktop FFF what Stratasys was for two decades?

Look, something similar is already happening in the relatively niche desktop SLS market. Here, Formlabs dominates—while Sinterit still holds up, Sintratec has already fallen. Similarly, in the desktop SLA market, Formlabs has no real competition—other companies like Anycubic, Phrozen, Photocentric (and dozens of others) produce different technological devices (using less precise LCD screens instead of lasers).

Will the same happen in the desktop FFF market? How it’s gonna be…?

So much for the introduction. And now, without further ado...

I'm done with Medium.

Not completely yet; everything is still linked there, but that will soon change. Last week, something rather unpleasant happened that opened my eyes to certain issues—issues related to how Medium operates.

Last Saturday, I published my article from the AM Writer’s Guide series titled “The TikTokization of written content – what are Atomic Essays and Atomic Newsletters?”

A few hours later, I accidentally discovered that my Medium account had been blocked. The only information I received was displayed at the top of my account. In short: “You are not following our rules and guidelines; your account is blocked, here you can read more about it.”

The “read more” was just Medium’s terms of service. I didn’t receive any email, any warning, or any explanation.

I started looking for more information about this and found out that this is quite a common practice on Medium. The spam filter decides that something in a particular article doesn’t fit, and it automatically closes the account. This affects a wide range of creators, many with much larger followings than mine.

I figured out that the issue might have been the fact that I included a link in my article to one of the creators I follow (unrelated to AM) and, wanting to be nice, I linked to one of his articles that I was referencing.

And that’s it. That was enough. You can’t be nice on Medium. You can’t link to others.

I wrote a complaint email to Medium, and I deleted the problematic article. After a few more hours, my account was unblocked, along with a “friendly reminder” not to do it again.

The issue is, I never found out from Medium what exactly happened? What I described is just my guess. I don’t know how I violated the rules?

But I don’t intend to investigate further. Such a policy is in my opinion impossible to justify. I am not going to host my stuff on a platform that automatically disables everything without any explanation.

First you'll be found guilty, and then - when you appeal - maybe we'll check out if you're not?

So things are moving. Soon, my articles will appear somewhere else... I’ll keep you posted.

That's all from me – for now, I invite you to read:

2 articles on Substack

TOP 7 news of the week

TOP 7 historic events in the 3D print world.

#7. 3D Lab and the atomization of gold

Some time ago, in my ?On this day in 3D prinitng...” series, I published a story about the EOS 3D printer dedicated for gold. A very interesting discussion emerged on the use of PBF fusion in 3D printing with precious metals. Last week 3D Lab – AM & ATOmization , a manufacturer of metal powder atomizers, released a video showing the production process. If you’ve ever wondered how gold powder is made—this is how...

#6. UltiMaker achieves ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 recertification

UltiMaker announced that it achieved ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems certified by BSI Group. UltiMaker’s recertification was conducted by BSI (British Standards Institution) Group, a global standards organization and founding member of ISO (International Organization for Standardization).

BSI Group conducted a thorough audit of UltiMaker’s operations and 3D printing solutions production at its research and production facilities operated by Ultimaker B.V. in Geldermalsen and Zaltbommel, the Netherlands. The independent audit found that UltiMaker’s management systems meet standard requirements for both quality assurance and environmental protection measures.

#5. COBOD released BOD3 - new generation concrete 3D printer

COBOD International has presented the next-generation BOD3 Construction 3D Printer. The machine maintains the high-quality materials and components used in the BOD2 – which by the way, is currently the world’s best-selling 3D construction printer. BOD3 is a modular system, assembled from 2.5-meter steel modules that allow customization based on customer needs. A key feature of the BOD3 is its ability to move seamlessly from one building to another on the same construction site with zero setup time.

#4. Fortius Metals secured an additional 2 million USD in seed funding

Metal AM firm Fortius Metals Inc has secured an additional 2 million USD in seed funding. Fortius Metals specialize in large-format metal 3D printing, with patented wire-based technology. Existing investors include AM Ventures, 412 Venture Fund LP, and M7 HOLDINGS. The funds intend to accelerate company’s alloy and wire DED developments to meet the needs of aerospace and defense customers.

#3. BigRep introduces DRYCON - an industrial, multifunctional filament drying machine

BigRep - Large-Format 3D Printers has introduced its latest product — DRYCON. It is the only machine on the market with a capacity of two chambers that performs three operations simultaneously: dries and stores filaments and anneals finished 3D prints.

DRYCON is a solution that maximizes filament efficiency, designed for technical, flexible and high-temperature materials. It has a large workspace with two chambers that dry and store up to 36 kg of filaments in non-standard conditions. The chambers heat up to 180°C, which is ideal for annealing parts printed in 3D printing technology to give them industrial-grade strength.

#2. Stratasys withdraws Bambu Lab’s patent infringement claims against TierTime

On August 8, 2024, Stratasys filed two lawsuits against Bambu Lab, accusing the company of infringing on as many as 10 patents covering various areas of FDM technology. At the same time, Stratasys did not sue Bambu Lab directly, but a group of five Chinese companies allegedly behind the popular Chinese manufacturer.

It was surprising that Tiertime Corporation was included in the lawsuit - one of the oldest Chinese 3D printer manufacturers, founded in 2003, responsible for the development of the Up! (FFF desktop 3D printers) and Inspire (industrial 3D printers) brands. The matter was further complicated by the fact that 10 years ago Stratasys had a long, two-year patent dispute with Afinia - an American brand offering Up! 3D printers, which was associated with TierTime.

But now it turns out that either Stratasys made an embarrassing mistake or the evidence it gathered wasn't as strong as it seemed.

Recently unsealed court documents say that on September 25, 2024, Stratasys filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss its claims against TierTime (Beijing Tiertime Technology Co., Ltd.) and Beijing Yinhua Laser Rapid Prototyping and Mold Technology Co. Ltd. The latter company is actually the original Tiertime name, meaning that both defendants represented the same entity from the beginning.

As a result, on September 30, this year, Judge Rodney Gilstrap of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division, officially and formally dismissed the claims against TierTime.

The defendants in the patent case are:

• Shenzhen Tuozhu Technology Co., Ltd.,
• Shanghai Lunkuo Technology Co., Ltd.,
• Bambulab Limited and Tuozhu Technology Limited.

#1. No new 3D printer from Bambu Lab this year

Bambu Lab announced that the launch of its highly anticipated next-generation 3D printer — the successor to its flagship X1 and P1 series — has been postponed until the first quarter of 2025. The stated reason is the company’s commitment to delivering the highest possible quality that its products consistently deliver.

The new Bambu Lab 3D printer is expected to have a larger build surface (allegedly over 30 cm in XYZ axes) and will be aimed at the industrial sector (which already makes large-scale use of existing 3D printers). The truth is that while this news may be disappointing, the embarrassing false start with the first batch of the A1 model, which had a faulty power cable installed to the print bed heater, suggests that a longer wait for the new machine may ultimately be for the best.

Summary of the most important events in the history of the 3D printing industry published last week:

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