The Bambu Lab H2D 3D printer is a good machine, however many Bambu Lab followers have been hoping for one thing else. Many wished “an X1C, however greater,” and lots of wished toolchanger printer, just like the Prusa XL. Bambu just lately introduced the launch of the H2S, which caters to that first group. And in an enormous shock this morning, Bambu Lab simply introduced the H2C that ought to please the toolchanger followers.
The H2x fashions
The Bambu Lab H2D is a dual-nozzle 3D printer and you may learn our overview of that machine right here. Because of that second nozzle, the H2D can swap between filaments shortly and that lowers total multi-material print occasions. However it nonetheless requires purging and the infamous “pooping,” which many customers see as wasteful.
The Bambu Lab H2S is a single-nozzle 3D printer and primarily an X1C, however greater. It does embody many of the options of the H2D, however omits the second nozzle. Like each different Bambu Lab 3D printer geared up with an AMS, it requires purging and pooping.
The Bambu Lab H2C that was simply introduced is a whole departure from that mannequin and has most of the benefits of a toolchanger 3D printer, whereas circumventing lots of the disadvantages.
Toolchanger vs. hotend-changer
On this planet of 3D printing, the “device” in “toolchanger” refers to an entire hotend and extruder meeting toolhead, together with the extruder motor. The printer can swap these toolheads shortly, however every meeting is dear and requires its personal cables and PTFE tube. That’s the reason machines just like the Prusa XL are costly when you add the entire toolheads.
The Bambu H2C is just not a toolchanger, however quite a “hotend-changer” and Bambu is asking that the Vortek system. As an alternative of swapping all the hotend and extruder meeting, the H2C swaps simply the new finish. That eliminates the wasteful poop, whereas retaining prices cheap and, presumably, bettering materials swap velocity. The hotends are additionally small, so a number of of them (as much as seven) can be found. Mixed with the standard AMS swapping, a single print job can have as much as 24 colours/supplies — although going over seven would require pooping.
H2C twin nozzles
However the H2C continues to be a dual-nozzle printer just like the H2D. The left nozzle isn’t a part of the hotend-changer system. It strikes up and down throughout print jobs to keep away from dragging and is the “lifting nozzle.” The best nozzle is the hotend-changer and might settle for one of many six ready hotends. That’s the way you get that complete of seven hotends — one on the left, six on the proper.
It is a novel system and we haven’t seen something prefer it earlier than. Bambu Lab might have developed this to get round current toolchanger patents, however that’s simply hypothesis. Regardless, the price advantages in comparison with a toolchanger are actual.
Vortek system challenges
Nonetheless, getting this Vortek system to work wasn’t a easy activity. A typical hotend wants electrical connections for the heater cartridge and thermistor. Bambu wanted a solution to reliably plug and unplug these connections many 1000’s of occasions for the thought to be viable. In addition they wanted to make sure that the underside of the hotend nozzle is at all times set to precisely the proper top after each swap.
They addressed the primary problem by eliminating {the electrical} connections altogether. As an alternative of a heater cartridge, the Vortek system depends on induction heating of the hotend and that doesn’t require wires. Bambu says the induction heating can carry a hotend to temperature in simply eight seconds. To get temperature knowledge, Vortek communicates with a chip embedded within the hotend meeting wirelessly. That seems to work like NFC (Close to-Discipline Communication), so the chip within the hotend doesn’t want its personal energy supply.
For nozzle offset after a swap, the H2C seems to make use of a system much like the H2D. Tight manufacturing tolerances hold the hotends constant, then device top detection fine-tunes the offset. Mixed with the lifting left nozzle, that ought to forestall any Z-height-related points.
Availability
That is breaking information and we don’t but have any info on the value of the H2C, however Bambu Lab has stated that they count on this new mannequin to start out delivery by the top of the yr. They’ve additionally stated that there can be an improve equipment obtainable for H2D and H2S house owners to transform their printers into an H2C with the Vortek system.
