3D printer producer Bambu Lab’s latest firmware replace for its A- and P-Collection 3D printers has ignited backlash inside the 3D printing neighborhood, with critics accusing the corporate of reinforcing its already closed ecosystem. Rolled out final week, the replace introduces the controversial “Authorization Management” characteristic—rebranded as a safety measure—alongside a brand new “Developer Mode,” a partial concession following widespread neighborhood criticism.
With firmware variations 01.08.02.00 (P-Collection) and 01.05.00.00 (A-Collection), the replace prevents communication with unofficial third-party software program, together with Orca Slicer—an open-source slicing device that had beforehand labored carefully with Bambu Lab. Orca Slicer’s developer, SoftFever, has publicly declined to undertake Bambu Join, calling it pointless and of no significant profit to customers.
Critics throughout Bambu Lab’s boards and wider neighborhood channels argue that the replace considerably reduces flexibility, breaks compatibility with in style equipment like Biqu’s Panda Contact, and undermines the open-source ethos lengthy related to the 3D printing ecosystem. Whereas the corporate notes that downgrading to earlier firmware stays an possibility, many see the shift as a step towards vendor lock-in and a diminished consumer expertise.
For customers looking for to bypass the brand new safety framework whereas nonetheless accessing up to date {hardware}, there’s a slender workaround: P-Collection printers obtained help for Bambu Lab’s new AMS 2 Professional and AMS HT materials changers in firmware model 01.08.00.00—simply previous to the enforcement of Authorization Management—making it potential to keep away from the most recent patch altogether.
Firmware Replace Reignites Open-Supply Considerations
Tensions started mounting in February, when Bambu Lab introduced plans to implement Authorization Management, positioning it as a safeguard towards unauthorized entry and community vulnerabilities. The 3D printer producer reassured customers that exterior software program would stay practical via Bambu Join, a proprietary device designed to combine third-party functions whereas sustaining safety requirements.
Regardless of this, pushback from the open-source neighborhood has been swift. Many view the adjustments as a step towards a extra restrictive ecosystem, limiting compatibility with exterior software program and lowering consumer autonomy.
Trade consultants together with the likes of Josef Prusa, CEO of Prusa Analysis, acknowledged on a LinkedIn put up, “Fairly scary the place the 3DP business is shifting – management of your information.” Moreover, Nick Sonnentag, Founder and CEO of the concrete 3D printing agency Sunnyday Applied sciences, described the choice as a disappointment, emphasizing the significance of open-source improvement in driving innovation inside the broader neighborhood. Considerations have additionally surfaced over whether or not such restrictions might set a precedent for tighter producer management over 3D printer performance.
This isn’t the primary time Bambu Lab has clashed with its consumer base over third-party entry. Final 12 months, the corporate pushed a firmware replace for its X1 Collection that blocked unofficial modifications, together with work by the X1Plus group to increase printer performance. In response to neighborhood stress, Bambu launched a “one-way ticket” workaround: customers might set up exterior firmware—however solely by waiving their guarantee and forfeiting entry to official help. It was a compromise many considered as an emblem of the corporate’s more and more restrictive posture.
Bambu Lab has defended its place amid mounting criticism, addressing what it referred to as “unlucky misinformation” in a latest weblog put up. The corporate maintains that Developer Mode preserves the power to print over native space networks (LAN) whereas upholding cloud safety requirements. Nevertheless, many in the neighborhood stay unconvinced.
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Featured picture exhibits the Bambu Lab X1-Carbon 3D printer. Picture by way of Bambu Lab.
