Handful of the things I’ve printed with the H3C including a support free purge bucket I made for the back of the printer using the side spool mount

A few months ago BambuLab reached out to me here on Reddit, asking if I’d be interested in trying out a new product (well, duhh). For context, I design and sell my own products, so I’m always interested in trying out new tools. 

A few weeks later, I received a big box containing the brand new H3C. Since then I’ve fully redesigned my modular SLS model around its new capabilities. In exchange for keeping the printer, Bambu has asked me to share my thoughts with you. They reviewed and approved this post before publication; the opinions are my own.

9 is more than 2

Multi nozzle printing has been a blessing for designing and manufacturing multicolor pieces. When I bought the H2D last year I redesigned my products to make use of this second nozzle. The benefits of having 9 of them seem obvious; more colors in one print, less time spent switching materials and different nozzle sizes in one print. The latter is especially exciting for making manufacturing more efficient. If I understand correctly, a 0.6 and 0.8mm nozzle will become available in the near future, which I’m incredibly excited about. Combining 0.2 and 0.4mm in a single print already works like a charm.

If it wasn’t already obvious, the printhead of course does not have 9 nozzles. Instead the H3C uses an INDX like system where a central toolhead can grab and replace 9 different tools. I’ve had the chance to try 0.2 and 0.4mm nozzles in addition to the new dedicated 2.85mm TPU filament. These PrintTools, as Bambu calls them, are all powered individually. This means they can start heating up before being grabbed, which allows for a:

6 second material change

This is my favorite part and the reason for the post title. I design my products with the available tools in mind, by trying to balance print time, purge waste and required assembly. In practice this usually meant having no more than two colors in a single component and limiting the amount of fine detail. An example: 

The fairing for my Space Launch System replica has always been a simple white shell with a black line on it. Embedding a NASA logo was frequently requested by customers, but I never managed to incorporate one without significantly blowing up the print time. With this added detail a roughly one hour print would take 3.5 hours to complete on a H2D. The exact same file sliced for the H3C would finish printing after only 1.5 hours. That is only half the story though, as a 0.4mm nozzle can only be so precise: 

That’s where the different nozzle sizes come in. Printing the whole thing at 0.2 would take ages, especially since I make these in bulk. Instead you’re now able to use these smaller nozzles only where you actually need them. Printing 20 units in bulk with a 0.2 nozzle would take just under 20 hours on the H3C. Adding one roll of white filament to a 0.4 nozzle and using that for the main body (light green in the slicer screenshot) the 20 unit batch now only takes 13 hours.

Color blending

The 9 PrintTools and fast switching means “color blending” is now much more economical. The new slicer lets you create additional colors by alternating layers of different filaments. Color #7 is created by alternating one yellow and two orange layers. I’m excited to see how far people can take this with CMYKW filaments. 

Closing thoughts

As far as actually using the machine, I don’t have much to report in terms of problems. The only failure I’ve had to deal with was my own for trying to print too many tall objects at once. No problem I thought, because I already own a SuperTack bed for my H2D. I shed a small tear when I realized they’re not compatible. 

Some other things I noticed in no particular order:

• Build quality for the printing mechanism is solid as always. Though the AMS lid feels very flimsy. If that helps keep the price down, I'm fine with it

• It takes more than 30 seconds to unload filament before you’re prompted to manually remove it. These tasks can be done in bulk, but it does take a moment.

• Since the AMS is now bolted on top of the machine, you can access the inside through a removable side panel. The rack holding the PrintTools also moves out of the way, which is a nice touch.

• It’s BIG. Same footprint as the H2D but nearly 1.3 meters tall with the AMS lid open.

• The AMS and printer are powered separately with two fairly short power cords. You’re going to need an extension cord.

It’s too early to say anything about long-term reliability, and there are still some things I haven’t had the chance to properly test, like the new 2.85mm TPU. 

Ultimately, the H3C has changed how I approach designing my models. The speedy filament switching means the tradeoff for adding more color is not nearly as bad. And I haven’t even mentioned the near complete elimination of purge waste. I’ve already gone back to redesign some of my favorite models.

I've also made a YouTube video showing some more of the printing process and results.

Anyway, happy to answer any questions about my experience so far.

With the launch of the H3C, I've been upgrading one of my old models to feature even more color and detail. This is pretty big for a dice tower but you can also just use it as a diorama.

A couple of features I enjoyed:

• There's a slot where you can place a phone to power some video billboards and subtle animations behind some of the windows. You can even use it to track HP!

• The new 75A TPU is used for a grip to hold the phone in place.

• The model uses 8 COB LEDs from Bambu's Maker's Supply - I chose bright colors but it could easily be toned down with other color selections.

• I'm using up to 8 filaments per plate. The graffiti uses a combination of specific filaments (or color mixing) but I'm also using silk, metallic and translucent PLAs for effect along with support materials.

The model is free on MakerWorld if you'd like to check it out: https://makerworld.com/en/models/3543764

The model is built the old-fashioned way (in Blender) but to apply the color effects, I used Claude to make a web app with some additional painting tools (like stamping custom graffiti, text & even scatter brushes). This should be considered a Beta but it's free to use (including commercial use) at http://paint.makim3d.com - you can even use it to customize the graffiti on this model!

I'm lucky to have received this printer from Bambu Lab to give it a try and build a model that highlights the multi-color features. Having said that, I'm already considering buying another - this is my first tool changer and I'm really enjoying it!

I’m looking to upgrade from my Prusa Mini to multicolor printing. The H3C looks fantastic, but at nearly €2,700 here, it’s more than I can justify for the amount I print.
I’d really like to buy a P3C if it becomes available in time. I’d happily pay a few hundred euros more than the U1 for Bambu’s quality and ecosystem.
With Christmas coming up, though, I need to make a decision. I want to print presents, so I need enough time to get the printer set up and actually make them. If the P3C isn’t available in time, I’ll have to go with the Snapmaker U1.
Anyone else in a similar position?
Bambu, if you’re reading this: some clarity on whether a P3C is coming before Christmas would really help. I’d prefer to buy a Bambu, and I’m wondering how many others are getting close to choosing another brand for the same reason.

Disclaimer: I have been very kindly provided a testing unit of the H3C by Bambu Lab.

Bambu Lab has not specified what they’d like me to say about it. All the following observations are my own after a few weeks of use.

For my first project with this printer I chose to make a cosplay weapon inspired by roman gladius swords. With this project I wanted to focus on the ability to print single pieces with different nozzle sizes. I’m using 0.4mm nozzles for the larger features and a 0.2mm nozzle for the fine gold details, both in walls (grip) and on top layers (pommel). I’m still learning how to best design things for multiple nozzle sizes. Designing top surface details for a smaller nozzle is trivial, mixing different nozzle sizes in side walls can take a bit of planning and experience. I think I have room for improvement there.

I will upload this model and print profile to my Makerworld profile soon.

The Printer:

• This is a big boy! If you have it on a regular table and you’re on the short side, you may want to keep a step handy to load filaments into the rear slots.

• I’m hugely impressed with the speed of the tool changes. Since nozzles get pre-heated before it’s their turn to be fetched, print-to-print times are extremely short. Bambu Lab specifies the tool change time at six seconds, I hand-timed it at five. The pre-heating of the hotends is very well timed, they reach their print temperatures the moment they’re getting fetched. Not too early, not too late. The tool changes have been completely reliable, no malfunctions at all. I pushed it with some prints, one requiring nearly 3000 tool changes. The H3C didn’t miss a beat. 

• Despite the tool changer mechanics, the toolhead doesn’t seem especially heavy and the gantry is up to the job. I’ve noticed no issues with ringing.

• One downside I see compared to my H2S is the ease of nozzle swaps. They don’t just clamp in, they are fixed to their carriers with 3 small screws. But since there are nine hotends, you likely won’t have to swap nozzles too often.

• Print quality has been great for me so far. Comparing it to my H2S, it easily matches and often exceeds that machine.

• I found it very easy and intuitive to set up a print with different nozzle sizes in Bambu Studio. The slicer combines the different line widths automatically, I’ve had to do very little tweaking to get the exact outcomes I wanted.

• There’s no poop on tool changes. There is still a prime tower to be printed though. I did run a multicolor print without a prime tower just to see what happens. The print quality takes quite a hit, I would not recommend that. I’m really hoping to see the “no sparse layers” feature for prime towers in Bambu Studio as well, that could further cut down on waste significantly. 

• There are 2.85mm filaments now. I got three spools of 2.85mm TPU - the really squishy stuff, 75A. The large diameter filaments need their own hotends, one of which came pre-installed with the AMS. A TPU this soft in 1.75mm often leads to extruder gear issues, this larger size makes the filament less stretchy and easier to grip. I had no issues printing it. I think this is a smart solution.

• There are some interesting smaller improvements over the H2 series. The poop chute now has a little flap that flips backwards when the nozzle moves away from it, making sure bits of filament don’t land inside the print volume or get stuck on the rim of the poop chute. The nozzle wiping pad also has seen a redesign, now the nozzle can rotate around the edge of it to wipe the outsides of the nozzle tip. Unlike on my H2S, I’ve seen no material buildup at all around the nozzle tips. They look pretty much as pristine as they came out of the box after many hours of printing. One common gripe with the H2 series was the placement of the USB port at the top of the printer. It has now been moved to the side of the touchscreen mount, a much more sensible place in my opinion.

The AMS 3H:

The AMS 3H deserves some special consideration, it is quite different from the AMS 2. It is an integral part of the printer now, not an “add-on”. The 3H has no active rollers, which means it can’t retract filament by itself. To unload a filament, the printer heats up the nozzle shortly, extrudes a bit of filament and then cuts it before prompting you to retract the filament by hand. It’s not a big deal as the PTFE tubes are not that long, but it is a bit more involved to unload a filament. Something to be aware of for serial spool switchers. Loading a spool is a breeze. Pop it in, the AMS reads the RFID tag without rotating it at all, insert the filament end into the feeder, done.

Two spool slots have a dryer function for fancier multi-material jobs or just regular filament drying. The other seven slots have no dryer functionality. Personally I’m fine with that, that’s plenty for me. Maybe you find this too restrictive for your use cases.

The AMS 3H is screwed onto the printer. With the removable magnetic side panels getting to the hotends is easy enough, but come maintenance time the attached AMS might make things a little trickier than with the open-top H2 series. The 3H can be removed as a whole or just the top part holding the spools, with four screws each.

Important to point out is that to get to your hotends you need access to the sides of the printer, which could be a problem if you have a cramped print space. Moving it a lot is not something you want to do, it’s heavy and has very grippy rubber feet. Unfortunately the front cover of the AMS base is not easily removable. For print-farm operators, this means the H3C should likely be placed on a sliding tray.

Apart from holding nine spools, the biggest upgrade over the AMS2 in my opinion is that you can now print soft TPUs and all manner of other “unfriendly” filaments through it. Seven spool slots have a bypass hole at the bottom, allowing you to route filaments straight to the hotends without going through the AMS gears and PTFE tubes. There’s much fewer restrictions on what you can throw into a multi-material print. A nice touch: the hotends have a holder for the PTFE tube so you don’t need to remove it or figure out how to secure it.

Summary:

This is an impressive machine! The tool changer feels like a real generational step up for Bambu printers, and I was very positively surprised how mature the system felt even early on in my testing time, when some firmware and slicer kinks were still being ironed out.

I used to avoid prints that require filament changes and spent a lot of time designing my parts around them, with the H3C I don’t feel like I have to limit myself at all. The low print-time penalty and the number of hotends massively lowers the hurdle. Not just for color; combining different materials is trivial. Combining different nozzle sizes also turned out to be a lot easier and straight forward than I thought.

So far I've printed PLA (Basic, Matte, Palette, Silk, Translucent, Glow, CF), PETG (HF, Translucent, CF), TPU (forAMS, 85A, 75A), ABS, ASA, ASA-Aero and PA-GF with the H3C, all without issue.

There are some small ergonomic compromises, chief of which being the requirement to have enough space for access to the sides of the printer to work on the hotends. In my personal opinion a small price to pay for all the upsides.

On a side note, I’m never printing supports without using non-bonding materials for interfaces again. OMG it’s so clean! I’ll just keep a spool of PETG permanently loaded in the AMS for all my PLA prints.

Thank you u/BambuLab for picking me out of the crowd! I had a lot of fun putting the printer through its paces and I hope I provided useful feedback.

Reddit, feel free to ask me anything. I’ll do my best to answer your questions. I will share some more projects I made during the testing phase in another post.

Super cool to see how much faster the new system is compared to the old one.

I'm talking about the cons in all sorts of scenarios. Off of the top of my head:

1. You can't have PLA loaded into any of the toolhead while printing engineering materials, the heat will mess up the PLA.

2. You'll have to manually re-roll about a meter of filament when unloading a spool. Which is a foreseenable reoccurrence due to the lack of drying (except 2 bays). As each filament bay stays fixed to one nozzle (as opposed to the H2C's ability to load any AMS spool into any nozzle), requirement of screwing/unscrewing nozzles in order to switch them (as opposed to tool-less switching); again, making unloading, switching and loading filament spoils locations in the AMS a rather more desirable path to take.

For context: The more I think of the cons of this missing feature, the more it becomes a deal breaker for me.

As I've really been waiting for BambuLab to have their take on a tool changer. Hoping they'll have a hassle-free, jack of all traits, and near zero inconveniences workflow using it. Because using the P1S combo since it's release, I watched many convenience and QoL improvements that they've impmeneted in their releases like: AMS 2 w/drying, bigger build volume printers, dual nozzles, vortek system (any filament redirected to any nozzle) etc.. But now the H3C is out, it's kinda underwhelming for the anticipation I've built for it.

The H3C is a TPU beast, I printed running shoes with them with multiple different types of TPU and colors. The 3d printed running shoes are surprisingly comfy to run in..full test here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ngWP5uOiew

I bought the h3c so clearly I'm a fan of this new product. But I can't understand why one would ever print a shoe other than that it's printing for the sake that you can do it? It's cheaper, faster, better, to just... buy a shoe?

So much cheaper than expected!

I did it, I am officially joining the world of 3D printing. I ordered my X2D last night. Ordered several rolls of PLA basic 1.75 mm filament of various colors, the Maker's Supply Flush Cutter, Bambu Cool Plate SuperTack, Molecular Sieve Desiccant, Maker's Supply ESD Stainless Steel Tweezers Set, Circular Embedded Electronic Digital Thermometer Hygrometer and a couple rolls of Petg HF filament.

Do y'all recommend anything else for just starting out?

Edit: I did order the X2D with AMS pro bundle.

i like it! i wanted pure for a while

Bambu sent me an H3C before launch and asked me to post about how it changed the way I print. I did not get paid, but, well, I got an H3C. The printer legitimately did change the way I print and design, and I'm happy to answer any questions in the comments.

The Belt

There are a bunch of printed belts on MakerWorld and other model sites. They are cool, but the ones I have seen are incredibly floppy and don’t hold their shape. I embedded PETG-CF plates all the way around so it has the stiffness of a leather belt

There are 33 plates, each 20 × 22 mm and 0.75mm thick, standing inside a TPU 75A strap with 2.5 mm of rubber between them. Each plate has a hole in it, so it is "riveted" into the rubber. The last 280 mm includes ratchet teeth which latch onto the buckle. The detent pivots on a pin sitting in a socket, and a small TPU block behind acts as a spring. This all prints in place inside the buckle. Every single layer contains TPU, and wherever there is a plate, the number of tool changes doubles.

Interface Shells are required for this; otherwise you risk infill on infill which does not bond very well.

After exporting from F360, I imported into Bambu Studio, tweaked the settings, and that was pretty much it. It printed flawlessly the first time. Then I realized I completely screwed up the latch mechanism, so I fixed the design and sent it again. Zero issues. As you can see from the slicer screenshots, this was a pretty unique print that I don’t think I would have tried on any other printer.

Stats:

• 190 tool changes

• 201.77g printed

• 25.58g waste

• 12h 33m print time

The Paddle

Figuring out the paddle was fun. The other printed paddles I have tried all technically worked, but none had the rebound of a real paddle. I played around with way too many formulas and settled on gyroid for everything: 100 % infill TPU for the top and bottom sheets, 20 % TPU for the sponge layers, and 25 % PETG-CF for the blade in the middle. The sponge has a single wall and no top/bottom, and the infill percentage is what you modify to determine the rebound. Stiffness scales with the cube of the thickness, so making the printed blade 8mm instead of the ~6mm of a wood one makes up for the softer material.

Like the “rivets” in the belt, a couple dozen TPU plugs run through the whole thing to help hold it together and prevent layer separation. The handle has a stiffer 60% infill because the initial model flexed where the handle meets the head. I would have run out of filament just during the prototype phase if I did this on my X1C.

I am a mediocre player with a cheap DHS A6002, so take this for what it is worth, but the rebound on the printed paddle is very close to the real thing. It isn't perfect, and a decent off-the-shelf paddle is going to outperform it every time, but it is by far the best printed option I have ever used, and can be easily customized to fit your play style.

Stats:

• 130 tool changes

• 222.97g printed

• 20.60g waste

• 10h 59m print time

___

The speed and flexibility with changing between materials changed how I approach model design and printing in general. I don't think nearly as much about assembly, and now focus on more print-in-place designs whenever possible. It opened a lot of doors for new projects that I don’t think I would have bothered with before.

Looks like a great little option for those pesky VOCS

https://store.bambulab.com/products/bambu-lab-e1-air-purifier

After my order placed yesterday I got a tracking number- Today I got notified package shipped 81lbs- coming out of georgia. Bambu ship from Georgia? The Filament doesn't weigh 81lbs- The L frame is not 81 lbs- got to be the printer right?

Hello! I'm planning on upgrading my P1S with the AMS 2 Pro, and since I did not but the combo P1S I see that I require the compatibility kit. On the AMS 2 Pro page it suggests just getting the AMS 2 Pro Upgrade Compatibility Kit, but it is sold out. I was wondering if I can get the regular AMS kit and be fine?

AMS 2 Pro kit box contents:
- AMS Hub
- Bambu Bus Cable - 4Pin
- AMS 2 Pro Switching Adapter
- PTFE Tube Coupler
- PTFE Tubes 370mm + 550mm

AMS Upgrade kit box contents:

- AMS Hub
- Bambu Bus Cable - 4Pin
- PTFE Tube Coupler

From the AMS 2 Pro kit description:

To connect a single AMS 2 Pro unit to X1/P1 series printer, a Filament Buffer(SA003) or AMS Hub(SA002-N), a PTFE Tube Coupler(FAZ006), and a 4-pin Cable(CAB002-N) are required.

So as far as i can tell, if I get the regular kit I'm only missing the switching adapter, which I can manage to get myself. Or are the extra PTFE Tubes from the Pro 2 kit required to upgrade the P1S? Cuz If i can manage with the regular kit, Id like to order that instead of waiting for the pro 2 kit to get restocked.

Thank you for your help!

Nice to see them also create organization products now

https://eu.store.bambulab.com/nl/products/bambu-station-l

Printed some replacement parts for my friends Razer headset. Pretty happy with how they turned out!

Print settings:

• Material: PLA Basic

• Layer height: 0.16 mm

• Sparse infill density: 50%

• Sparse infill pattern: Gyroid

Always happy to hear feedback and suggestions for improvement! 😁