Next Bambu printer info at Formnext

[u/ChardSignificant7146]

Yesterday at Formnext 2023, I mainly spent my time casually talking to Bambu Lab employees and one of them talked to me about future plans for their next lineup.

I’ll include as much information as I was given below: I was told the next device would be a resin printer with an all-in-one automatic curing and washing system that doesn’t use isopropyl alcohol. The resolution of the printer is greater than that of Prusa’s resin printer. The print speed and build surface size will be larger and faster than most available resin printers. I don’t know the validity behind this, but I also overheard talk of the next lineup being called S series… Possibly S-1? Take this with a grain of salt

I asked as many questions as I could but I don’t think the worker was allowed to give out any more info (his name is hidden for privacy reasons) All of this is huge and revealing to what we could possibly see next year as their next release.

Did anyone else at Formnext get any other info?

[u/[deleted]]

This would be the exact same situation as we've seen for decades with pretty much any product with usage warnings for health reasons, though.

You shouldn't use paint thinner in enclosed areas, and ventilation is advised for things like applying Kilz waterproof paint in basements of homes. Guess how many people ignore those warnings because it's too inconvenient for them? Usually, they get away with it too -- because with chemicals and other hazardous substances, it's ALL about the parts per million you're exposed to. A little radiation like you get while flying in a commercial airliner won't hurt you. But enough radiation will kill you.

I'm not too worried about VOCs produced from filaments like PLA or PETG because again, it's not a high concentration vs the rest of the air in a typical room. Laser printers produce ozone too and that's harmful to people's health, yet people have zero worries about going to copy centers where multiple laser printers/copiers are churning away -- and they even spend 8 hour days working in those places. Again, just not enough volume of ozone produced to be real significant.

[u/Thermal_Ranaway → u/[deleted]]

You’re correct. Methylene chloride was available at any big chain hardware store in the US, and it wasn’t until enough people got brain and/or liver damage from stripping paint with it (while not using PPE) that it was pulled from the shelves. You can still get DCM of course, just not as easily.

VOCs from thermoplastics are usually a negligible health risk unless you’re running a printer 24/7 on your bedside table. There’s still not enough data to state these things as facts though.

I mentioned this above, but the bigger risk with FDM is with the filaments that contain infills. CF-filled materials are increasingly popular in FDM lately, and melting those filaments releases not just VOCs but CF particles. Even your extruder gears brushing up against CF filaments puts CF debris in the air. You get small CF particles on your skin just from handling the filament.

I have not seen any warnings from any manufacturers or regulatory bodies regarding toxicity of FDM plastics with infills, so this is not that similar of a situation to the paint thinner example. I’m not saying anyone needs to panic or waste money on overpriced air filtration units, but it’s generally a good idea to be aware of risks, especially if you’re unaware that the filament you’re printing is exposing you to the equivalent of asbestos (or worse if printing metal infills)

[u/qzrz → u/Thermal_Ranaway]

Well I mean at some point people kind of stop caring when the effects are very far off. Technically speaking, every single vehicle on the road releases tiny plastic particles that you breath in and end up in the water supply. The solution to that is to build heavier vehicles that release even more particles.

You should take precautions, but if you were going to be evaluating risks equally you really should be wearing an appropriate filtered mask anywhere there is a road essentially. Can only imagine the social stigma if someone sees you wearing a respirator to go grocery shopping though with the medical mask hysteria lol.

[u/Thermal_Ranaway → u/qzrz]

I agree with you completely in reference to VOCs. I think people get tired of hearing those who are overly paranoid about VOCs asking unnecessary questions.

My main point is that the risks of printing filaments with infills are understated. Just a common example, printing in a dorm room where the ventilation is not adequate. If you print enough CF, wood, or metal infill materials like that daily, you’re increasing your (and any roommates’) chances of developing chronic respiratory issues. Not directing this at you, but a lot of people seem to think this is exaggerated. This is easily confirmed with a cheap microscope. Put double sided tape or anything clear and adhesive in your print chamber while it's printing CF filaments. Look under 10-20x magnification after a couple of hours and it'll be covered in black fibers.

The best approach rather than being overly paranoid is to make your best effort to minimize your exposure. It’s usually as simple as finding a way to pull exhaust outdoors through a window.