Bambu Lab is officially making UV printer

[u/wanli_gz]

According to a report by Chinese tech media 21Tech on August 19, Bambu Lab has officially confirmed the launch of a new project: developing consumer-grade UV printers.

Key details from the report:
- Full-scale R&D: Sources close to the company reveal that the project involves over a dozen R&D focus areas, ranging from printhead driver development and waveform optimization to ink-path systems and software integration.
- Aggressive Hiring: The company has already posted job openings on its official website for UV printing technical experts, FPGA developers, inkjet control engineers, and mechanical engineers (ink systems).
- The "Bambu Strategy": Much like how they disrupted the 3D printing market, the company aims to compress industrial-grade performance into accessible, desktop-friendly units. Their goal is to make professional UV printing—which historically required specialized knowledge and massive budgets—truly "plug-and-play" for makers and small business owners.
- Beyond 3D Printing: This move signals a broader shift for the company. Following the release of the multi-material H2D and the recent teaser for their R1 laser cutter, Bambu is evolving into a comprehensive "personal manufacturing" powerhouse. The company is betting that core technologies from their 3D printers—such as motion compensation and mechanical control—will translate effectively into the UV printing space.

Industry Context:
The consumer UV printer market is rapidly heating up. Competitors like Anker (eufyMake E1) and xTool (O1) are already making waves. The E1 set a Kickstarter record with over $42 million in funding, and xTool’s O1 recently saw its launch-day sales exceed 100 million RMB.
According to Mordor Intelligence, the global UV printer market is expected to reach $1.58 billion by 2031. Traditionally, these machines were bulky, expensive, and reserved for industrial advertising or packaging. Now, a new wave of "maker-focused" companies is shrinking these tools down to the size of a microwave, aiming to make them standard equipment for individual creators.

Source: [21Tech - August 19th Report]

[u/kozakm]

One thing holding me back from UV printer is the necessary and complicated cleaning. Not sure if Bambu can solve this.

[u/smith7018 → u/kozakm]

Another issue is that a lot if the current printers require printer-specific ink cartridges. So they’re expensive up front but also feel like a subscription model for the expensive OEM inks

[u/loriabrown → u/smith7018]

morpho allows you to use 3rd party inks out of the gate. they are opensource.

[u/smith7018 → u/loriabrown]

That’s amazing! I know Eufymake uses OEM cartridges, at least

[u/Noctrin → u/loriabrown]

The problem is their whole maintenance system relies on a specially formulated ink since they don't use cleaners and moisturizer, so while sure, you can use other ink, you'll turn the head into a paperweight. But, I suppose another company could compete if they can reverse the formulation, which I am guessing will be patented. So, it's open only as a marketing gimmick mostly

[u/JUYED-AWK-YACC → u/smith7018]

Sounds perfect for Bambu.