Bambu Lab pushes a “control system” for 3D printers, and boy, did it not go well
- Thread starter JournalBot
- Start date
I'm not happy they did this…
but I'm happy that if they were gonna do it, that they did it right when I was thinking "maybe I should buy a 3d printer before tariffs hit" and now I'll just stick to the sane world of just letting other people have that hobby and occasionally paying them to print things for me.
I know there are other brands out there but I don't think my interest in the tinkering and tweaking side of shit could be lower and Bambu's models seemed like the lowest-headache system.
but I'm happy that if they were gonna do it, that they did it right when I was thinking "maybe I should buy a 3d printer before tariffs hit" and now I'll just stick to the sane world of just letting other people have that hobby and occasionally paying them to print things for me.
I know there are other brands out there but I don't think my interest in the tinkering and tweaking side of shit could be lower and Bambu's models seemed like the lowest-headache system.
Upvote
266
(271
/
-5)
I was considering a Bambu printer. I'm glad I didn't pull the trigger.
Bambu labs isnt looking good, neither form their after-purchase change of their TOS, nor the hiding the change. Louis Rossmann has a couple good videos discussing this.
Bambu labs isnt looking good, neither form their after-purchase change of their TOS, nor the hiding the change. Louis Rossmann has a couple good videos discussing this.
Upvote
192
(195
/
-3)
"We must lock out third-party competition to our upcoming subscription fees because...uh...'mitigating security risks', yeah that's the ticket."
Speedrunning the enshifitication of 2D printing.
Speedrunning the enshifitication of 2D printing.
Upvote
229
(234
/
-5)
It's rent-seeking. It's always rent-seeking. They can make you pay money for something, so they will. That's how this game works.
Upvote
251
(254
/
-3)
If it's in the ToS, it will eventually be used. Your only defense is not to sign the line.
If the bad press puts them in the same category as HP, perhaps customer and, more importantly, hacker-customer pressure by bypassing their unwelcome changes will force them to roll back the objectionable diffs.
If the bad press puts them in the same category as HP, perhaps customer and, more importantly, hacker-customer pressure by bypassing their unwelcome changes will force them to roll back the objectionable diffs.
Upvote
149
(150
/
-1)
Almost purchased an A1 today as my first 3D printer; decided to wait until tomorrow and now...any recommended alternatives?
Upvote
92
(93
/
-1)
A "security update" that requires local LAN use to also travel to/from a remote cloud server is NOT a security update. Printers should be totally walled off from the outside WAN, not required to talk to things out there. If the local printer owner chooses to poke a hole in the firewall to allow remote printing, then any bad stuff happening is on local owner.
Bambu, just admit what this really is, a first step toward more control over devices that end purchasers thought they owned.
Bambu, just admit what this really is, a first step toward more control over devices that end purchasers thought they owned.
Upvote
316
(316
/
0)
This was never a security update worth any actual security. They were adding security by ... wait for it folks.. embedding a key in software that runs on uncontrolled/untrusted client computers. Surely that key would never be extracted easily! It's not like this exact thing happened to DVD's over a decade ago...
It's like they failed computer security 101 over there. Security through obscurity isn't security at all.
On the contrary, this was security theater at best. They're either bad at security, bad at communicating, bad at implementing their well-meaning aims, or have bad intentions down the line with putting stumbling blocks in people's way. It's not clear what exact mix of these things we are dealing with here, but the first two certainly seem already quite clearly true.
This is a PR dumpster fire and an own-goal they need to learn from.
Source: Have been 3D printing for over a decade, have 2 bambu printers, and am a big fan of those guys who made the X1+ jailbreak firmware for the Bambu X1 printer , have it on my X1 machine.
If you have an X1 printer and want to be free of this silliness, jailbreak your printer at: https://github.com/X1Plus/X1Plus .
It's like they failed computer security 101 over there. Security through obscurity isn't security at all.
On the contrary, this was security theater at best. They're either bad at security, bad at communicating, bad at implementing their well-meaning aims, or have bad intentions down the line with putting stumbling blocks in people's way. It's not clear what exact mix of these things we are dealing with here, but the first two certainly seem already quite clearly true.
This is a PR dumpster fire and an own-goal they need to learn from.
Source: Have been 3D printing for over a decade, have 2 bambu printers, and am a big fan of those guys who made the X1+ jailbreak firmware for the Bambu X1 printer , have it on my X1 machine.
If you have an X1 printer and want to be free of this silliness, jailbreak your printer at: https://github.com/X1Plus/X1Plus .
Last edited:
Upvote
247
(247
/
0)
This was my thought. An explicit "LAN mode" that isn't actually locked to the local LAN? You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
As a network security guy who used to poke holes in these sorts of things professionally, all I can see is a great big "WELCOME, MALICIOUS ACTORS!" sign hanging off owners' LANs.
And then to have the private key ALREADY leak? I mean, come on. Was this system engineered by the marketing intern's little brother?
Upvote
175
(175
/
0)
Well, strictly it is an "update that impacts security" since it degrades it by requiring you not air gap it.... It's the kind of security update that says: Due to a new security update, your information now has a greater chance of appearing in a data leak.
I really hate TOS that change after purchase. I guess we're not gonna get any new consumer protections over the next 4 years though, and many of the ones we have will go away.
Upvote
98
(107
/
-9)
Big Tree Tech is already working on a replacement main board for these, ha. Been wild watching this in the open source community spaces though. A whole lot of table flipping followed by immediate reverse engineering.
The loss of Naomi Wu to the community has been an unfortunately severe blow though, and we can expect more incidents like this because of it. No one else has really been able to replicate her skill in bridging the Western open source community and the Chinese tech industry.
And finally, big shout out to the X1+ folks, they've been absolute menschen on this complete crapshow.
The loss of Naomi Wu to the community has been an unfortunately severe blow though, and we can expect more incidents like this because of it. No one else has really been able to replicate her skill in bridging the Western open source community and the Chinese tech industry.
And finally, big shout out to the X1+ folks, they've been absolute menschen on this complete crapshow.
Upvote
121
(122
/
-1)
Besides a subscription fee for the required cloud service, they probably have plans to DRM the filament spools somehow "to protect the device" like HP, etc. do.
At least HP subsidizes the printer to get you locked into their toner or ink. Bambu charges full price for the printer then will still gouge for the rest.
Upvote
73
(76
/
-3)
I really, really should've seen this coming when I picked up a Bambu over Black Friday sale. "Yeah they're not tinker-friendly like Prusa, but we're both a little tired of tuning and just want to print." There's always a catch, and it's not like this wasn't known or predicted.
Upvote
63
(63
/
0)
Wait for reviews of Creality's Hi printer (essentially an A1 clone) and see if it's more open than BL.
Upvote
48
(48
/
0)
I'm a big fan of Prusa as being the open alternative - open hardware, software, open to mod, fantastic community, great quality prints, etc. almost the opposite fo bambu's approach.
They used to be a bit persnickety (which as a hobbiest is kind of the fun part to mod the crap out of it so it works "better" )to setup but once dialed in they are solid. But since not everyone wants to "dial-in" the perfect settings and just get to printing I think thier more recent models help eliminate some of the setup iteratons the older models had. I'd check out an MK4s as a solid choice, but the new CORE one looks pretty neat.
I'm sure there are a million comparisons between the two on speed, reliability, etc, but for me its the community and the fact that I can pretty much continue to upgrade my printer and repair it and use it for as long as I want however I like.
Upvote
103
(108
/
-5)
Bambu really schooled Prusa for sitting on their laurels. Nobody was really innovating in the consumer friendly space IMO.. then Joe Prusa got pretty bitter about Bambu eating their lunch at lower Chinese pricing instead of improving. Finally they're starting to catch up a couple years later with the Core One and MK4 (still at higher prices and with less refined input shaping). Their Prusa XL was a train wreck of delay and under-performance sadly.
Prusa needed a good kick in the pants from competition, Bambu gave it to them. We can at least be thankful for that. Creality and the rest of the cloners certainly weren't enough to push Prusa to innovate faster. I'll admit Bambu was absolutely the competitive catalyst the space needed, even if I strongly dislike their current behavior.
Upvote
112
(119
/
-7)
How do you think Bambu Labs came out of nowhere to offer such an attractively priced product?
Venture capital. And now those investors want to start seeing some return.
This is classic early-stage enshittification.
Venture capital. And now those investors want to start seeing some return.
This is classic early-stage enshittification.
Upvote
167
(175
/
-8)
I mean, this is most startups these days... they're certainly not unique. Why deliver a compelling product when you can have annual recurring revenue from captive audience lockin, amirite ?
Upvote
59
(60
/
-1)
Get a prusa - every bit as reliable, probably moreso over time as its open, designed to be repairable, and has a really long suppprted lifetime. Top rate print quality, best in (the consumer) industry support, too.
I have had 3 - i chose kits as i like that kind of stuff. but they sell fully assembled, every bit as plug and play as bambulab.
Prusa also stands out with the XL (true multimaterial, not just multicolor), and their MMU unit generates MASSIVELY less waste than bambu's "poop" solution.
Upvote
58
(65
/
-7)
Thanks, I will check reviews and wait for availability for the CORE and Hi.
Upvote
21
(22
/
-1)
While this is true, it's hard to recommend the XL given it's teething issues and repeated delays and reported issues, to say nothing of the price. A lot of owners have been unhappy with it and it's widely acknowledged to be the first "not great" prusa product (unless you count the MMU).
Bambu made a far more reliable system at a cheaper cost with their AMS.. even if it is far slower and more wasteful.
Upvote
50
(53
/
-3)
Also state support from their totalitarian regime for a strategic industry, and bringing the low-wage, steal every from the community not "bolted down" mass manufacture model to compete with printers offering open repairable designs.
More competition is GREAT and necessary, bit boy it'd be nice from companies & business practices actually worth supporting
Upvote
44
(49
/
-5)
Creality K2 is supposedly quite nice. A1 mini works fine, just use it offline. X1 series is jail-breakable, but overpriced. P1 series is more reasonable but probably going out to pasture soon with the X1 when Bambu releases their new H2D printer soon-ish.
Prusa's a good option if you can stomach the price difference vs the Chinese makers.
Upvote
21
(21
/
0)
I've been quite happy with my Creality K1. I use it exclusively for my business and it has run 24/7 some weeks.
Very little fuss other than certain filaments giving me trouble (so I just don't buy them).
The way new models come out so quickly I would definitely shop around first as there is probably a slightly newer, slightly better model available. Sometimes for LESS money.
You can't really beat their prices without going with a no-name or new brand. There are better units out there, but almost always for way more money.
Upvote
9
(10
/
-1)
I own an xl 5 tool. All the early adopter issues are ironed out. Purchased intentionally as soon as that was the case, mid 2024.
I don't mean to say its perfect, nothing is - but it was a groundbreaking device, and for their own sake DO wish they would market the earliest releases as alpha & beta (which they are). Those tags are well gone now, and its amazing.
ETA: i have owned an earlier mk, an mk4(later upgraded to mk4s - Prusa bends over backwards to bring all their customers forward as new & bigger things are developed). I have several other brands of FDM, one SLa, friends with bambo A1's and an X1 - in no way is bambu more reliable. More reliable than the old creality's at bambu's price point - but not mlre reliable than any prusa.
You might be confusing sentiment from ppl who have opted to do full builds themselves, and done it poorly. that definitely happens - eg just like in Voron builds... Prusa sells fully assembled for everything as well, and they are well known to be great.
Last edited:
Upvote
42
(45
/
-3)
As far as the key being easily extracted, that doesn't matter for their primary aim of boxing out competition. The DMCA makes the lock as good as Fort Knox even if it's really a Mast Lock 607 from a business perspective because it becomes illegal to mess with the DRM. They don't have to actually achieve their fig leaf goal of improving security to achieve their real goal of rent seeking.
Upvote
50
(54
/
-4)
Unfortunately, this is going to be the direction a lot of these companies go. Prusa is likely safe. For now anyways. Otherwise, it's always cool to build your own voron printer.
Upvote
19
(19
/
0)
It's worth pointing out that Prusa is pivoting away from open source as well, and Jo's reaction to this whole shit show has not been... Good.
Upvote
28
(37
/
-9)
Like a bunch of the earlier posters, this came at the perfect time we were quite literally discussing and X1 last week, and I came across the notice and videos over the weekend.
We've decided to hold off for now. I like the idea of a Prusa, it reminds me of PC tinkering in the 90s. But the cost is a bit more then expected.
We've decided to hold off for now. I like the idea of a Prusa, it reminds me of PC tinkering in the 90s. But the cost is a bit more then expected.
Upvote
17
(18
/
-1)
Same boat here, almost bought an A1 mini over Christmas for my first foray. Happy I waited. I’ll be watching this thread for other reccos of good plug-and-play entry-level printers.
Upvote
14
(14
/
0)
P1P owner here. Absolutely love it and a game-changer. Not happy about this but also not losing my shit over it. While I do use OrcaSlicer, firmware updates are not mandatory. In fact, the last few for my P1P have been fairly minor and offer little reason to update or affect me. I also have a Panda Touch.
The current line is poised to be discontinued shortly (if not already), so ultimately this change shouldn’t really impact most owners, if they stand pat on their current firmware. So I’ll continue to recommend based on the current feature-set.
All that said, if you are considering a future Bambu product I would absolutely keep an eye on what they do here. Future products absolutely could be entirely closed in a walled garden of Bambu’s making.
The current line is poised to be discontinued shortly (if not already), so ultimately this change shouldn’t really impact most owners, if they stand pat on their current firmware. So I’ll continue to recommend based on the current feature-set.
All that said, if you are considering a future Bambu product I would absolutely keep an eye on what they do here. Future products absolutely could be entirely closed in a walled garden of Bambu’s making.
Upvote
29
(30
/
-1)
That's the Crux. Bambu was the first to really get people want the thing to just work. And most of their customers aren't using these features. Which makes this all seem like an unforced error. Had they opted to go with the Dev mode first they would have avoided all this in the first place.
But now they have two very big and well watched technology personalities crapping on their products.
I think the only reason it hasn't fully imploded is there isn't a well regarded competitor that fits well in the plug and play market.
Upvote
22
(24
/
-2)
chaos215bar2
Ars Praefectus
Seems like people have already forgotten Bambu's last major "security" kerfuffle? https://meincmagazine.com/gadgets/2023/08/3d-printers-print-break-on-their-own-due-to-cloud-outage/
Every time I've been tempted to consider one, I thought maybe it would make sense to give them a little more time to make sure they're actually going in the right direction with their software. Looks like I was right, and in the mean time Prusa seems to have been making progress on the reliability concerns.
Every time I've been tempted to consider one, I thought maybe it would make sense to give them a little more time to make sure they're actually going in the right direction with their software. Looks like I was right, and in the mean time Prusa seems to have been making progress on the reliability concerns.
Upvote
42
(44
/
-2)
Upvote
9
(16
/
-7)
This is a really complicated topic, and at least per available evidence today what you've phrased is false & misleading.
- all code for their devices is FOSS. The firmware, the local LAN print service, etc
- the full electrical schematics are also available for all printers when they ship
- as are all the printed parts, metal frame specs, etc
What they changed was, with mk3 & prior they also published FULL manifacturing data - ie full pcb layout files & bom, typically on day1
What happened, is they had chinese full clones shipping on day2. The first solution they tried was rebranding to "Original Prusa". Needless to say, this was insufficient.
How many fully FOSS hardware companies do you know that have succeeded long term. I guess we have a couple, like Pine. But how many in highly competitive segments? I can think of none. At best its a tiny list.
It seems lrusa is making an honest effort to be as open as humanly possible, without simply having chinese scamers rip them off & customers who can't/won't look past their wallets to reward who was actually innocating the products.
Nkw, i WHOLEHEARTEDLY welcome the competition. Prusa like any business needed/needs it. But we are only having these great things (in the "non HP toner" consumer market) because of companies like prusa - please propose a better way they can support open/FOSS (and fair labor, privacy respecting, etc, etc) while remaining solvent.
Upvote
126
(129
/
-3)
I went with a Prusa when I had to make a decision about a year ago, knowing that some people were starting to favor Bambu. I assembled it myself and I was amazed that prints were perfect out of the box. They also have been ever since. I know that Bambu has taken some of the shine off of Prusa, and maybe for print farm applications their printers would have advantages, but the Prusa has exceeded expectations for me and been rock solid.
Upvote
39
(39
/
0)
Adding to what others have suggested. (All my opinion, usually coloured by my own experiences)
Prusa printers are more expensive and print slower but have high quality, low tinkering rates (most kits work out-of-the-box) and are generally friendly to the community and tinkerers. Good community support and many mods / accessories available.
Creality are cheaper and may print slower (Heard okay things about the "K1", started reviewing that as a replacement for the A1 I was about to recommend to a friend), historically Creality Ender 3 have had lower quality and (2022-2023) many printers required much work "out of the box" to get reliable operation. Once they are tweaked they produce good prints. Good community support and many mods / accessories available.
Voron are the deluxe approach, more expensive and very much tweaking to build one and get it working; but fast print rates (if you want) and high quality (if you want) and good choice of materials.. Good community support and many mods / accessories available. Not my recommendation for a "first printer" purchase.
And that raises another thought - PLA, PETG, and TPU are fine with an open frame printer; but the more fun materials - ABS, PC - really benefit from an enclosed printer. Which means it is awesome that enclosed core-XY printers seem to be all the rage this last half year.
(Disclosure: I own a Prusa Mk3s, a Voron 2.4, and a no-name-clone i3 in pieces. I had started looking at the A1 and now the Creality K1 for a friend's first printer)
Upvote
35
(35
/
0)
WokStation
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
I picked one up in November, too. P1S with AMS. Bear in mind that I upgraded from a CR10 V1 (still running). I love my P1, it prints beautifully and I've raved about it online.
I was planning to use some home automation to run both printers, the cr10 is extremely open so that's easy, the P1 also supports it. Or it did. I'm not happy about this change at all and Bambu seem to be dismissing most concerns as "inaccurate".
I suspect willful misunderstanding by Bambu of why it's not a popular decision. I really hope they walk back on this or I'll be checking out that more open motherboard.
I was planning to use some home automation to run both printers, the cr10 is extremely open so that's easy, the P1 also supports it. Or it did. I'm not happy about this change at all and Bambu seem to be dismissing most concerns as "inaccurate".
I suspect willful misunderstanding by Bambu of why it's not a popular decision. I really hope they walk back on this or I'll be checking out that more open motherboard.
Upvote
27
(27
/
0)
Upvote
12
(12
/
0)