The Bambu Lab H2C is Here, Bringing Versatile No-Waste Multicolor/Multi-material 3D Printing
Bambu Lab’s new H-series machine is an “uncompromising” take on no-waste multi-material printing, delivered via a new induction-based nozzle changing system called Vortek.
The pinnacle of Bambu Lab’s bleeding-edge second generation machinery is finally here, bringing low-to-no waste printing for up to seven materials in a single print. Don’t confuse this for a downgrade on the H-series’ typical up-to-24-filament printing, though. That’s still there.
Launched at the Formnext additive manufacturing fair today and the spotlight of Bambu Lab’s booth, the Bambu Lab H2C starts at €2,399 for the basic H2C AMS Combo, which includes the AMS 2 Pro, plus a full set of Vortek nozzles. As with the H2D and H2S, Laser Combos are available too, plus new “Ultimate” bundles which include an additional AMS 2 Pro and AMS HT devices to help you better take advantage of the multi-material capabilities.
The H2C is available in the UK, EU, Canada, Australia, and China from today, with LATAM availability following in December. A question mark still hovers over the U.S. still, with Bambu Lab citing logistics issues for a delay (as it did with the P2S) that means it may not begin shipping until December.
Bambu Lab H2C: What’s New?
The Bambu Lab H2C is the company’s self-described high-end variant of the H-series, and retains the large build volume at 330 x 320 x 325 mm (not taking into account limitations on available area to each nozzle). Like the H2D, the H2C has a dual nozzle printhead. Unlike the H2D, which places two manually replaceable hot ends side-by-side, the H2C has a single manual hot end on the left, and the new, quick-swapping Vortek system on the right.
This right nozzle position has a bank of up to six Vortek nozzles available to it. Each of these new nozzles magnetically shunt into place when the printhead calls on them, heating inductively in as little as 8 seconds, Bambu Lab says. The nozzles are capable of remembering the last filament they used, meaning Bambu Studio can send like filaments down the pipe in later prints, reducing clogs and mismatches that can interrupt or ruin prints, even if the nozzle has changed places.
Calibration happens automatically as part of the machine’s regular boot-up processing, with Bambu Lab claiming 25 micron offset accuracy between the Vortek nozzles. In process, the H2C uses the tried and true network of AMS devices to push filament to the nozzles.
But Is It a Toolchanger?
Comparisons will surely be made to toolchangers, but the Vortek, like what Prusa has revealed today too, is not like toolchangers we’ve seen before. Rather than have a carriage park and retrieve the whole printhead, like we see with the Snapmaker U1 and Prusa XL, the H2C can automatically swap Vortek nozzles during the print, seamlessly switching between filament types and nozzle sizes without you needing to do anything.
The filament pulling and pushing between AMS units and the printhead remains unchanged and familiar – all of the newness is in the hot ends and how they can are swapped.
This also means that with only two filament guide tubes going into the print head, material assignment can get complicated. Building on the smart print set up management introduced with the H2D, Bambu Studio should do the work for you in either figuring out a job according to your loadout, or suggesting how you can set the print up if prioritizing efficiency.
The printer around the Vortek is the H-series as know and expect, with a fully enclosed chamber that can actively heat, regulate, and vent itself, plus enough cameras and sensors throughout to catch errors and failures as they pop up. Likewise the option to add the Bambu Lab laser, knife and pen plotting toolheads for multi-functional making remains.
The real capability upgrade here is being able to print without excessive purging, and expanded multi-material possibilities beyond the H2D’s soft limitation to just two.
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