3D Printing News: Bambu H3C Price, Specs & More
By Dynafabs
3D printing news: Bambu Lab H3C price and specs confirmed, lenses printed in one flash of light, a printed drone engine and smarter metal simulation.
The Bambu Lab H3C is officially here. After weeks of teasers, the nine-tool printer went on sale today, so we now have the price, the build volume and the full spec sheet. Elsewhere in 3D printing news, a Spanish company is printing spectacle lenses with a single flash of light, the US Army has flown a drone on a printed engine, and metal printing gets smarter simulation. Here's the roundup.
Bambu Lab H3C: price and specs confirmed
Earlier today we listed what Bambu Lab hadn't told us yet. Now we know. According to Bambu Lab's announcement and its official spec page:
- Price: the H3C AMS Combo is US $2,499 (before tax, shipping included) or €2,499 including tax in the EU, on sale from 3 November.
- Build volume: 330 × 320 × 325 mm, fully enclosed.
- Nine tools, fast swaps: Bambu's Swaptek system switches material in about six seconds, with each tool preheated just before it's needed. 3DPrinting.com reports a 3.4 second tool change by Bambu's count.
- Hot and hard: hardened steel nozzles from 0.2 to 0.8 mm, tools up to 350°C, a 120°C bed and an actively heated chamber up to 65°C.
- Soft TPU: a FlexFeed extruder takes both 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm filament, and Bambu says it prints TPU as soft as 75A.
- Dry filament: all nine spools sit in a sealed AMS 3H unit with built-in drying up to 85°C, expandable to 24 materials with older AMS units.
The Verge's hands-on printed a rainbow feather from cyan, magenta, yellow and white PLA, and a two-hardness TPU shoe (which, to be fair to the reviewer, didn't quite fit). It also notes certification filings pointing to a smaller seven-tool "P3C" in future. For a business-side view, 3DPrint.com frames the H3C as Bambu's answer to tool changers from Prusa and Snapmaker.
The big takeaway is that dry storage and soft TPU were weak spots for earlier tool changers, and Bambu is going straight at both.
Printed spectacle lenses in a single flash of light
Spanish ophthalmic company IOT says it's the first to 3D print personalised progressive lenses. As 3D Printing Industry explains, its Light-Form Technology cures the whole lens in one pass of light rather than layer by layer, and the forming step takes seconds. Lenses made this way are already on sale.
IOT says that, compared with conventional lens making, the process uses no water, needs 90% less energy and produces 76% less waste, though those figures cover manufacturing only. Unused resin is recovered, and the lens is hardened and mapped afterwards. It's a nice example of resin printing moving well beyond prototypes.
A drone flies on a 3D printed heavy-fuel engine
The US Army Research Laboratory has flown a mid-sized drone called VICTOR on what it calls the first 3D printed heavy-fuel engine, an air-cooled rotary design, as reported by 3DPrinting.com. The engine pairs with a 400-volt motor-generator in a series-hybrid system built for vertical take-off and landing.
Programme manager Dr Chol-Bum "Mike" Kweon said metal 3D printing "allowed us to rapidly redesign engine components based on lessons learned through experimentation" and helped the team design an engine that doesn't need liquid coolant. That fast design-test-redesign loop is exactly why engineers love printing, whatever the scale.
Nikon SLM Solutions adds smarter simulation
In industrial metal printing, Nikon SLM Solutions is building PanOptimization's PanX simulation into its build preparation software, according to 3DPrint.com. Users get ready-made templates matched to Nikon SLM's machines, materials and process settings, so they can check how a large build will heat up and distort before committing to it. Both companies will be at Formnext in Frankfurt later this month.
What it means if you're ordering prints
Two threads run through today's news. First, multi-material printing is getting easier, which makes rigid-plus-soft parts more practical. If you're planning one, our PLA vs PETG vs ABS/ASA vs TPU guide explains which material suits which job. Second, getting the setup right before you print saves time and money, from metal simulation down to a simple STL check. Our file prep checklist covers the basics before you order.
FAQ
Does Dynafabs have an H3C? We only talk about kit we actually use, and today's news is just that: news. Whatever is on our bench, we'll choose the right material and settings for your part.
Can a printed part combine hard and soft materials? Often, yes. Depending on the design it can be printed in one go or printed in parts and assembled. Send us your file and we'll advise.
Are printed parts strong enough for real use? With the right material, orientation and settings, many are. Our nylon and carbon fibre guide covers the tougher options.
Got a part in mind?
Whether it's a colourful model, a flexible grip or a tough bracket, we'd love to help. Get a quote from Dynafabs and we'll recommend the best material and settings for the job.
--- #Dynafabs #3DPrinting #3DPrintingNews #BambuLab #ToolChanger #AdditiveManufacturing #MetalPrinting