Bambu Lab’s H3C is a large-format 3D printer built around nine separate nozzles, giving users the option to mix colors, materials, nozzle sizes and filament diameters within a print. It starts at $2,500 and includes the nine-filament system and Automated Material System (AMS), which is an integral part of the machine rather than a separate add-on.
The printer has a build volume of 330 × 320 × 335 millimeters and reaches a maximum toolhead speed of 1,400 millimeters per second. Its all-metal hot ends can reach 350°C, while the print bed can reach 120°C. The machine supports materials including PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, carbon-fiber-infused filaments and TPU, in both 1.75mm and 2.85mm diameters. Optional nozzle sizes include 0.2mm, 0.6mm and 0.8mm, alongside The Standard 0.4mm.
The nine-nozzle system, which Bambu Lab calls Swaptek, is designed to heat nozzles using conductive heating. The review found that its practical speed was comparable to a Prusa Core One with INDX, while noting that the H3C’s system uses data and power connections to each tool and can heat a nozzle in around six seconds. The H3C can also use filaments of different diameters, expanding the ways users can combine materials and levels of detail.
That flexibility can help with soft TPU, which is difficult to feed through an AMS when it is very flexible. The H3C can use thicker 2.85mm TPU that is easier to feed, while still producing a flexible material after melting. It can also combine, for example, a wider nozzle and thicker filament for infill with a narrower nozzle and thinner filament for detailed outer walls. Two AMS slots have active heating chambers for materials that need to be kept warm and dry.
Early hands-on testing found that the H3C produced good-looking models when prints completed successfully, and that its nozzles handled multicolor projects effectively. The printer also detected some failures and paused to alert the user. However, tall prints sometimes failed when supports or the purge tower fell, particularly during testing at 125% speed. The review also reported that the standard acceleration could contribute to errors, while describing the machine as complex, with many potential failure points.
The H3C is physically large: it measures 493 × 571 × 587 millimeters, and the reviewer said it stood 63 inches tall on a separately sold rolling cart. Setup was described as straightforward but cumbersome enough that having another person available was recommended. The early assessment characterized it as a high-end machine aimed at experienced users seeking more complex printing options, while noting that testing was still underway and a complete score had not yet been given.
Sources: CNET.