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]

I’m Chinese, and I truly enjoy Bambu’s products. This now feels like something I have to hide. It’s become politically wrong here.

I am among the very few who don’t fully grasp the ins and outs of copyleft culture. Coming from a copyright surrounding, these concepts feel pretty alien to me. Apple was default high quality phone when I was born. In my culture, calling a brand the Apple of an industry is a praise. Only recently did I realize it’s used as criticism.

I respect the mainstream opinions here and the ongoing backlash. Bambu deserves this because it messed up badly.

The disappointing side is, just because my nickname hints my cultural origin, almost everything I say gets questioned and judged as being paid off by Bambu.

I am a minority here both culturally and ideologically. But I hope people can direct disappointment at the brand, not fellow hobbyists. Because I’ve been making great efforts to learn English, saving up pocket money to buy printers and filaments, just hoping to fit into this community.