Bambu Lab has announced its advanced 3D printer, the $2,499 H3C, which features a nine-nozzle system capable of mixing materials, colors, and nozzle sizes. As reported by The Verge, the new machine loads nine different rolls of filament into nine distinct print heads to represent a major step forward for home printing technology.
Advanced Toolchanger and Material Mixing
While the H3C prints using a single material at any given moment, the new “Swaptek” system allows the machine to switch between any of the eight other nozzles in six seconds. All nine tools sit in a front storage rack where they independently preheat to the correct temperature right before use, according to The Verge.
Using the “PLA Palette” cyan, magenta, yellow, and white filament, The Verge printed a rainbow bird feather. Combining flexible TPU and rigid PLA filaments created a hard wristwatch housing with an integrated flexible watchband, while an ultra-soft 75A TPU and a 90A variety produced a wearable shoe.
Although competitors like the Snapmaker U1 and Prusa’s INDX system offer alternative toolchanger options, previous models lacked a method to keep filament dry. The H3C addresses this by storing its nine rolls inside an airtight auto-loading container named the AMS 3H. Two of the slots feature built-in dryers reaching 85 degrees Celsius to dry filament during printing.
Testing Quirks and Future Expectations
Testing by The Verge revealed a few initial quirks, including toolhead camera initialization errors requiring prints to be started twice, a false-positive print failure detection, and beta software color-mixing confusions. Furthermore, flexible TPU filaments must be loaded manually, and reviewers were warned not to place TPU in slot #6 during multi-material prints to avoid jams.
The system also requires minor disassembly to repair a nozzle without tools, and leaves filament inside toolheads between prints. However, the machine successfully reduced the production of waste material during color switches compared to older models.
Certification leaks indicate that Bambu Lab is preparing a smaller model named the “P3C” featuring seven tools and seven filament storage rolls. Additionally, the company plans to allow three existing dual-nozzle printers—the H2D, H2C, and X2D—to print with two different nozzle sizes by next spring, as noted by The Verge.
