Welcome, P1P !
We, at Bambu Lab, think that 3D printing can change the world for the better. Thanks to 3D printing, You can kick-off projects that are not big enough to make tooling feasible. You can repair things instead of throwing them out, you can lower the inventory by manufacturing goods on demand. Given the ability to make physical things, individuals may come up with unexpected solutions to existing and future problems of the world.
Unleashing the power of creative individuals will lead to a smarter, more beautiful, and more sustainable world. This is the mission we are committed to since day one of this company.
The X1 was our first step toward this goal. We wanted the X1 to be a significant step forward for the desktop 3D printing industry. We wanted the makers to be able to spend more time on designing and printing, rather than tinkering with their tools. The thousands of comments that we have read confirm that we are on the right track. We know the X1 is not perfect, and we know it does not fulfill every need for everyone. There is a long way ahead of us to achieve our ultimate goal.
Pushing technology forward in pursuit of innovation is not an easy job. Behind every new feature, there are ten failed approaches and a hundred failed experiments. There were so many cool features that we had planned to implement from day one, which unfortunately did not survive the journey. Some came to a dead-end and some were killed at the eleventh hour following rigorous QA tests. Nowadays, whenever I am frustrated or low on energy, I will open my browser and go through all the feedback from the community, just to recharge my mood back. There is nothing more empowering than comments from the community to lift our spirits, whether negative or positive. "They love what we are doing here, let's go back and have another go on that damn experiment!"
Innovation is our only strategy, and we definitely intend to wow the world at every step or iteration. On the other hand, we also face the challenge of making the technology more accessible. The more people engage in 3D printing, the better for everyone. Devices manufactured in large numbers will become more affordable. More materials will be developed to meet the most niche applications. New and existing artists, designers, and makers will become even more inspired to create. And of course, the more printers we sell, the more profit we can make, which allows us to reward and provide better lives to the hardworking teams behind all this innovation, which they truly deserve.
This is where the P1P comes in.
The P1P is built on the same platform as the X1. It shares as many parts as possible, as well as the essential qualities: Reliability, speed, and ease-of-use workflow. It also takes advantage of the shared software, profiles, and accessories. Its main argument, of course, is its cost. The $699 price tag will make it accessible to a wider audience.
The P1P also opens new opportunities for upgrades and customization. We were amazed by the community's creativity when we saw the mods that they came up with for X1, so we decided to make P1P a mod-friendly model and empower this creativity. You can personalize the side panels, make your own enclosure, configure your LEDs, and plug in a camera for time-lapses and remote monitoring. Besides that, we will also produce an add-on extension board that can be connected to our Bambu Bus and controlled via G-code. The board allows the users to plug in color LED strips and control their color based on the state of the print. It could be used to control additional stepper motors and servos for auto bed switching mods. You could add additional fans for air-filtering, ventilation, or extra cooling. We even have a DLSR shutter controller on the board, for those crystal-clear satisfying time-lapses. I am sure that there will be new features developed by our customers that we haven't even thought of yet. There isn't going to be just one kind of P1P; There will be as many P1Ps as the community's imagination allows. We are offering the basics, a blank canvas. You will make the P1P unique in your own way, through self-expression along with the story that goes with it. Whether this printer will be a success or not partially depends on you.
You, reading this blog post, probably means that you're already engaged in 3D printing in one way or another, or at the least, curious about it. Chances are that you're also expecting more innovation from us such as bigger build volume, tool-changing capabilities, extra axis, IDEX, new sensors. The announcement of the P1P might not have been the move you expected from us, or wished for at the moment. But if you just take a step back, and try to see the bigger picture, you'll hopefully see what we see: the advantages and necessity of the P1P, current, and future ones. And yes, we are working on the next-generation printer as you are reading this. If we succeed together in expanding the 3D printing audience, this can only bring a lot more innovation, not just from us, but from every other player in the market. Thank you for riding along with us on this journey.