05-31-2022: Bambu Lab X1 debuted on Kickstarter
...turning the whole FDM/FFF 3D printing industry upside down
On May 31, 2022, China's Bambu Lab debuted "just another crowdfunding campaign" on Kickstarter, promoting its debut 3D printer – the X1. Yes, it promised to be really great, offering such functionalities as super-fast 3D printing with 20,000 mm/s² acceleration and 500 mm/s speed, the use of a dedicated "Neural Processing Unit", thanks to which the 3D printer automatically fine-tunes itself for bed leveling, and provides flow linear advance, vibration compensation, and belt tensioning. There was also a built-in video camera, cloud communication and a module for automatic change of four filament spools. And all this for just $1,500.
It smelled like a scam for miles... The 3D printing industry has seen too many such "revolutionary projects" on Kickstarter to believe these bold promises (see the Buccaneer 3D I described yesterday). Meanwhile, Bambu Lab turned out not only to be real, it even exceeded expectations. Today, it is the absolute leader in desktop 3D printing in the FDM / FFF version, posing a potential threat to the industrial industry.
The Kickstarter campaign was a shocking success. The Bambu X1 has raised HK$ 54,970,803 (over 7 million dollars) from 5,575 backers, making it one of the most successful hardware campaigns in the history of Kickstarter (and in terms of 3D printing, the third behind just AnkerMake M5 and Snapmaker 2.0). But what happened next is more important. Well, it turned out that Bambu Lab created such an excellent 3D printer that practically the entire industry was left behind...
Everyone had to speed up their 3D printers overnight and revise their pricing policies. The fat corporate cats looked at Bambu Lab, first with disdain, then with curiosity, and finally with irritation and horror. Business is no longer the same - the hierarchy of importance has been forever disrupted. The cards were shuffled and everyone had to start the game practically from scratch.
Source: www.kickstarter.com