Right so - Bambu Lab have done something a bit mental with their new H2D. It's not just a 3D printer. It's a 3D printer, a laser engraver/cutter, and a digital cutter all crammed into one machine.
If you've been sitting on the fence about whether to buy a 3D printer or a laser cutter, the H2D might have just made that decision for you.
What's Actually in the Box
The base machine handles 3D printing with a proper 350 x 320 x 325mm build volume - that's noticeably bigger than a P1S. Add the laser module and you've got engraving and cutting covered. The digital cutting/plotting option handles things like vinyl and paper. Depending on which variant you grab, you can kit it out with different combinations.
The AMS 2 Pro Combo (which is what we're stocking at $4,499) gets you multi-colour printing sorted from the start. The AMS 2 Pro has tool-free access from the top - no more unscrewing the housing when filament jams up, which is a pretty welcome change if you've dealt with that before.
The Tech Nerd Bit
Bambu have gone pretty hard on the monitoring side of things. Four cameras, 36 sensors, and an AI nozzle camera with a macro lens watching for print failures in real time. It also does a full pre-flight checklist before each print - scanning the chamber for debris, checking nozzle size, the lot. For anyone who's come back to find a spaghetti mess where their print should be, that's actually really useful.
Dual nozzle setup means you can dedicate one nozzle to support material - which sounds like a small thing until you've spent ages trying to peel supports off a complex print. It also cuts down on filament waste during colour changes, which adds up over time.
Print speeds hit 600mm/s and there's a 5µm optical encoder for motion correction. Honestly, the spec sheet for this thing goes on for a while.
Who's It For?
The H2D makes a lot of sense if you've already got a 3D printing setup and have been eyeing up a laser cutter as the next step. Instead of buying two separate machines and finding space for both, you get one unit that does both jobs. Schools running makerspaces would get a lot of use out of it - students jumping between 3D printing and laser engraving in the same session without any machine-swapping.
Small businesses doing product prototyping or custom merch would also find it pretty handy. Print your prototype, laser engrave the branding, cut the packaging - all on one machine.
It's in stock now and you can have a look in the showroom if you're Auckland-based. Give us a ring on 09 367 7474 if you want to chat about whether it's the right fit, or head to the link below to check the full specs.
Check out the Bambu Lab H2D AMS Combo on the MindKits store