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Hot on the heels of the H2S, Bambu Lab announces the seven-color, wireless nozzle-swapping Vortek H2C
(www.tomshardware.com)
this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2025
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The affordable tool changer wars begun they have. Thanks to Snapmaker. It does remain to be seen if a "cheap" tool changer can withstand the use and abuse of the great unwashed masses. Something we won't really know for 6 months to a year from when they really get out.
While I'm not a customer for anyone's tool changer, as I have 2 bed slingers I'm quite happy with, but engineering advantages are large and doable enough. And if Bambu is truly successful with it, it's going to wreak the market.
I modded some knock-off E3D toolchanger parts onto my Ender 5 to make a terrible tool changer. The toolchanging mechanism is rock solid and will outlast everything else on the printer. But getting it to toolchange without making it a stringy blobby mess is hard.
So I'm optimistic that a toolchanger can be quite solid, physically. Not so worried about the toolchanging part.
It would be really cool if they'd be able to get a 4x (or at least 2x) toolchanger to <€500. Just waiting for Creality to catch up.
Before the Ender 3 it was considered impossible to have a good metal-frame 3D printer for <€300, and they got there and then everyone got there. Maybe they'll be able to do that with toolchangers as well.
I like Bambulab's idea. It sounds like one that can get to a very low manufacturing device, considering that only changing the nozzle and thermistor means they don't have to duplicate the motors and heaters on the tools.
As an old and retired engineer, I see the wisdom of really chasing the concept. The system SHOULD be cheaper and more reliable due to fewer parts. But that doesn't mean YOU get to see the price savings.....Toss in a few patents and buyer lock-in is assured.
I totally get your point, and patents will clearly happen with this, no question about that.
But It's not the only toolchanging setup on the market. So if it has to compete with some affordable toolchanging options, they could use that to match their prices or even undercut them.
Bambulab does have some pretty cheap and good printers and they apepar to have a long-term goal of making a platform more than just printers, so I could see them making a cheap toolchanger. Certainly not an open one, that's not what they do.
You are probably right, but I like to hope, once in a while, in a world where hope is pretty much lost in many respects.