GoKawiilBambu Lab has been slowly refreshing its entire line of 3D printers. There's the flagship H series, like the H2D, the midrange workhorses like my Editors' Choice winner the P2S, and the budget A series. One thing that seemed to be missing was a replacement for its original printer, the X1 Carbon. Its answer is the X2D, a thoughtful replacement for the X1C, with some interesting upgrades and a few compromises.
I've been using it for a short time, and while I have some first impressions, this is not a review. That will come after much more testing. Those first impressions are mostly positive, though I do have some initial trepidation. The Bambu Lab X2D is priced at $899 for the combo with the automatic material system ($649 without it), and is available now.
When it comes to the look and feel of the X2D, anyone who has used any of Bambu's 3D printers will be familiar. It's a fully enclosed machine made of metal, plastic and glass, and, like the P and H series 3D printers, it has excellent build quality.
The setup time was about 20 minutes, as I wanted to make sure the new parts were installed correctly, but it was a very simple process. Because the printer is the same size as a lot of Bambu's other machines, accessories like the Biqu Cryogrip build plate work perfectly with the X2D.
Compared with its predecessor, the X1C, the family resemblance is striking. The X2D is the dark charcoal color the company now prefers over the light gray, but everything else feels very similar. The X2D doesn't have the carbon rods the X1C used; it uses more traditional steel, which works for just about every other 3D printer.
The active filtering and airflow system from the P2S is present here as well, so those steel rods are less likely to get contaminated as quickly, though maintenance is always recommended. The biggest difference between the X2D and the X1C, though, is the number of nozzles. We get two on the new printer.
Bambu Lab X2D specifications Build volume Main nozzle printing: 256 x 256 x 260 mm; auxiliary nozzle printing: 235.5 x 256 x 256 mm; dual nozzle printing: 235.5 x 256 x 256 mm; total volume for 2 nozzles: 256 x 256 x 260 mm Printer dimensions 392 x 406 x 478 mm Hot end All metal Nozzle 0.4 mm (optional 0.2, 0.6, 0.8 mm), stainless steel Hotend max temperature 300C Print bed max temperature 120C Max speed 500 mm/s (main extruder) 200 mm/s (auxiliary extruder) Supported material The list is long and complicated Build plate camera Yes Color support AMS x 4 (16 colors total) Storage USB-A, 4GB internal Slicer Bambu Studio (other slicers compatible)
My first thought when I saw the X2D was that it was closer to the P2S with a dual nozzle setup than anything else. A P2D, if you will, but the manner of the dual extrusion matters here. Instead of having two nozzles powered by the same direct-drive print head, we have a main nozzle used with the AMS color system and an auxiliary nozzle primarily used to support the main extruder.
This support extruder uses a Bowden setup rather than a direct-drive system. Instead of having the cogs that grip the filament on the print head itself, a Bowden system places them farther away on the printer's body. Those cogs then push the filament through the tubing into the print head. This reduces the load on the print head, enabling higher speed and acceleration, but at the cost of material variety. You really can't push flexible filaments like TPU through a Bowden system.
Spaceman Grace is printed here using special supports. James Bricknell/CNET
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