Bambu Lab, once celebrated for making 3D printing accessible, now faces a revolt from the open-source community. The conflict began when Paweł Jarczak received a private message from Bambu Lab on Reddit, asking him to delete code that allowed third-party control of their printers. Jarczak had shared a method to remotely operate Bambu printers without using the company's proprietary software. Bambu Lab's request to remove the code, coupled with its reliance on open-source AGPL-licensed software, sparked backlash from developers, YouTubers, and consumer rights advocates.
Louis Rossmann, a well-known consumer rights activist, publicly pledged $10,000 to defend Jarczak in court, declaring, "I'll put up $10,000 to teach Bambu Labs a lesson." Maker Jeff Geerling announced he would never buy another Bambu printer and offered to contribute. The hardware review site GamersNexus also committed $10,000, with editor-in-chief Steve Burke telling The Verge they canceled plans for a $150,000 3D printing project involving Bambu hardware.
Bambu Lab's software, Bambu Studio, is based on PrusaSlicer by Prusa Research, itself derived from earlier open-source projects like Slic3r and the RepRap community. This lineage is governed by the AGPL license, which requires contributions to be shared back. Despite benefiting from this open-source ecosystem, Bambu Lab restricted third-party forks—such as OrcaSlicer—from communicating with their printers, citing security concerns. Critics argue the move could enable a subscription-based model similar to that of inkjet printer manufacturers.
Jarczak's project, a fork of OrcaSlicer, circumvented Bambu Lab's proprietary authentication. After receiving a DM from Bambu Lab implying potential legal action under DMCA Section 1201, Jarczak removed the code but left a note accusing the company of treating him like a criminal. The community swiftly rallied, with the Software Freedom Conservancy hosting a reverse-engineering project to preserve open access.
Bambu Lab's actions have drawn parallels to past controversies in the printer industry, where manufacturers like HP used DRM to lock customers into proprietary supplies. While Bambu Lab denies such intentions, the community remains skeptical. Bradley Kuhn, a AGPL license architect and policy fellow at the Software Freedom Conservancy, called Bambu Lab "bad actors" and urged the community to act.
This dispute could reshape the 3D printing landscape, determining whether users retain control over their devices or face increasing restrictions akin to traditional printers.