Bambu Lab: Difference between revisions

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In early 2025, Bambu Lab announced changes to future firmwares that would implement a centralised authentication mechanism that regulated connections and control over the customer's 3D printer. This new firmware would be mandatory to install and could have prevented the customer's printer from functioning until it had been. This effectively forced customers to agree to new Terms and Conditions surrounding the use of their printer, which they did not agree with upon purchase of the product.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyrer-Jones |first=Alex |date=20 Jan 2025 |title=Bambu Lab Responds to Backlash Over New Firmware Update |url=https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/bambu-lab-responds-to-backlash-over-new-firmware-update-235771/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250214090029/https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/bambu-lab-responds-to-backlash-over-new-firmware-update-235771/ |archive-date=14 Feb 2025 |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=3D Printing Industry}}</ref>

This new authentication mechanism resulted in numerous designed-for and compatible third-party products, both software and hardware, being made incompatible with the printers going forward. The chief products affected were (including but not limited to): Panda Touch, OrcaSlicer, any third-party product making use of the MQTT protocol. Soon after the updated software was released, users managed to ~~[[Bambu private keys leaked less than 24 hours after announcement|~~extract necessary security keys]] from it to continue using their third-party products. Amendments have presently been made that would allow some or all of these products to work with workarounds or extra software or tools from Bambu embedded into these products.

This new authentication mechanism resulted in numerous designed-for and compatible third-party products, both software and hardware, being made incompatible with the printers going forward. The chief products affected were (including but not limited to): Panda Touch, OrcaSlicer, any third-party product making use of the MQTT protocol. Soon after the updated software was released, users managed to extract necessary security keys from it to continue using their third-party products. Amendments have presently been made that would allow some or all of these products to work with workarounds or extra software or tools from Bambu embedded into these products.

Bambu Lab later responded to public outrage and controversy over these changes, stating that feedback has been provided and they would amend the firmware's new security measures with developer options that would unlock the use of the 3D printer without connecting to Bambu Lab's services.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |date=19 Jan 2025 |title=Bambu Lab Firmware Update Forces Cloud Dependency & User Lock-In - AVOID THEIR 3D PRINTERS! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIyaDD8onIE |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[YouTube]] |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=aIyaDD8onIE |archive-date=19 Jan 2025}}</ref> However, the wording of these updates has been widely criticised by consumer rights conscious people as implying these were good-will gestures or extra granted rights, or that restriction of functionality was never on the roadmap.

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===Cease and desist against OrcaSlicer fork maintainer (''2026'')===

{{~~Main~~|Bambu Lab ~~Authorization Control System#Cease~~ and desist against ~~the OrcaSlicer-bambulab re-enablement project}}~~

{{Excerpt|Bambu Lab cease and desist against OrcaSlicer fork developer}}

~~In April 2026, Bambu Lab sent a private cease-and-desist demand to Pawel Jarczak, a Polish developer who had published an~~ OrcaSlicer fork restoring direct printer control on top of Bambu Lab's own AGPL-licensed source code. Bambu Lab alleged the fork constituted impersonation of Bambu Studio, bypassed authorization controls, violated their Terms of Use, and involved reverse engineering.<ref name="jarczak-readme">{{Cite web |last=Jarczak |first=Pawel |title=OrcaSlicer-bambulab — This is the end…. |url=https://github.com/jarczakpawel/OrcaSlicer-bambulab |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260430001537/https://github.com/jarczakpawel/OrcaSlicer-bambulab |archive-date=2026-04-30 |access-date=2026-05-04 |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref> Jarczak rejected these characterizations, stating his work was based on publicly available AGPL source code, and asked for specifics about which files or commits were at issue. He reports receiving further broad accusations rather than specificity.<ref name="jarczak-readme" />

Jarczak removed the repository voluntarily but stated the removal should not be interpreted as an admission that the legal or technical allegations were correct.<ref name="jarczak-readme" /> On May 7, 2026, Bambu Lab published a blog post re-characterizing the dispute as being about "impersonation" through a "falsified" HTTP User-Agent string, rather than about open-source rights.<ref name="bambu-blog-record-straight">{{Cite web |title=Setting the record straight on Cloud Access and Community |url=https://blog.bambulab.com/setting-the-record-straight-on-cloud-access-and-community/ |website=Bambu Lab Blog |publisher=Bambu Lab |date=2026-05-07 |access-date=2026-05-10 |url-status=live}}</ref> The User-Agent string in question is generated by Bambu Lab's own AGPL-licensed source code in <code>src/slic3r/Utils/Http.cpp</code>.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Http.cpp source file (User-Agent setter at line 175) |url=https://github.com/bambulab/BambuStudio/blob/master/src/slic3r/Utils/Http.cpp |website=GitHub |publisher=Bambu Lab |access-date=2026-05-10 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The incident was covered by XDA Developers, Tom's Hardware, 3Druck, and Manufactur3D, and became a flashpoint in the wider 3D-printing community over open-source licensing and consumer rights.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Batt |first=Simon |date=2026-04-23 |title=A developer restored OrcaSlicer's features that Bambu Lab killed — then the legal threats arrived |url=https://www.xda-developers.com/developer-restored-orcaslicers-features-bambu-lab-killed-legal-threats-arrived/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260427233833/https://www.xda-developers.com/developer-restored-orcaslicers-features-bambu-lab-killed-legal-threats-arrived/ |archive-date=2026-04-27 |access-date=2026-05-04 |website=XDA Developers}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Developer re-enables 3D printer features that Bambu Lab disabled, firm promptly threatens legal action — OrcaSlicer-BambuLab project now shuttered |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/developer-re-enables-3d-printer-features-that-bambu-lab-disabled-firm-promptly-threatens-legal-action-orcaslicer-bambulab-project-now-shuttered |website=Tom's Hardware |date=2026-04-29 |access-date=2026-05-10 |url-status=live}}~~</ref>~~

===Farm Manager subscription potential===

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 In early 2025, Bambu Lab announced changes to future firmwares that would implement a centralised authentication mechanism that regulated connections and control over the customer's 3D printer. This new firmware would be mandatory to install and could have prevented the customer's printer from functioning until it had been. This effectively forced customers to agree to new Terms and Conditions surrounding the use of their printer, which they did not agree with upon purchase of the product.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyrer-Jones |first=Alex |date=20 Jan 2025 |title=Bambu Lab Responds to Backlash Over New Firmware Update |url=https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/bambu-lab-responds-to-backlash-over-new-firmware-update-235771/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250214090029/https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/bambu-lab-responds-to-backlash-over-new-firmware-update-235771/ |archive-date=14 Feb 2025 |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=3D Printing Industry}}</ref>
-This new authentication mechanism resulted in numerous designed-for and compatible third-party products, both software and hardware, being made incompatible with the printers going forward. The chief products affected were (including but not limited to): Panda Touch, OrcaSlicer, any third-party product making use of the MQTT protocol. Soon after the updated software was released, users managed to [[Bambu private keys leaked less than 24 hours after announcement|extract necessary security keys]] from it to continue using their third-party products. Amendments have presently been made that would allow some or all of these products to work with workarounds or extra software or tools from Bambu embedded into these products.
+This new authentication mechanism resulted in numerous designed-for and compatible third-party products, both software and hardware, being made incompatible with the printers going forward. The chief products affected were (including but not limited to): Panda Touch, OrcaSlicer, any third-party product making use of the MQTT protocol. Soon after the updated software was released, users managed to extract necessary security keys from it to continue using their third-party products. Amendments have presently been made that would allow some or all of these products to work with workarounds or extra software or tools from Bambu embedded into these products.
 Bambu Lab later responded to public outrage and controversy over these changes, stating that feedback has been provided and they would amend the firmware's new security measures with developer options that would unlock the use of the 3D printer without connecting to Bambu Lab's services.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |date=19 Jan 2025 |title=Bambu Lab Firmware Update Forces Cloud Dependency & User Lock-In - AVOID THEIR 3D PRINTERS! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIyaDD8onIE |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[YouTube]] |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=aIyaDD8onIE |archive-date=19 Jan 2025}}</ref> However, the wording of these updates has been widely criticised by consumer rights conscious people as implying these were good-will gestures or extra granted rights, or that restriction of functionality was never on the roadmap.
@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 ===Cease and desist against OrcaSlicer fork maintainer (''2026'')===
-{{Main|Bambu Lab Authorization Control System#Cease and desist against the OrcaSlicer-bambulab re-enablement project}}
+{{Excerpt|Bambu Lab cease and desist against OrcaSlicer fork developer}}
-In April 2026, Bambu Lab sent a private cease-and-desist demand to Pawel Jarczak, a Polish developer who had published an OrcaSlicer fork restoring direct printer control on top of Bambu Lab's own AGPL-licensed source code. Bambu Lab alleged the fork constituted impersonation of Bambu Studio, bypassed authorization controls, violated their Terms of Use, and involved reverse engineering.<ref name="jarczak-readme">{{Cite web |last=Jarczak |first=Pawel |title=OrcaSlicer-bambulab — This is the end…. |url=https://github.com/jarczakpawel/OrcaSlicer-bambulab |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260430001537/https://github.com/jarczakpawel/OrcaSlicer-bambulab |archive-date=2026-04-30 |access-date=2026-05-04 |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref> Jarczak rejected these characterizations, stating his work was based on publicly available AGPL source code, and asked for specifics about which files or commits were at issue. He reports receiving further broad accusations rather than specificity.<ref name="jarczak-readme" />
-Jarczak removed the repository voluntarily but stated the removal should not be interpreted as an admission that the legal or technical allegations were correct.<ref name="jarczak-readme" /> On May 7, 2026, Bambu Lab published a blog post re-characterizing the dispute as being about "impersonation" through a "falsified" HTTP User-Agent string, rather than about open-source rights.<ref name="bambu-blog-record-straight">{{Cite web |title=Setting the record straight on Cloud Access and Community |url=https://blog.bambulab.com/setting-the-record-straight-on-cloud-access-and-community/ |website=Bambu Lab Blog |publisher=Bambu Lab |date=2026-05-07 |access-date=2026-05-10 |url-status=live}}</ref> The User-Agent string in question is generated by Bambu Lab's own AGPL-licensed source code in <code>src/slic3r/Utils/Http.cpp</code>.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Http.cpp source file (User-Agent setter at line 175) |url=https://github.com/bambulab/BambuStudio/blob/master/src/slic3r/Utils/Http.cpp |website=GitHub |publisher=Bambu Lab |access-date=2026-05-10 |url-status=live}}</ref>
-The incident was covered by XDA Developers, Tom's Hardware, 3Druck, and Manufactur3D, and became a flashpoint in the wider 3D-printing community over open-source licensing and consumer rights.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Batt |first=Simon |date=2026-04-23 |title=A developer restored OrcaSlicer's features that Bambu Lab killed — then the legal threats arrived |url=https://www.xda-developers.com/developer-restored-orcaslicers-features-bambu-lab-killed-legal-threats-arrived/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260427233833/https://www.xda-developers.com/developer-restored-orcaslicers-features-bambu-lab-killed-legal-threats-arrived/ |archive-date=2026-04-27 |access-date=2026-05-04 |website=XDA Developers}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Developer re-enables 3D printer features that Bambu Lab disabled, firm promptly threatens legal action — OrcaSlicer-BambuLab project now shuttered |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/developer-re-enables-3d-printer-features-that-bambu-lab-disabled-firm-promptly-threatens-legal-action-orcaslicer-bambulab-project-now-shuttered |website=Tom's Hardware |date=2026-04-29 |access-date=2026-05-10 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 ===Farm Manager subscription potential===