Bambu Farm Manager

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Introduction

In 2020, Bambu Lab was founded by a small group of DJI engineers. The company disrupted the 3D-printing scene with its low-barrier-to-entry model aimed at consumers. Bambu Lab quickly gained significant market share, earning praise for its fast, efficient, and reliable desktop 3D printers, starting with its high-end models, the Bambu Lab X1 and X1 Carbon, launched through a Kickstarter campaign.

Anti-Consumerism & Subscription Models

On January 17, 2025, Bambu Lab released a modification to their firmware notice in a company blog post. This update included changes to its terms of use with the clause linked below suggesting the potential for for additional fees targeting small businesses and independent users.

Access to and use of the Service requires two software components: the Bambu Farm Server application and the Bambu Farm client application (collectively referred to as “Bambu Farm Manager,” or the “Software").

[…]

BAMBU LAB MAY OFFER THE SERVICES AND SOFTWARE WITHOUT CHARGE, FOR A FEE, OR MAY CHARGE A FEE TO CERTAIN USERS OR FOR CERTAIN USES (E.G. COMMERCIAL USES). BAMBU LAB RESERVES THE RIGHT TO AND MAY CHANGE THE LICENSE AND FEE STRUCTURE, CONDITIONS, AND WHICH USERS OR USES REQUIRE A FEE. WE WILL GIVE YOU REASONABLE ADVANCE NOTICE IF WE IMPLEMENT OR CHANGE ANY FEES PAYABLE FOR THE LICENSE TO THE SOFTWARE OR CONNECTED SERVICES.

Additionally, some users on online forums have discovered free-trial implementations here, suggesting the potential for a future subscription-based model in Bambu Lab's cloud manager.

Gaslighting from Bambu Labs

Bambu Lab denies any form of subscription model, including for commercial purposes, which contradicts its past EULA statements in its response.

We want to make it absolutely clear that all of these claims are entirely false:

• Bambu Lab will remotely disable your printer ("brick" it).
• Firmware updates will block your printer’s ability to print.
• AMS functionality will be restricted, and the use of third-party filament will be disabled.
• Bambu Lab firmware contains trojans or backdoors for unauthorized remote control.
• The printers have a timed killswitch that disables them after a certain period.
• All 3D files printed are monitored, duplicated, or stolen.
• A subscription will be mandatory to use your printer.

This directly contradicts Bambu Lab's original claims regarding commercial applications, as stated in the EULA: "MAY CHANGE THE LICENSE AND FEE STRUCTURE, CONDITIONS, AND WHICH USERS OR USES REQUIRE A FEE." This clearly implies that Bambu Lab has the capability to restrict software functionality after purchase, conflicting with its public response. While an argument can be made that printers remain technically usable, seamless operation would require significantly more effort. This establishes the potential for a standard bait-and-switch tactic.

TL;DR

Bambu Lab, a Chinese manufacturer of additive manufacturing systems, made significant changes to its End User License Agreement (EULA), creating the potential for a bait-and-switch. The company failed to address the situation properly, opting to dismiss concerns rather than provide a clear and transparent response.

What if I own a Bambu Lab Printer?

For the time being, it is recommended to enable LAN mode to reduce the chance of receiving firmware updates.

See Also

• Bambu Lab Bambu Lab Authorization Control System