On the evening of October 23, 2026, Bambu Lab officially announced the H3C, described as the “complete form” of its multi-toolhead 3D printer, prompting celebration in Nanjixiong's community.
Since QIDI Tech launched the independent four-nozzle U1 in 2025, multi-nozzle 3D printers have become one of the product directions attracting the most attention from users worldwide. Readers have frequently asked Nanjixiong when Bambu Lab would release its own multi-nozzle machine.
On August 18, 2026, Nanjixiong learned of several Bambu Lab 3D printer patent documents and published an article titled “Bambu Lab's Multi-Nozzle 3D Printing Patents Are Public: A 10-Nozzle H3C?” China's National Intellectual Property Administration published three invention patent applications filed by Shenzhen Bambu Lab Technology Co., Ltd.:
• CN 122560409 A — “Toolhead, 3D Printer and 3D Printing System”
• CN 122560412 A — “Rack and 3D Printer”
• CN 122560413 A — “Rack and 3D Printer”
On seeing these two images, Nanjixiong thought of the name “H3C” and considered the design a likely candidate for Bambu Lab's independent multi-nozzle printer.
Why predict the H3C name? At Formnext in Germany in November 2025, Bambu Lab's H2C attracted a crowded audience; Nanjixiong found it difficult to get a good position to photograph the machine.
The H2C uses the Vortek hotend-switching system with six interchangeable hotends. It substantially reduces waste during multicolor printing and increases the range of filaments and colors available in a single print. The base version was priced at RMB 14,999.
Nanjixiong reasoned that Bambu Lab's multi-nozzle or multi-hotend product series would follow an “H?C” naming pattern, with the number indicating the generation. The H2C's successor would be the H3C; with the patent showing ten nozzles, Nanjixiong predicted that its corresponding product would be the H3C. The name has now been confirmed.
The king of multi-nozzle 3D printers?
Compared with printers using four, five, or even eight nozzles, Bambu Lab's H3C immediately raises the number to nine. This strategy echoes CEO Tao Ye's comment that the company should have a clear path to being number one in the world. As manufacturers compete in multi-toolhead printers, Bambu Lab is widely anticipated in the industry. Some have even said that the multi-toolhead printer game is over now that Bambu Lab has entered it.
Nanjixiong notes, however, that QIDI Tech, Creality, Flashforge, ELEGOO, Anycubic, Xike Industrial, Qingliang Intelligent Manufacturing, and others have all introduced their own multi-nozzle products, each with different strengths. Whether Bambu Lab becomes the leader will depend not only on its extensive model-library platform but also on overall qualities such as machine stability and value for money.
AI-translated from an article by Xiaoruanxiong on Nanjixiong, originally published on 2026-10-26. Text and images retain the original source attribution.
Read the original Chinese article |
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