Bambu Lab unveiled the H3C on November 3, 2026, a 3D printer with nine tool heads. Each head has its own filament path and heater, and the material stays loaded and preheated. The manufacturer puts the switch between two materials at under six seconds; the details are in the Bambu Lab blog.
According to 3Druck, the H3C can be ordered directly from Bambu Lab; the announcement text does not give a delivery time. Three testers have tried out the printer.
The changer is called Swaptek. Because each head keeps its filament, retracting before every change is no longer necessary, and mixed colors or nozzles of different sizes can be combined in one print. Cutting, drawing, and embossing tools are also supposed to be swappable in the same way.
Bambu Lab H3C in numbers
3D printer with tool changer, unveiled on November 3, 2026, information from Bambu Lab
- 9Tool heads with their own heater
- 6 sUpper limit for the material change
- 24Materials with an older AMS
- 85 °CDrying in two slots
Manufacturer specifications, independent measurements are not yet available
Sources: Bambu Lab Blog, heise online
The AMS 3H material store is an integral part of the printer and holds nine spools. Two slots dry filament at up to 85 degrees, even during printing. An older AMS can be connected to tool 1, giving you up to 24 materials available for a single print.
For soft TPU, the FlexFeed extruder handles filament with diameters of 1.75 and 2.85 millimeters. The manufacturer's blog cites TPU of 75A hardness at up to three times the flow rate, while heise writes of up to five times the speed. Plan with the more cautious figure.
How much does the H3C cost?
Bambu Lab lists the prices for the EU in euros including VAT: H3C with AMS 3H 2,499, with a filament set of PLA palette and TPU 2,579, as a station bundle with open base 2,789, and with closed base including E1 air purifier 3,039.
What do the first tests say?
3Druck summarizes the verdicts of three YouTube channels: Print quality and soft TPU are praised. CNC Kitchen printed almost 400 hours on the H3C and considers the 2.85-millimeter filament the most important feature.
Every change costs filament. CNC Kitchen cites around 50 milligrams per change, which end up at the prime tower (an auxiliary tower for nozzle residue); for a model with over 4,000 changes, almost 200 grams accumulated. Made with Layers estimates in the slicer 44 milligrams for the H3C and 60 for the H2C.
All three testers point to the overall height: If the AMS sits on top of the printer, the device is hard to operate on a normal workbench. Bambu Lab offers the Bambu Station as a base.
In addition, only two of the nine AMS slots dry. Uncle Jessy achieved only little time savings with mixed nozzle sizes, and his eight-color bust failed without a prime tower.
What this means for you
It's best to first check how often you need more than seven materials or colors in one print. The magazine of the H2C already holds up to seven, and according to heise, it remains on offer. One of the testers would probably go for this model despite the higher price.
It's best to calculate the waste beforehand. An example: A model with 300 changes and 50 milligrams per change would leave 15 grams of filament at the prime tower.
If you already own an H2D, H2C, or X2D, it's best to wait for the updates: Bambu Lab announces printing with nozzles of different sizes for these models, partly still in 2026, partly by the first quarter of 2027.
If you tinker with a cutting plotter, don't count on the cutting and drawing tools yet: In the tests that 3Druck summarizes, these tools do not appear.
If you have an AMS 2 Pro from the batch from May to July 2026, it's best to first read the report on the free replacement of the feed units, because an older AMS can be connected to the H3C.
Custom models for printing are created in 3D software; the Blender course for beginners shows how to get started.
Bambu Lab unveiled the H3C on November 3, 2026, and 3Druck published the summary of the first tests on the same day.
Sources