What could be the biggest news of the week just happened: BambuStudio now integrates with Helio Additive.
Bigger than the announcement of the H2D Pro? I think so, but you have to understand what Helio Additive is all about.
We’ve followed Helio Additive for a couple of years now, and the company has been developing a very advanced simulation system, Dragon, for slicing. Here’s how it works: they divide a 3D print job into voxels, and then simulate the heat and mechanical forces between voxels as the print job proceeds. For example, a specific voxel might gain or lose heat from neighbouring voxels, and that can affect the quality of the print.
In this video, Helio Additive CEO David Hartmann explains the science behind their software:
The goal is to provide better print parameters to ensure each print job completes perfectly, with the best possible part performance. And it actually works! I’ve seen parts printed with default settings versus Helio Additive-optimized, and there’s no comparison. Helio Additive can make parts far, far better in quality.
Hartmann explained:
“This is a turning point. We created Dragon to eliminate uncertainty in 3D printing. Now, thanks to our partnership with Bambu Lab, desktop users everywhere can access the same intelligent simulation and optimization once reserved for industrial platforms. Whether you’re prototyping or scaling up production, you can print faster, stronger, and more reliably.”
So how does the BambuStudio integration work?
During slicing, you are presented with an option to perform a simulation. There are some confirmations to go through, but at the end, the simulation will tell you whether the temperature and speeds for the job are optimal. If the temperature is too high, overhangs will droop, and too low, part strength weakens.
That’s not quite everything that Helio Additive can do, but it’s a start. This will be a game changer for BambuStudio users.
Bambu Lab explained that the simulations are available to H2D and X1C operators at this time:
“As part of the launch, all BambuStudio users on H-series and X-series printers will receive 25free simulations per month. For more demanding use cases, from August 26th, users can upgrade to a $15/month subscription managed directly by Helio Additive, unlocking up to 35 ‘one-click’ optimizations monthly, ensuring both accessibility and performance from day one. Data for the service is hosted on Helio’s servers to support the advanced simulation capabilities.”
This single move will increase the quality of almost all prints taking place on X and H series Bambu Lab 3D printers, affecting hundreds of thousands of 3D print operations. That’s why this is big news.
Left out of the benefits are those using P and A series Bambu Lab equipment, along with equipment from other manufacturers. However, it’s always possible to subscribe to Helio Additive separately.
That’s another benefit for Helio Additive: their advanced services will now become well known among all Bambu Lab operators, and that could certainly lead to a lot more subscriptions.
Via Bambu Lab and Helio Additive
