Bambu Lab announced pricing and details for a Vortek upgrade to the H2D and H2S 3D printers.
Vortek is the company’s new technology to reduce material waste. Instead of continually purging a single nozzle and generate massive amounts of wasted material, the Vortek technology instead dedicates hot ends to each specific material. This significantly cuts down on waste.
Bambu Lab packaged up the Vortek technology in a new 3D printer, the H2C. But what about those who recently purchased an H2D or H2S machine? Are they left out?
Nope, Bambu Lab now provides an upgrade path for both of those machines with the new Vortek Upgrade Kit.
The kit is a set of parts that allows you to transform an H2D or H2S 3D printer into an H2C, with seven different hot ends.
As you might guess, there are two variants of the Vortek Upgrade Kit, one for the H2D and one for the H2S. This is because the H2S is a single nozzle device, and the H2D is a dual nozzle device. The H2C has a single nozzle and a second toolhead where any of six Vortek hot ends can be mounted as required. In other words, the H2D is “closer” to an H2C than the H2S.
This is confirmed by the images of the two upgrade kits. At top you can see the parts for the H2D version, which include a new toolhead, plate, Vortek hot end rack, and other parts.
But here you are looking at the H2S upgrade kit, which has a couple of additional items on the right hand side. These are no doubt to account for the “missing” hot end on the H2S.
Accordingly, the pricing for the two upgrade kits differs slightly:
- Vortek Upgrade Kit (H2D Compatibility Pack): US$799
- Vortek Upgrade Kit (H2S Compatibility Pack): US$899
There’s a US$100 difference between the two.
The H2D version is to ship in January, while the H2S version will follow a couple of months later, apparently due to the requirement for firmware changes. Note that they do not recommend applying this upgrade to the H2D Pro, which is a device with different features.
Now that we know the price points, we can do some comparisons: what would it take to convert a machine from one to another?
- H2C Combo (has Vortek): US$2399
- H2D Combo to Vortek: US$1999 + US$799 = US$2798
- H2S Combo to Vortek: US$1499 + US$899 = US$2398
This is quite interesting: you can get an H2C via an H2S upgrade at the same cost as an H2C. However, if you have an H2D you will be paying more than buying the H2C outright. Unless you’re intrigued by doing a complex upgrade to the H2S, it would be easier to buy an H2C from the start. It makes no sense to buy an H2D and upgrade it to an H2C.
Those who already own an H2D and print a great deal might be wasting a considerable amount of filament through purging. If so, the upgrade might pay off eventually.
Are the resulting upgraded machines actually an H2C, or simply a Vortek-compatible H2D or H2S? In the fine print in the upgrades FAQ, we find this:
“H2D and H2S users can upgrade their devices to H2C by purchasing a Vortek upgrade kit.”
So, yes, you actually will end up with what Bambu Lab considers to be an H2C. In fact, the Vortek upgrade kit has a step to replace the front cover with an “H2C” version.
This means that in theory you could get an H2C for US$251 less if you opt for an H2S and the upgrade kit. But there’s a catch.
It’s a big one: you have to actually do the upgrade yourself. Bambu Lab said it can take 4-5 hours of work to do, and adds this ominous disclaimer:
“The Vortek Upgrade Kit is compatible with H2D and H2S printers, but the installation requires advanced skill and significant time. For better value, we recommend purchasing the H2C printer which includes the Vortek system.”
And:
“Due to the high level of technical skill required for the upgrade process and its lengthy duration, it is recommended that users who want to experience the Vortek system directly purchase an H2C. Purchasing an H2S or H2D first and then upgrading will incur additional costs.”
What additional costs? The cost of the upgrade kit? Or the cost of one’s own labor to perform the upgrade? Is there something else to buy? It’s not clear.
However, if one happened to be technically competent and had 5 hours to spare, you could save some cash by doing the upgrade, apparently.
If you’re unsure of whether you’re up for this upgrade, please review parts A and B of the upgrade procedure on the Bambu Lab Wiki. There are two parts because there are so many steps.
Via Bambu Lab
