Has Bambu Lab’s market domination caused company exits from the desktop 3D printer market? We took a look.
Two years ago, Bambu Lab introduced the X1C and entirely changed the desktop 3D printer market. Their offer of a machine that was reliable, fast, produced high-quality output, and was available at a low cost was an unbeatable combination. They sold massive numbers of machines and continue to do so.
There were — and are — significant effects on the rest of the desktop 3D printer industry.
Some companies have attempted to catch up to Bambu Lab by rapidly introducing new models with similar features and benefits. The new standard seems to be an enclosed CoreXY, high-speed machine with a build volume near 250 x 250 x 250 mm. These include Anycubic, Creality, Prusa, Sovol, and a few others.
But not all of the many 3D printer manufacturers were able to keep up with the changes. Introducing a radically new machine design is an expensive prospect, and some companies were faced with difficult decisions on how to proceed.
I took a look at several lesser-known desktop 3D printer manufacturers to see what they’re doing and how they are reacting to the market changes.
Kingroon
Kingroon has been a manufacturer of desktop equipment for several years, and we’ve even tested some of their models. A look at their website seems to tell an interesting story. They appear to be selling only filament, resin, and accessories now. While there are some 3D printers still on their website, all models are “sold out,” and no new models seem to be coming. Some of these carry significantly marked-down prices.
It seems that Kingroon is no longer in the 3D printer business.
Artillery
Artillery is another brand we’ve seen for many years. The company has significantly marked down its 3D printer models, and several are now discontinued or sold out. However, they do list a new “M1 Pro” machine that matches the X1C characteristics. Is it too late for them?
Geeetech
Geeetech is another Asian company that has long manufactured desktop 3D printers. Their website is covered with promotions for their filament and resin products, with only three 3D printers mentioned. These machines include a slow-speed i3 model, a medium-speed bedslinger, and a strange mini 3D printer designed for children. They are all marked down significantly. No mention of a new machine coming.
TRONXY
TRONXY is a 13-year-old 3D printer manufacturer that has long sold inexpensive desktop 3D printers. However, a look at their current product line shows a shift towards more expensive professional devices, with only a few devices priced under US$1000. These include their VEHO line, which seems to be their X1C competitor.
JGMaker
JGMaker markets quite a range of 3D printers, including FFF, resin, professional, and industrial models. This means they have many other product lines to compensate if the competition is too tight for FFF devices.
Their FFF devices listed are all open gantry affairs, except for one slow-speed enclosed device. One of their bedslingers is able to hit 500mm/s, but only 250mm/s in real-life operations. Most of their machines are marked down.
Weedo
Weedo’s website lists five machines: two tiny devices for children, two enclosed devices, and an open gantry IDEX system with two independent extruders. All are marked down, and two of the machines’ pages are 404s.
TENLOG / Innocube
TENLOG also produces IDEX FFF equipment, and that’s the only type of 3D printer they sell. They offer several open gantry options — all marked down. However, the prices on these units are similar to the X1C, so I can’t see how they would be able to compete. There’s also a curious message on their Facebook page:
“Dear customers, thank you for your support. I will continue to provide good service and products.”
Conclusion
After looking at several of these desktop 3D printer manufacturers, it’s pretty clear they are having significant challenges matching the shift in the market. Some seem to be quietly exiting the desktop 3D printer manufacturing business, refocusing on materials or devices carrying higher prices (industrial or professional).
The market is consolidating.
And it’s not done yet.
