Official Cross-Over: Bambu Lab Unveils Its First CO2 Laser Cutter R1

[Ebrun Original] September 23rd news: Bambu Lab has released its first laser cutter, the R1, covering both cutting and engraving capabilities. The R1 features automatic optical path calibration, active vibration compensation, and a triple positioning system. This marks Bambu Lab's official entry into the laser engraving sector.

It is reported that the R1 boasts a 55W high-power CO2 laser, capable of processing materials such as wood, acrylic, fabric, and leather, with the ability to cut through 18mm black walnut plywood or 20mm acrylic in a single pass, ensuring clean and precise cuts.

Desktop laser engravers typically come in three laser types: CO2 lasers, blue semiconductor lasers, and fiber infrared lasers. Among these, CO2 lasers are suitable for cutting non-metal materials, especially transparent acrylic; blue lasers offer higher precision and high absorption rates for highly reflective metals like copper and gold, but perform poorly on transparent materials; fiber infrared lasers are ideal for metal marking and engraving but have limited effectiveness on non-metals like wood and acrylic.

In terms of length, the R1 can process materials up to 3 meters long when paired with a roller feeder, catering to customization needs in furniture, spatial design, and signage production.

The R1 is equipped with a triple positioning system, incorporating dual cameras, dual LiDAR, and dual encoders working in real-time to achieve an ultra-high positioning accuracy of 0.2mm, suitable for complex processing scenarios like curved surface engraving, small object engraving, transparent acrylic processing, and edge-following cutting.

Additionally, Bambu Lab has adapted the motion control algorithms from its 3D printers for the R1. For instance, active vibration compensation is applied for the first time to CO2 laser processing, effectively reducing the impact of vibrations during high-speed laser head movement, resulting in sharp and clear details.

The R1 achieves a maximum processing speed of 1000mm/s and a maximum acceleration of 20000mm/s. In high-speed engraving, speed typically results in shallower depths, but the R1 can compensate power during movement, ensuring consistent depth and uniform color even at high speeds. With the visual encoder board, the R1 controls absolute motion accuracy within 0.1mm, ensuring the design dimensions nearly perfectly match the processed dimensions.

The R1 also features automatic optical path calibration. Since CO2 lasers use multi-stage optical paths, traditional machines require time-consuming calibration steps involving masking tape, laser spot testing, and adjusting mirror mounts. The R1, with its optical path calibration sensors and intelligent algorithms, can identify and auto-adjust the laser path with a single click, quickly preparing for processing.

Notably, the R1 includes a full touchscreen display, allowing users to complete calibration, lifespan checks, and troubleshooting directly on the screen. A design studio manager believes the touchscreen's core value lies in integrating with the MakerWorld model community, serving as a user interface.

In terms of safety, unlike traditional single-side ventilation, the R1 enables active air intake on the right and active exhaust on the left, combined with a front air inlet to create a through-flow airflow. When cutting high-smoke materials, smoke and particles are quickly expelled, keeping the chamber free of contamination. Additionally, the R1 connects to an air purifier that extracts smoke and particulate matter, with multi-layer filters to trap smoke, odors, and harmful gases.

As early as August, Bambu Lab announced its entry into the laser engraver market, and it was later revealed that the company had initiated a UV printer project. The newly launched R1 is expected to complement Bambu Lab's existing 3D printers and future UV printers, forming a complete workflow. The promotional video for the R1 mentions using a 3D printer and UV printer to create night lights, "leaving the housing to the laser and the lampshade to 3D printing."

A studio owner considering the R1 also noted, "I'm interested in the ecosystem relationship between the R1 and Bambu's future machines," such as creating a UV-printed acrylic stand where the UV-printed patterns and laser-cut outlines align precisely for easy assembly.

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This article was first published on Ebrun's official website.