3D Printing News Digest - May 24, 2026
Published
Bambu X2D Day 28: OTA 01.01.01.00 rolling out; seven days post-plateau; PETG targeted. AGPLv3 Day 6 MAJOR: baltobu goal MET at $250,007; Bambu Lab backtracks on Jarczak legal threats. Prusa INDX Day 2: community attention building; June shipping. Hi Combo Day 11: 11 days no CFS firmware.
Bambu Lab X2D Day 28: Seven Days Post-Plateau — OTA 01.01.01.00 Now Rolling Out; PETG Purge Optimization Targeted; Day 30 Window (Tuesday May 26) Next OTA Timing; Hi Combo Day 11 No-Firmware Comparison
The Bambu Lab X2D reaches Day 28 (Sunday May 24), seven days past THE Community Evaluation Plateau (Day 21, May 17). OTA 01.01.01.00 is now rolling out to X2D owners — the second firmware update for the X2D, following the first update (OTA 01.01.00.00) that shipped in early May and added Filament Track Switch support. Community forum reports confirm OTA 01.01.01.00 notification is appearing on X2D units, with early adopters asking about its contents. The PETG purge edge case (the only unresolved issue from the seven-day post-plateau window) is among the targeted improvements — the PLA-PETG interface layer optimization, flushing workflow, and prime tower stability improvements documented in community communications align with exactly the PETG behaviors the May 21–27 plateau period flagged as the sole bounded concern. Day 30 (Tuesday May 26, same day as the xTool M2 US price reveal) is the next expected OTA timing window if Bambu maintains the release cadence established with OTA 01.01.00.00. The Creality Hi Combo at Day 11 (Week 2 Day 4, Sunday) has 11 consecutive days without a CFS firmware update — the empirical comparison against the X2D's post-plateau data is now the sharpest it has been in both machines' evaluation windows.
OTA 01.01.01.00 rolling out at Day 28 — exactly seven days post-plateau — is structurally significant: Bambu has maintained the pattern of issuing a follow-up firmware update within the first post-plateau month, targeting specifically the community-flagged edge cases from the plateau evaluation window. For X2D buyers who were waiting for PETG purge resolution before committing: Day 28 with OTA 01.01.01.00 rolling out is the closest point to a 'PETG firmware resolution' milestone since the X2D launched. The update is not yet installed on enough units to confirm PETG resolution empirically — that data will emerge in the Day 28–32 window (May 24–28). For Hi Combo buyers evaluating the $50 X2D premium: 11 days without a CFS firmware update creates a straightforward comparison. The X2D has a post-plateau data picture AND an active firmware improvement cadence; the Hi Combo has neither a plateau equivalent nor a CFS firmware update.
💡What this means for you
Bambu X2D Day 28 (May 24, Sunday — post-plateau Day 7): OTA 01.01.01.00 rolling out (community notification confirmed). OTA 01.01.00.00 (first update, early May): added Filament Track Switch support. OTA 01.01.01.00 (current): PETG PLA-PETG interface optimization, prime tower stability, flushing workflow — community-flagged improvements. Day 30 (Tuesday May 26) is next expected OTA release window. X2D specs: $649 base / $899 Combo, 256×256×260mm build, 65°C active chamber, MECA dual-nozzle, LiDAR leveling, UL 2904. Post-plateau status (Day 21–28): no new systematic issues. PETG edge case bounded Day 28; OTA 01.01.01.00 targets PETG behaviors. Hi Combo Day 11: Week 2 Day 4 Sunday, no CFS firmware. $599 vs X2D $649 ($50 premium). Community Sunday (Day 28): second Sunday post-plateau — continued peak community content production.
Market Position: Day 28 Sunday with OTA 01.01.01.00 rolling out is the most complete single-day buyer-evaluation position in the X2D's post-plateau period. The combination of seven post-plateau days with zero new systematic issues and an active firmware improvement cadence (OTA rolling out targeting the only flagged edge case) makes the X2D's data picture not just closed but actively improving.
- Does OTA 01.01.01.00 empirically resolve the PETG purge edge case when the first community PETG test results appear in Days 28–31 (May 24–27)?
- Does Bambu release OTA 01.01.02.00 around Day 30 (Tuesday May 26) — creating a compound Tuesday news cycle with the xTool M2 US price reveal?
- Does the Hi Combo receive any CFS firmware update in the week of May 25–29 — breaking the 11-day no-firmware pattern and changing the $50 X2D premium calculation?
⏸️ Wait if: You want OTA 01.01.01.00 PETG results confirmed before committing — first empirical reports likely Day 28–31 (May 24–27); if the PETG purge is your specific concern, waiting 3–4 more days for community test results is viable
✅ Buy if: You want dual-material FDM under $1,000 with a complete data picture and active firmware cadence — $649 base or $899 Combo; seven days post-plateau, zero new systematic issues, OTA 01.01.01.00 addressing the only flagged edge case; Hi Combo Day 11 no-firmware makes the $50 X2D premium the clearest value decision in the current market
Bambu Lab AGPLv3 Day 6 MAJOR: baltobu Fundraiser REACHES $250,007 Goal; Bambu Lab Backtracks — Official Statement Acknowledges Legal Threat Was 'Not the Outcome We Wanted'; Controversy Enters Resolution Phase
The Bambu Lab AGPLv3 controversy reaches a major inflection point on Day 6 (Sunday May 24). Two simultaneous developments confirm the controversy has entered its resolution phase: (1) The baltobu $250,007 fundraiser has met its full goal — the Software Freedom Conservancy's campaign to hire dedicated staff for the 'Bringing Affero Licensed Things (On)to Bambu Users' project has reached the $250,007 target, unlocking resources for long-term reverse engineering of the libbambu_networking library, maintenance of Jarczak's OrcaSlicer fork, and development of a replacement Bambu Studio fork. (2) Bambu Lab has issued an official statement acknowledging its actions against developer Paweł Jarczak constituted a de facto legal threat — the company told All3DP: 'We nonetheless regret that our reference to Terms of Service, legal context and a potential C&D understandably came across as a legal threat. That was not the outcome we wanted.' This backtrack comes 6 days after the SFC confirmed two AGPLv3 violations on May 18, and is the first official Bambu Lab communication directly acknowledging the community impact of its actions against Jarczak. The two violations remain formally confirmed by the SFC: (1) distribution of the proprietary libbambu_networking library without source code disclosure; (2) legal threats against Jarczak that restricted his rights under AGPLv3. The fundraiser reaching its goal activates funded staff work on baltobu — the open-source compliance effort is now resourced for sustained engagement.
The combination of the fundraiser reaching its $250,007 goal and Bambu Lab issuing a backtrack statement represents a significant structural shift: the controversy has moved from 'Bambu Lab silently violates' to 'Bambu Lab acknowledged, community funded response'. The backtrack statement is limited — it acknowledges the perception of a legal threat, not the underlying AGPLv3 violations. The two SFC-confirmed violations (proprietary library + legal threats as AGPLv3 license restriction) remain formally unresolved. The baltobu fundraiser meeting its goal means the SFC now has dedicated staff resources for a long-term compliance effort — this is no longer a volunteer-driven community project but a professionally staffed open-source enforcement effort. For X2D and H2D buyers: the practical software impact timeline remains months away; OrcaSlicer is functional today; Bambu Studio features are unaffected. The controversy's structural shift toward funded resolution means buyers should expect continued coverage but no short-term product impact.
💡What this means for you
Bambu Lab AGPLv3 controversy Day 6 (May 24, Sunday): baltobu fundraiser: $250,007 goal MET (confirmed). SFC violations: two confirmed (May 18) — (1) libbambu_networking proprietary library without source disclosure; (2) legal threats against Jarczak restricting AGPLv3 rights. Bambu Lab backtrack statement (to All3DP): 'We nonetheless regret that our reference to Terms of Service, legal context and a potential C&D understandably came across as a legal threat. That was not the outcome we wanted.' baltobu project: now funded for dedicated staff — libbambu_networking reverse engineering, OrcaSlicer fork maintenance, replacement Bambu Studio fork development. OrcaSlicer status: functional and downloadable through Day 6, unaffected. Formal SFC violations: unresolved — backtrack statement does not address source code disclosure requirement. Legal resolution timeline: months. X2D/H2D hardware: unaffected.
Market Position: The baltobu goal being met activates the funded compliance effort that changes the controversy's trajectory from a community advocacy project to a professionally staffed open-source enforcement effort. Bambu Lab's backtrack statement closes the 6-day silence pattern but does not resolve the underlying violations. The controversy is now in sustained-engagement phase, not resolution phase, despite the milestone developments.
- Does Bambu Lab issue any follow-up statement addressing the libbambu_networking source code disclosure requirement — the primary AGPLv3 violation that the backtrack statement did not address?
- Does the baltobu funded-staff activation produce any immediate technical milestone (reverse engineering progress, OrcaSlicer fork update, replacement Bambu Studio fork milestone) in the week of May 25–31?
- Does the AGPLv3 controversy's Day 6 milestone (goal met + Bambu backtrack) affect Bambu Lab's MakerWorld engagement metrics or X2D purchase velocity — or does the controversy remain contained to the developer/open-source community?
⏸️ Wait if: Your X2D or H2D purchase decision is contingent on AGPLv3 full resolution — the funded baltobu project is now a months-long effort; OrcaSlicer remains functional today; the controversy's resolution timeline has not shortened materially from Day 6's milestone developments
✅ Buy if: You are evaluating X2D based on hardware and Bambu Studio functionality — Bambu's backtrack statement and the baltobu goal being met are community governance milestones, not product capability changes; OrcaSlicer is functional; hardware is unaffected through Day 6
Prusa CORE One INDX Day 2: Orders Open — Community Attention Accelerating; Prusa Edition June 2026 Shipping; 8-Nozzle Near-Zero-Waste Architecture vs. AMS/CFS Filament-Switching
The Prusa CORE One INDX conversion kit reaches Day 2 of open orders (Sunday May 24) — announced May 23 and now available at prusa3d.com. Community attention is accelerating across Reddit r/3Dprinting, the Prusa forum, and Printables: the core architectural comparison between the INDX (physical toolchanger, near-zero purge waste, 8 heads) and the Bambu AMS / Creality CFS (filament-switching, per-transition purge waste) is the dominant discussion thread on r/3Dprinting's Sunday post-plateau community context. Bondtech Founders Edition (Bondtech-manufactured INDX kits, co-engineered design): began shipping early May 2026 and is in active delivery. Prusa Edition INDX conversion kit for the CORE One/+: shipping June 2026 — approximately 5–6 weeks away. Sunday Day 2 community activity: early Bondtech Founders Edition owner reports are beginning to surface (Day 2 of community availability since the formal order opening on May 23), providing the first owner-perspective data on the INDX conversion process and per-head calibration workflow. The X2D Day 28 context (seven days post-plateau with OTA 01.01.01.00 rolling out) is the direct competitive reference: X2D + AMS 2 Pro vs. CORE One + INDX is the May–June comparative evaluation that the community is now actively structuring.
Day 2 with community attention accelerating is the beginning of the INDX's community evaluation arc — the transition from 'announcement coverage' to 'owner reporting'. The key community question emerging on Day 2: what is the actual per-head calibration overhead for the INDX's 8-head system? The Bondtech Founders Edition owners are providing the first real data on this. If per-head calibration is under 30 minutes per head (240 minutes for a full 8-head setup), the INDX's practical multi-material workflow advantage is clear. If calibration is materially more complex, the AMS 2 Pro's single-calibration architecture has a workflow advantage that partially offsets its purge waste. Day 2 is too early for this data — expect first calibration-time reports from Bondtech Founders Edition owners in the Day 5–10 range (May 28–June 3).
💡What this means for you
Prusa CORE One INDX Day 2 (May 24, Sunday): Order status: open at prusa3d.com/product/indx-conversion-kit-for-core-one/. Bondtech Founders Edition: shipping active (early May 2026 — ~Day 7–10 of deliveries). Prusa Edition: June 2026 shipping (5–6 weeks). INDX architecture: physical toolchanger; lifts inactive print head out of print path; wiper cleans on transition; 8 heads maximum; per-head dedicated spool; near-zero purge waste. vs. Bambu AMS 2 Pro: filament-switching, 25–40mm purge per transition standard. vs. Creality CFS: filament-switching, firmware-dependent purge optimization. Compatible: CORE One and CORE One+ (CORE One+ preferred). Community Day 2 focus: per-head calibration time — key practical differentiator. Sunday community context: X2D Day 28 post-plateau + INDX Day 2 = two major community evaluation threads simultaneously active.
Market Position: INDX Day 2 with Bondtech Founders Edition in active delivery creates a live owner reporting window that will produce the first real-world INDX calibration and print quality data within 5–10 days. For buyers deciding between X2D + AMS 2 Pro and CORE One + INDX, the community data advantage currently favors X2D (28 days of post-plateau data vs. Days 1–2 of INDX owner reports) — but this gap closes rapidly in June.
- Do Bondtech Founders Edition owners publish Day 1–2 calibration reports (per-head calibration time, first multi-material print results) that establish the INDX's practical workflow overhead?
- Does the r/3Dprinting community produce a structured INDX vs. AMS 2 Pro comparison thread in Days 2–5 that crystallizes the architectural comparison for buyers evaluating both systems?
- Does Bambu Lab respond to the INDX's order-open announcement with any AMS architecture update — a purge-reduction OTA or AMS Pro 2.1 announcement?
⏸️ Wait if: You want first Prusa Edition INDX owner data before committing to a CORE One + INDX setup — Prusa Edition ships June 2026; first owner data approximately late June to early July; X2D + AMS 2 Pro has 28 days of post-plateau data today
✅ Buy if: You print high-transition multi-material jobs with expensive filaments where purge waste is a meaningful cost — the INDX architecture eliminates per-transition waste that firmware cannot solve; order at prusa3d.com; Prusa Edition ships June 2026
Creality Hi Combo Day 11: Week 2 Day 4 (Sunday) — 11 Consecutive Days Without CFS Firmware Update; $50 X2D Premium Empirically Final; X2D OTA 01.01.01.00 Widens the Data Gap
The Creality Hi Combo (K2 Plus with Color Filament System) enters Day 11 (Week 2 Day 4, Sunday May 24) — 11 consecutive days since retail availability without a CFS firmware update from Creality. With the Bambu X2D now issuing OTA 01.01.01.00 (rolling out Day 28, targeting PETG purge improvements), the empirical data gap between the two machines has reached its widest point in both machines' comparison histories: the X2D has seven post-plateau days with zero new systematic issues plus an active firmware cadence addressing the only flagged edge case; the Hi Combo has 11 days of retail data with no CFS firmware and no Day 21 plateau equivalent. The $50 premium for the X2D ($649 vs. $599) is now supported by the widest empirical advantage gap to date. Community Saturday posts from Hi Combo Day 10 are now available for Day 11 review — the Saturday community data is the most complete first-10-day dataset available for any recent multi-color FDM launch.
Eleven days without a CFS firmware update after the X2D issued its second OTA marks the most asymmetric moment in the comparison: X2D has firmware cadence; Hi Combo has silence. The practical question for Hi Combo buyers has shifted: it is no longer 'will the CFS firmware update come?' (the 11-day pattern suggests the update is not on an aggressive release cycle) but 'at what Hi Combo community data volume does the first-week CFS reliability reports become a stable evaluation baseline?' Days 14–21 (June 6–14) is when the Hi Combo community dataset will reach the volume where its calibration consistency can be evaluated against the X2D's post-plateau baseline.
💡What this means for you
Creality Hi Combo Day 11 (May 24, Sunday — Week 2 Day 4): 11 days retail availability. CFS firmware: no update in 11 days (last update pre-retail). K2 Plus base: CoreXY, 350mm³ build, 600mm/s, 300°C nozzle, AHT auto-leveling. CFS: up to 12-color switching. Price: $599. X2D comparison Day 28: OTA 01.01.01.00 rolling out (PETG purge optimization); seven days post-plateau; zero new systematic issues; $649 ($50 premium). Data gap at Day 11: X2D has post-plateau status + OTA cadence; Hi Combo has 11-day no-firmware + no plateau equivalent. $50 premium decision: most empirically supported day since both machines launched simultaneously.
Market Position: Day 11 Sunday with the X2D OTA rolling out creates the widest single-point data gap in the comparison. For buyers who have been explicitly waiting for CFS firmware before making the Hi Combo vs. X2D decision: 11 days without a CFS update is now longer than the monitoring window established for the X2D's first OTA — the 'wait for firmware' justification for the Hi Combo has expired.
- Does Creality release a CFS firmware update in the week of May 25–29 — closing the 11-day gap and changing the comparison's asymmetry?
- Does the Hi Combo's Day 11 Sunday community data (Reddit, Creality forum) produce any CFS reliability improvement signal vs. the first-week calibration data — indicating the community has found firmware-independent workflows for CFS optimization?
- Does the Hi Combo reach a Day 21 equivalent plateau (a point where the community dataset is stable enough to declare a permanent performance baseline) in the week of June 1–7?
⏸️ Wait if: You specifically want a CFS firmware update — 11 days without firmware suggests the update is not on a 7-day release cycle; check the Creality forum for any scheduled announcement in the week of May 25–29
✅ Buy if: You want the largest-build multi-color FDM at $599 and are comfortable with current-firmware CFS performance — 11-day community calibration data is available; compare it against X2D Day 28 community data before deciding on the $50 premium; but note the X2D also has OTA 01.01.01.00 targeting PETG improvements now rolling out
Frequently Asked Questions
The baltobu fundraiser just hit its $250,007 goal AND Bambu Lab issued a backtrack statement — does this resolve the AGPLv3 controversy for X2D buyers?▼
No — these are milestones, not resolutions. Bambu Lab's backtrack acknowledges the legal threat perception but does not address the underlying AGPLv3 violations: the libbambu_networking proprietary library without source disclosure remains formally unresolved. The funded baltobu project now has staff resources for a months-long reverse engineering and compliance effort. For X2D buyers evaluating hardware: OrcaSlicer is functional today, hardware is unaffected, and the legal resolution is months away regardless of the fundraiser milestone.
OTA 01.01.01.00 is rolling out for the X2D — does this fix the PETG purge edge case?▼
Targeted, not yet confirmed. OTA 01.01.01.00 includes PLA-PETG interface layer optimization, flushing workflow improvements, and prime tower stability updates — exactly the PETG behaviors the plateau evaluation flagged as bounded. Empirical community PETG test results for OTA 01.01.01.00 will appear in the Day 28–31 window (May 24–27). If results are positive, this closes the only open X2D edge case. If the PETG purge is your specific concern, checking the Bambu Lab community forum on Wednesday or Thursday for first OTA 01.01.01.00 PETG test reports is the most efficient validation path.
The Prusa INDX just opened orders — is it too early to compare against the X2D + AMS 2 Pro?▼
Yes — but the architectural comparison is already clear. INDX: physical toolchanger, 8 heads, near-zero purge waste on any transition, Prusa Edition ships June 2026, per-head calibration overhead unknown. AMS 2 Pro: filament-switching, 25–40mm purge per transition, 4 spools per unit, complete post-plateau data today. The quantitative comparison (calibration time, first multi-material print quality, per-head maintenance) requires Bondtech Founders Edition owner data appearing in approximately May 28–June 3. For buyers who need multi-material printing today, X2D + AMS 2 Pro has the complete data picture; for buyers who can wait for June, INDX + CORE One is the architecture that eliminates purge waste structurally.
Is the $50 X2D premium over the Hi Combo still justified at Day 11?▼
More than ever. At Day 11: X2D has seven post-plateau days with zero new systematic issues plus OTA 01.01.01.00 rolling out targeting PETG improvements. Hi Combo has 11 consecutive days without a CFS firmware update and no plateau equivalent. The $50 premium buys a closed, confirmed post-plateau data picture with an active firmware improvement cadence — versus an evolving first-11-day dataset with no firmware progress. The Hi Combo's architecture ($599, 350mm³ build, 12-color CFS) has real advantages for users who specifically need large build volume or 12-color capability — but based on current data alone, the $50 X2D premium is analytically justified.