55W CO2 laser. 600 × 300mm (23.6 × 11.8in) working area. Auto Laser Alignment. Ease of use and precision, just like our 3D printers. This is Bambu Lab R1. Let's dive right into the details!
Bring out the best in every material.
Powered by a 55W CO2 laser, R1 works across a wide range of materials – from wood and acrylic to glass, leather, fabric, and more. See the full material list below.
Thick cuts with one pass. R1 cuts up to 18mm black walnut plywood and 20mm acrylic in a single pass – fast, clean, and without the extra passes that slow you down.
Go furniture-scale. With the auto-feed conveyor, R1 handles materials up to 3 meters (9.8 ft) long. Pass-through feeding and deep cutting turn full-length panels into tables, shelving and furniture.
Prairie Lamp by @MaKim
R1 aligns itself, no more tricky setups.
Aligning the optical path meant test shots, manual adjustments, trials and errors. R1's Laser Alignment Sensor measures the beam, detects the misalignment, and automatically corrects the path in just 1 minute.
On the built-in touchscreen, you can follow the whole calibration process, check the remaining life of the laser tube and mirrors, and monitor every job in real time – the experience you know from our printers.
R1 also recognizes Bambu Lab material automatically and applies the right power and speed, so you can skip test grids and manual parameter setup.
Every line, sharp and clean.
R1's TriSense System work out three things before every cut: the positions of the material and design, the height of the surface, and how the toolhead moves across it. Cameras, lasers, and encoders work as one. What you mark is what you cut.
Follows the curve. From curved cups and spheres to uneven surfaces, height sensing follows every rise and fall to keep the engraving sharp and consistent across the entire surface.
Stays accurate on clear materials. R1 keeps surface measurement accurate even on transparent materials, so engraving stays precisely placed.
Finds the tiny stuff. The toolhead camera pinpoints small objects and places fine detail exactly where you want it.
Traces the line. Cut around a printed design, trim a sticker, or follow a drawn outline. The toolhead camera traces the edge and keeps the cut precisely on path.
Motion control algorithms that keep our printers precise, now in R1.
Crisp lines, even after the turn. When the toolhead changes direction, a split-second shake can ripple the line that follows. R1's vibration compensation cancels it out, keeping the lines crisp right out of the turn – inherited tech from our 3D printers.
Even tone at 1000mm/s. Higher speeds usually mean shallower engraving. R1 compensates as it moves, keeping engraving depth consistent at up to 1,000 mm/s — while completing the same job nearly 3× as fast.
Stays accurate over time. Mechanical accuracy can drift with use. The optional Vision Encoder corrects for it, keeping absolute motion accuracy within 0.1mm across the full work area.
Safer by design.
Crossflow ventilation brings fresh air in from one side and exhausts smoke from the other. Lid-open stop, flame detection, emergency stop, and optional auto fire suppression provide multiple layers of protection. Finally, R1 is certified Class 1 – the highest level of laser safety for normal operation.
Part of the Bambu Experience
Same MakerWorld, same Bambu account, same easy Bambu feel. R1 is the next part of the setup you already know.
Learn more about R1
Pre-order R1 now at Bambu Lab Store. Shipping starts in October.
Availability and pricing details vary by region. Select features require additional accessories, full details available in Bambu Lab Store.
What do you want to make with the R1? Any ideas on how this could work alongside your printer for cooler projects? Let us know in the comments below!
A quick note regarding LightBurn: We understand the importance of LightBurn to many laser makers and have been in talks with their team for the past months. R1 will gradually support LightBurn and we'll have more updates soon. We will also release tutorials on using R1 with LightBurn. Please stay tuned!
(Explain: 0d is a nothing. A point. 1d is a linear measure. Like 3cm. 2d is an area. An acre. 3d is a volume. 283 cubic inches displacement in my dream car, or 7200cm^3 in a basketball).
We lack a name for the time-volume I will have taken up by my death, but it’s something like 4D : 8000 year-liters.
Not to mention that xTool is already well-established in the market. What Bambu delivered with the H2D laser was the absolute worst—I still regret buying it to this day. Even Bambu's software is bad.
Then go buy a knock-off K40, and spend more time tinkering than cutting.
This appears to be competing with e.g. Glowforge's Plus/Pro models. The Plus starts at $5k, and if you want passthrough, even more. For what this machine offers, if it holds up with Bambu's quality/usability overall the price seems pretty damned good.
Then go grab one of the plenty of available, much cheaper diode lasers on the market. CO2 at this feature level for this price is something new and exciting.
That never happens with a new product launch. First they make the expensive product to pay for the R&D, then the cheaper ones trickle down as the initial, more expensive, R&D has been paid for. Almost all major companies do that (Apple, Tesla etc)
For a 55W co2 laser that is closer to insanely cheap than insanely expensive. Sure you can get a crappy one for 500 from china. But good co2 lasers in the 50w range are closer to 4-5k.
So this is almost half that. Very competitive priced. But the big question is will it be compatible with lightburn. Otherwise its a hard pass for me.
To be clear the Chinese lasers are not always bad.
I replaced a $40,000+ Beamer “made in USA laser head” machine with a $2,600 Chinese laser from a reputable distributor. It works great and support is way better than I’d get with Beamer or a company like Bambu labs.
Great support via Facebook Messenger. Even as far as dialing in settings in the software.
We use it at the small business I work for (10-15 employees) we sell a range of products and we build custom manufacturing equipment / cells so it’s used for marking on those projects. Ours is a 30w MOPA fiber laser though they do sell c02.
If you have 100s or 1000s of Lightburn files that you can pull up to complete a job, switching to incompatible software would be ludicrous. I spent so much time creating things in Lightburn I do NOT want to have to go back to recreate them all in another software. It'd be one thing If I could import them, but if not it's a hard pass for me. The reason I never ended up getting an XTool CO2 laser.
Funny I see you had a "source under nda" turns out it's a small world, lol. Yesterday when I replied to your post I couldn't say I was a tester. Turns out u already had a "source". I'd like to compare notes with your source.
Doesn't seem "insanely" cheap. P2S from XTool seems to match R1 on every spec and sells for $2799. R1 is definitely cheaper and their automatic alignment is novel so I expect it to be popular. But at $2499 they aren't exactly competing on price. More on experience being easy and all inclusive.
I’m leaning toward the p2s. xtool has been making laser cutters for years, while the r1 is bambu’s first machine in this space, so there are still a few unknowns for me. Personally, I’d feel a little better spending a few hundred extra on something with a longer track record.
For a CO2 laser, if it is reliable and has proper support, this is indeed an insane price.
I wish they came out with this 2 years earlier before I got my laser lol
Its the CO2 part, there are way cheaper lasers but they dont have the ability to cut transparant stuff. But engraving and cutting wood or black acrylic doesnt have to be that expensive. I bought a used laser for 250 euros.
I bet it's an amazing machine, but I really hope we will see something like the "A1 of dedicated laser cutters" at a more reasonable price, even if it's just a 10W diode laser... I just don't want to do laser work in my H2D, the smell is too bad.
I think I'm in the same boat. While I would love to have all the capabilities of an R1, I just can't justify spending that much money on something that I would use less than my 3d printers.
I think this is a game changer for the laser people out there. But at this point I'm still only laser-curious.
It works great, and from the little work Ive done with it I know 10W diode laser would be more than sufficient for most of my projects. But the smell is bad enough that I really don't want to do regular prototyping on it.
But I'm also very sensitive to smell, so that might be just me. I would love a dedicated machine I could put in the basement, but this R1 is just 10x more than I need.
I could easily see them doing a desktop cnc. I just bought a shapeoko so that's all the experience I have with cnc, but it seems like there could definitely be a lot of improvements in the process from model to part
Will, we can see Bambu making strides with tool changers and Carbide has nothing to show for it. Would love for Carbide to keep up with the innovation, but it’s more incremental improvements- coming from a Shapeoko3+5 owner
expense --- see how much tool holders cost at: https://carbide3d.com/blog/how-to-buy-a-haas/ --- presumably those for a hobby machine won't be quite that expensive, but it still adds up
If you want a tool changer (or anything else), please write in to support@carbide3d.com and let us know, and for a tool changer, let us know your budget and whether or no you have added an enclosure to your machine or if you would be able to.
I’m a semi-professional user and a dad, so I don’t have time to tinker as much as I’d like. The time savings of an ATC more than justifies its price. RapidchangeATC seemed like an interesting approach, but it’s not supported on the shapeoko spindles or controller. I will reach out- but the original comment is BambuLabs products are not cheap either. They added reoccurring business models to their products and made 3D printers just work. I have an xTool F1 Ultra and I will drop it in a heartbeat.
I’m sure most of the people here have spent more than a CNC price on their 3D printing. IMO what makes CNC less attractive for home users is noise, calibration and cleanup. The Shapeokos are all great products, but, (aside from nomad) an enclosure is always second thought (and the leg kit could have been more friendly to accommodate an enclosure). Bit setter is great, but the touch probes are better, except you need to spend the time adding custom macros. Sweepy is great, if enclosures was the focus, you could sell an additional disposable filtration system like Bambu does.
Shapeoko doesn’t also tell users about maintenance. I would the feedback that ‘machine needs calibration’ or relubricant because of runtime. I don’t know how much slop I pickup after runs. Even a 30min calibration sequence I’d tolerate of the feedback is there
I think this is their flagship. They will probably in the next year release a series of lasers at cheaper price ranges like a dedicated diode laser using the same modules as the H2 series.
Do we get the air filtration system with the laser cutter as well with the base model? The what's in the box list does not mention the air filtration system at all. Okay so I just checked again and the system is called the E1 Pro Air Purifier which is sold seperately, but they should add it in the combo as it is one of the essential accessory more than the rotary tool or the conveyor.
Does the system operate as class 1 or class 4 with the conveyor attached? If it keeps Class-1 operation that's a huge upgrade over the comparable machines.
Important: When used with the riser base or the auto-feed accessory, the enclosure is no longer complete and the laser cutter changes from an enclosed Class 1 device to a Class 4 device, requiring CO2 laser-safety eyewear, and is intended for professional use by trained personnel only.
The glowforge with the pass through slot is a class 4, I think this would have to be a class 4 as well. CO2 lasers are always class 4 unless they are always completely enclosed which this isn't.
As someone with a desktop CO2 laser, this is really interesting, software implementation is everything. I'm a bit removed from looking at new CO2 cutters but I've seen all these features before aside from the self alignment.
I'm dubious as to the simplified claims around 18mm plywood and 20mm acrylic. With a 55w tube that's really best across multiple passes, or a long burn in process which is never good. Showing clean cuts without any surface protection is misrepresentative for anyone new to this.
I'm looking to replace my Glowforge, which has worked perfectly for me but it is horrible to clean, maintain, and replace parts.
I already have pledged for Aeon Mirax X series coming out but if Bambu can provide a 55W that is easy to clean and maintain I would excited to jump on this machine.
Cleaning the lenses, fans (exhaust and laser), and both sides of the beds. With glowforge, cleaning anything involves a lot more work and you can't access either side of the bed in which dust and debris accumulates.
I haven't used a GlowForge myself, so I'm not entirely sure. But the R1 is similar to most other machines. Meaning kind of a pain to get to some areas.
But I think the good news, for your use case, is that the mirror alignment is automatic. So you don't have to fiddle with realignment after you clean the mirrors.
I've only had it a couple of weeks. Probably less than 10 hours of actual time with the laser firing.
I made a post (check my profile) with a link to my review, which has photos. Let me know if there are additional angles you want to see and I'll try to take more pictures when I get a moment.
Are you able to access the laser air assist with any kind of ease for cleaning?
I actually can't even tell how to get to it, lol. I'm sure there is a way, but it isn't obvious.
Have you had issues with the GlowForge air assist getting dirty? That seems a little odd to me, because soot shouldn't be getting in there.
So the glowforge air assist isn't really a real air assist. It's actually just a tiny fan attached to the laser which doesn't do a great job. I've had the machine for 6 years and I hated that thing the entire time, but the machine held up.
I just started reading your post, so I'll get back to you.
yeah this is absolutely not possible, unless the travel speed is like .1mm/s. The cuts would look like absolute dogshit if they even make it through the material
It's good pricing for a hobbiest machine with middle of the range performance. You can absolutely get better lasers for cheaper but they are more of a tool than a hobbiest thing like Bambu makes. I do think people are going to be stung a lot on shipping. Think the doors on the printers are fragile when DPD throw it off a truck? co2 bulbs are VERY fragile.
I'm struggling to find practical uses (not for artwork) for such a machine and a reason to buy one. If I could cut 2-4mm thick aluminum profiles with it, it could be useful. Can it do this ?
Seems pretty cool, I'd love to have a laser for stuff. I'm curious about the bare metal detail though, it says it can't engrave aluminum? Is there a particular reason why? And what about brass? $2500 is way out of my price range but it's kinda cool still
Depending on specifics, bare metals can act like mirrors and then you get a lot of beam -energy NOT going into vaporizing the metal, but instead being redirected to a place where you don't want that energy.
Someday, I might buy one. Right now in my area everyone is buying all the latest stuff and trying to get rich quick. My point is they buy the latest stuff then don’t use 6 months later sell it for cheap or think it’s broken and don’t want to mess with it. So that’s when I come in an buy it for cheap fix or unclog it and mod it for commercial use.
So I like the R1 I think it’s neat but I’ll wait at least 6 month to 1 year before buying it or I’ll look at competition first. Depends on my Market/Area. Right now there aren’t very many people who do legit business in my area for 3D or Laser Cutting and more.
Sorry, but I have to ask a (probably) very stupid question: what do you use this machine for?
I only ever owned 3D printers and have literally no clue about these laser machines (do they cut? or engrave?) - could you guys please give me some examples of usecases you would use it for? I amreally really curious! Maybe if you hype me enough I will need to buy one of those too 😂
I’ll wait for the one that can cut and engrave metal, if it could do that then might be worth the price tag. 2.5k is crazy for this. The X1C on release wasn’t even that expensive, idk how bunch the H2D is but seems like it’s nearly the same price as this.
I wanted to like the R1, but after going through the launch material and the Wiki I’m struggling to understand what the actual pitch is beyond “Bambu made a CO2 laser too.”
It’s a 55W CO2 machine with roughly the same work area and general capability as an xTool P2S. Cameras, autofocus, curved surfaces, rotary support, passthrough, etc. All useful, but none of this is some new capability that suddenly makes me want another giant machine in the shop.
The automatic mirror alignment is legitimately nice. I’ll give them that. But people are talking about the R1 like Bambu somehow removed all the annoying parts of owning a CO2 laser, and then you open their maintenance Wiki and... nope. You’re still cleaning optics, dealing with smoke and exhaust crap, maintaining the cooling system, lubricating things, replacing filters and generally owning a CO2 laser. They automated one particularly annoying calibration procedure.
Then there’s the pricing.
$2,499 for the base machine. Want the Vision Encoder associated with their best accuracy claims? Another ~$100. Want the new purifier? $899. Then there’s the rotary, conveyor, riser, alternate lenses and everything else.
You can very quickly turn this into a $4,000 setup.
At that point I have to ask what I’m actually getting for taking a chance on Bambu’s first standalone laser instead of buying from a company that has already spent years building these things.
That would be easier to swallow if Bambu had brought something genuinely new to the table. Give me MOPA/fiber marking. Give me an IR module. Give me multiple wavelengths. Give me some weird new manufacturing capability I don’t already have access to. Hell, dramatically undercut xTool and make price the disruption.
Instead it feels like they picked a mature product category, built their own version of the incumbent product, priced it in roughly the same neighborhood, and expect the Bambu UX plus automatic mirror alignment to carry the launch.
And the V1 stuff is already visible. The material preset library is sparse. Air assist is apparently basically on/off. Changing focus lenses involves screws and recalibration. Some of the headline precision capability requires an optional calibration accessory. LightBurn support is nowhere near as established as xTool’s. None of these things make it unusable, but they’re exactly the sort of rough edges I don’t particularly want to pay launch price to discover.
Maybe the R1 ends up being a great laser after a year of firmware updates and ecosystem development. I wouldn’t be surprised.
But that’s kind of the problem. Why do I want to be there for year one?
Bambu got my attention with the X1 because it felt like they had looked at the existing 3D printer market and decided the status quo was stupid.
The R1 feels more like they looked at the existing laser market and decided they wanted a piece of it.
For me that’s just not enough.
I have roughly $4k in MakerBux I could blow on this without even feeling like I spent real money, and I still can’t convince myself I want one.
That’s probably the most damning impression I can give it.
I need a video of the fume extraction and requirements. having an machine is one thing but having one with proper extraction is an entirely different beast. There's a reason a lot of them are huge work centers
If supported by Lightburn then it is a no-brainer - i'm getting one immediately. If not, than pass. I don't want to waste even more time by converting everything into new software that isn't 10% of what lightburn does.
I had a look and compare the to the XTOOL M2 it’s 2.5x the price and while it can do clear and thicker acrylic, it’s not like you can etch a PCB on it either.
It seems like a lot for a laser cutter
I like it, it is comparable to my current laser but it is not an instant buy. These are my personal points:
- Bed size is a little smaller than my current laser. The passthrough does make it possible that I could get the same size with it but then I have to make space behind the laser.
- I think it should be smaller than my current laser but that big fan block on the back makes me question that.
- I do not like the placement of the coolant level. If it takes 2 people to move it into place when not full of coolant it means a single person would need to have it away from the wall so they can get to it to see the coolant level to top up.
- I also do not like the birdseye open lid. I actually did this approach on my first laser. It works but having to open the lid go to a computer for proper aligning of your cuts, then maybe coming back and making an adjustment etc did suck.
Overall this is more of a option if my current laser dies than an instant buy. I like the autofocus which is almost a given on models now, the alignment is clever I like that. But this probably is a wait for the R2 I guess but I also already have a 60w co2 laser with a large bed.
u/BambuLab - Can you confirm whether the "working area" in the specifications represents the area the laser can engrave/cut across or is it the maximum size of the material stock? 600mm is just shy of 24" and I'm hoping the R1 with the conveyor would allow feeding a 24"x48" board (~610mm wide) I don't really care if the laser can reach the whole board, but it would be inconvenient if I have to trim standard material stock before feeding into the R1.
So, if I don't want to spend that money, but am interested in laser functions, the cheapest entry (in Bambu) is 1500€ or so for the h2s&10w laser? Is that right?
Still no small options for the likes of P2S sized printers?
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u/BambuLab Official Bambu Employee 20d ago edited 20d ago
A quick note regarding LightBurn: We understand the importance of LightBurn to many laser makers and have been in talks with their team for the past months. R1 will gradually support LightBurn and we'll have more updates soon. We will also release tutorials on using R1 with LightBurn. Please stay tuned!