Rise of the machines: 3D printers suddenly started printing something strange while their owners slept

By: Elena Shcherban | 18.08.2023, 00:27

The other day dozens of users encountered an unexpected problem with Bambu's 3D printers: they started working on their own, and some of them malfunctioned as a result. Users told about the revolt of the machines in social networks and forums.

Details

As it turned out, at night 3D printers Bambu X1C and P1P independently, without any user intervention "came to life" and began to print - past blanks or something incomprehensible. At the same time, some of them eventually broke when trying to print a second copy on top of the previous item.

This has worried users beyond belief, as the 3D printer is one of the few remote-controlled devices in the house that can heat up to the point of starting a fire.

Bambu was quick to respond to the complaints and said that a cloud glitch was likely the cause of the printers' strange behaviour.

"We wish to extend our sincerest apologies for this incident. We understand the frustration and inconvenience it may have caused, and we accept full responsibility. It is difficult to have a cloud service 100% reliable all the time, but we should at least have designed the system more carefully to avoid such embarrassing consequences. Our R&D and Cloud Networking teams are working tirelessly to identify the root cause and ensure that this never happens again. We are planning to implement changes, such as additional verifications before a print is started, to prevent future issues", the company said.

Bambu is asking affected users who have suffered any damage to contact support. The company promises to repair parts or replace the printer free of charge.

Source: Bambu, The Verge