Bambu Lab Releases the H3C, a Nine-Tool Changer

Bambu Lab, the biggest name in consumer 3D printing, announced today that their new H3C is available to order. The H3C is a tool changer with nine separate print tools, and Bambu is calling it their first third-generation printer. It comes in one configuration at launch, the H3C AMS Combo, which costs $2,499 in the US (€2,499 in the EU and £2,199 in the UK) and includes the brand new AMS 3H.

The big difference between the H3C and every other Bambu printer is how it changes colors. On a normal AMS printer, the printer has to cut the filament, pull it back, load the next color, and purge the old color out of the nozzle every single time it switches. That is why multicolor prints take so long and leave so much waste behind. On the H3C, each of the nine tools has its own nozzle, heater, and filament path, so the printer just puts one tool down and picks up the next one. Bambu says this only needs “minimal priming”, so there should be a lot less waste, although they have not given an exact number yet.

Bambu calls the tool changing system Swaptek, and they say a swap takes less than 6 seconds. The printer also reads ahead in the G-code and starts heating the next tool while the current one is still printing, so it is ready to go as soon as it gets picked up. On top of that, the H3C calibrates the docking, tool offsets, and bed leveling before every print using sensors and cameras.

On paper, the rest of the printer is just as impressive. It has a 330 x 320 x 325 mm build volume, a 120°C bed, and a heated chamber that reaches 65°C, so it should handle ABS, ASA, and nylon without any trouble. Every one of the nine tools reaches 350°C and comes with a hardened steel nozzle. Bambu also lists a top speed of 1,400 mm/s and acceleration of 25,000 mm/s². Be sure to have a sturdy table ready though, since the printer weighs 36.28 kg with the AMS 3H attached!

The part we are most excited about is TPU. Eight of the tools use regular 1.75 mm filament, but the ninth tool takes 2.85 mm filament, and Bambu says it can print TPU as soft as 75A. Until now, the only TPU you could run through a Bambu AMS was TPU for AMS, which is stiff. Soft TPU had to go on the external spool holder. On the H3C, soft TPU feeds through separate pass through ports on the AMS 3H and prints in the same job as everything else. For example, you could print a hard PLA phone case with a soft TPU grip in one go.

The AMS 3H holds 9 spools in a sealed chamber and reads Bambu’s RFID tags, and two of the slots can dry filament at up to 85°C, even while printing. If you already own an AMS 2 Pro or AMS HT, you can connect it through tool 1 with Bambu’s External AMS Filament Buffer for up to 24 materials in one print. The same dock will also take tools Bambu calls CutTool, DrawTool, and DebossTool, but those cannot be combined with a 3D print in the same job yet.

So who is this printer for? For comparison, the H2C AMS Combo lists at $2,199 and the H2D at $1,549. If you mostly print in one or two colors, this is a lot more printer than you need, and a P2S or A1 will do the job for much less. But if you print a lot of multicolor MakerWorld models or want to mix rigid and flexible materials, the H3C is the printer Bambu built for exactly that.

Besides the standard combo, there is a filament bundle for $2,589, and bundles with the Bambu Station stand for $2,799 (open) or $3,049 (enclosed, with the E1 air purifier). Bambu has not posted shipping dates yet. We have not tested the H3C, so everything here comes from Bambu’s announcement, and we will update this post once real reviews come out.

All in all, the H3C looks like the biggest step forward for Bambu since the original X1 Carbon. Nine tools, soft TPU, and far less purging could make multicolor printing a lot faster and cheaper, as long as it holds up in real use.

Sources: Bambu Lab’s launch post and Swaptek explainer, the H3C AMS connection guide, and 3Dnatives. Prices checked November 3, 2026.