Think Bambu Lab is the worst company in 3D printing? Think again

Credit: Tim Brookes / How-To Geek Published Sep 24, 2026, 8:30 AM EDT Tim has been covering technology for almost 20 years, in that time spanning a broad range of topics from security to product reviews. He is especially focused on the Apple ecosystem, productivity, and consumer advice. Over the years Tim has written thousands of articles, reviews, and round-ups in addition to producing video content and original photography. A graduate of journalism, he found his footing as a freelancer with a laptop and loves how he is able to work from practically anywhere. Now a Senior Editor for iPhone, Mac, and Smart Home at How-To Geek, Tim still loves to write. He can also be found crafting round-ups and productivity posts for the Zapier blog. Earlier in his career Tim spent nearly a decade as a writer and eventually Apple section editor for MakeUseOf. Tim currently lives in Brisbane, Australia. Outside of work he loves to hike and work out, play video games, and spend quality time with his wonderful partner and two cats Inka and Roger. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Bambu Lab is often painted as the “worst” 3D printer manufacturer that happens to make the “best” 3D printers. The company’s walled-garden approach and clashes with open-source projects have earned it some deserved pushback over the years, and yet this week they still don’t look as bad as Stratasys. Bambu Lab ordered to pay $27.6M to Stratasys over patent infringements The technology was a game-changer for widespread 3D printer adoption A Texas court just ruled that Bambu Lab infringed on 3D printing patents held by a company called Stratasys in the production of its first generation of 3D printers. That includes the debut X1, follow-up P1, and entry-level “bed-slinger” A1. These models are notable for taking the 3D printing world by storm. Stratasys originally named 10 patents in its lawsuit. Bambu Lab was able to successfully defend its use of heated build surfaces and flexible steel plates on which filament is deposited (US 9592660) and remote monitoring of a cloud-connected 3D printer with a camera (US 8562324). It was not so successful when it came to the use of purge towers (also called prime towers) as per US 9421713, or bed-leveling techniques via the use strain-gauge and force-sensor components which infringed upon US 9168698. Purge towers are necessary to keep the nozzle clean and improve print quality in prints that use more than one filament. Bed-leveling was once the bane of 3D printer owners, requiring painstaking manual calibration. The implementation of reliable self-leveling technology and other user-friendly features is what put Bambu Lab on the map and caused so many to take notice of the brand in the first place. Still to come is news of whether Bambu Lab violated patents relating to RFID tags on filament, automatic printer detection, remote networking in a 3D printer, and use of LiDAR scanning. Stratasys already tried this one on in Europe, but Bambu Lab was able to successfully defend itself there. The violations were filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, which is known for being a softball target when it comes to patent infringement lawsuits. Who is Stratasys and why do they care? The company held the original 3D printing patent Credit: Lutsenko_Oleksandr/Shutterstock.com Stratasys is widely considered to be the company that “invented” filament deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing, where material is heated to melting point and deposited on a build plate with the aim of constructing an object. This practice is described in US 5121329, a patent that was filed in 1989 and expired 20 years later in 2009. This is widely seen as one of the reasons that 3D printing took so long to take off at home. For years, Stratasys dominated the commercial space and sold its technology to companies primarily looking to design and rapidly prototype products. The company initially partnered with HP, but the deal fell through and ultimately led to the acquisition of MakerBot in 2013 for $403 million. What followed was one of the greatest falls of grace ever seen in the technology space. The MakerBot project originated as an open-source project that sold 3D printer kits to eager hobbyists, but the Stratasys acquisition put an end to this model. The company dwindled under the rule of its parent company as rivals like Creality started to make waves with printers like the legendary Ender 3. MakerBot was eventually sold and now exists only in name on a limited number of printers. But Stratasys still owns many patents relating to technology that has changed the face of 3D printing. For all its faults, Bambu Lab can take a lot of credit for making 3D printing accessible to a wide audience. These lawsuits have been described as “patent trolling” by many online commenters. Bambu Lab can at times seem comically out-of-touch with the community, so it speaks volumes that Stratasys somehow comes off worse than the lead-footed market leader. It’s not that complicated But we might see more lawsuits Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek At the end of the day, lawsuits like this are about one thing: money. Bambu Lab is in a commanding position in the global 3D printing market. The company has built an ecosystem that it is zealously trying to protect, oversees the world’s biggest model repository, and has started branching out into new product lines like laser cutters and UV printers. Stratasys missed the boat with consumer 3D printing, despite sitting on a handsome patent for 20 years. The company’s Ultimaker brand lacks the punch enjoyed by companies like Bambu Lab, Prusa, Creality, Elegoo, or Snapmaker. The company may have seen success in court, but it won’t dethrone Bambu Lab or catapult Stratasys to success in the consumer 3D printing market. It may, however, embolden patent holders to try their luck in court in a bid to get a slice of what has become a very lucrative pie. Wondering why everyone started buying Bambu Lab printers? It all started in 2022 with the launch of a Kickstarter project.