The Bambulab H2D is very nearly the shoemaking machine I have been waiting for for nearly a decade. With ample build volume and dual nozzles, this thing is a useful tool for shoemakers and also has potential for making fully functional 3D printed shoes. And it comes at a price point prosumers can handle and business can scale upon. All that being said, there is one limitation that is a bit of an issue for me. In this 3DShoemaker post, I’ll dive into the details.
Before getting started, I’d like to point out that my main purpose in putting out this post is to guide my current and future customers to the best tool for the job. By customers, I’m referring to those using the 3DShoemaker design software I wrote and the shoemaking models I create. For me, a 3D printer is just a tool for a job. I actually started out many years ago with a Tormach CNC milling machine in my mothers garage. But the whole replicator possibility of 3D printers lured me over. Plus, it meant she could finally have her garage back.
My first 3D printer was a Prusa MK3 I bought back in 2018, which was a great first printer. Then a few years later, Bambulab won me over with their X1C, given the faster speed, AMS, sleek enclosure, App, and all the intelligence via sensors and cameras. I was still very tempted to go back to Prusa when they came out with the XL, given it had the build volume and multi material capability so critical to footwear applications. But it had a much higher price tag and lacked so many of the things that drew me to the X1C in the first place. I just didn’t see it being as widely adopted as Bambu printers. And given the rumours of a bigger multi nozzle Bambu printer, I decided to wait. My patience paid off, as the H2D is very nearly everything I’ve been waiting for in a 3D shoemaking machine.
A bigger build volume was the main thing I was looking for. Larger shoe sizes tend to be around 300mm in length. For instance, I typically wear size 14 shoes, which are about 320mm long. So it makes sense to have a build volume with at least that dimension. Of course you can always orient parts diagonally to make do with a smaller build volume, like the X1C’s 256mm cubed, but I personally got tired of always looking for workarounds. There are also things that just can’t be done on smaller build volumes, like flattened upper patterns for all but the smallest shoe sizes. And a bigger build volume also allows for printing larger batches of things in one go. For instance, two pairs of jointed shoe lasts can be printed in one go. The approximately 350 x 320 x 325mm build volume of the H2D is plenty for almost all footwear applications I can think of. Perhaps the only thing I would want a bigger build volume for, like that of the Prusa XL or even bigger, would be 3D printing tall rubber boots. But price, weight, and complexity all grow exponentially with build volume dimension. The H2D is already really big. You only grasp just how much bigger it is than the X1C when you see them side by side. The H2D makes the X1C feel almost like a toy.
The other improvement I was looking for in a new printer was multiple nozzles. The advantage of multiple nozzles over just a single nozzle with AMS is less purging between material swaps and, more important for footwear applications, better multi material capability given different materials can have dedicated nozzles. One instance where this comes in handy is supporting heel, wedge, and platform components overhangs. The component itself can be printed in durable PETG while supports, or just support interfaces, can be printed in PLA so they can be easily and cleanly removed. But the use case that interests me the most is supporting flexible filaments, which can help with fully 3D printed shoes. This simply wasn’t possible with the X1C given flexible filaments jam the AMS. Bambulab actually highlights this use case in their H2D demonstration picture. In early tests, I’ve been able to support common 95A TPU with PLA. Softer TPUs are also said to work, though with a bit of extra steps, namely dropping the speed and removing the lid and feeding directly to the extruder.
Me personally, I’ve been printing with foaming TPU which doesn’t become soft until it exits the extruder. But, sadly, the H2D print head gets jammed up on material swaps when switching between foaming TPU and PLA. The source of this issue seems to be the opening of the filament path as the singular drive gear is disengaged from one filament, and engaged with the other. This was a clever tactic Bambu used to lower the weight of the dual nozzle print head. But evidentially it isn’t without flaws. This would be one example of where the Prusa XL, with it’s multiple dedicated tool heads, might be superior. But perhaps Bambulab will find a fix for this. And even if they don’t, it’s not a deal breaker, as I’ve found ways to get around the need for supports with this filament. So for foaming TPU, I stick to single nozzle printing, which works out great, same as it did on the X1C for me. I do have some other footwear related use cases for the dual nozzles of the H2D, but I’ll save those for another post.
The third big thing about the H2D is the laser and plotter capabilities. This has received a lot of criticism given lasers can gum up the inside of a 3D printing enclosure and greatly increase the price of the printer. But perhaps it wouldn’t gum things up too much if only used occasionally, and of course you don’t need to buy these features if you don’t want to. For me, I didn’t opt for the laser version as I don’t see all that many footwear applications for it that interested me. Perhaps the plotter could be used for creating patterns, but these can be 3D printed. Maybe the one application that would be neat is laser engraving various fancy designs onto leather uppers.
Besides the build volume, dual nozzle, and laser and plotter edition, I think there are a lot of other really great things about the H2D. Perhaps most notable are the built in intelligence for detecting problems, quick swap nozzles, heated enclosure, AMS doubling as a filament dryer, and just how incredibly quiet this machine is. They really had to beef the machine up to be able to achieve the speeds Bambulab is known for while accommodating a much larger tool head, even using linear rails. So it is surprising that it is so much quieter than the X1C. It does shake quite a bit though, which has been a bit of an issue for me as mine shares my computer desk.
Deciding on a 3D printer is not something I take lightly. I only have space for two. And even if I had more room I don’t want to get spread across multiple brand’s ecosystems. I did a ton of research before leaping to an X1C, and after a couple years of using it I can say that it was the right choice. After a month and hundreds of hours printing with the H2D, I’m certain this too was the right choice. Bambulab has some very practical and ambitious people at their helm. And the fact that they are showcasing 3D printing of shoes in their demo videos for the printer means even they have come to realize what they’ve created is a shoemaking machine.
Going forward, most of my 3D printing tutorials will be done using the H2D. Of course I’ll only use multiple material capabilities were essential, so single material printers will still be applicable. But if you’ve got the funds, the H2D really is an excellent machine for shoemakers that will open many doors.
