At IDEAWORKS, new technology is helping turn ideas into prototypes faster and more affordably.
Through the Additive Manufacturing Innovation Centre’s (AMIC) longstanding relationship with Hamilton-based 3D Printing Canada, AMIC has gained access to Bambu Lab’s high-performance Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printers. The collaboration has expanded AMIC’s capabilities and increased its capacity to support researchers, students and industry partners.
Bambu Lab’s technology has helped make high-quality 3D printing significantly more accessible. Despite AMIC having millions of dollars in industrial-grade additive manufacturing systems, FDM has become one of its most requested services, and Bambu Lab printers are now used in some capacity across virtually every AMIC project.
The impact is particularly valuable for startups and small and medium-sized enterprises. For suitable applications, AMIC can use Bambu Lab systems costing around $1,000 to achieve much of the performance previously associated with systems costing more than $100,000. This allows industry partners to create more prototypes, test more ideas and iterate faster without significantly increasing development costs.
Ease of use is another advantage. Bambu Lab’s ecosystem lowers the technical barrier to 3D printing, giving students and people without extensive additive manufacturing experience an opportunity to quickly move from a digital design to a physical prototype.
For AMIC, that accessibility represents an important shift in how students and companies can engage with advanced manufacturing.
“The Bambu Lab ecosystem is a huge benefit to both students and industry. I’m excited to see Bambu Lab expanding further into education and making high-performance additive manufacturing more accessible,” said Simon Coulson, General Manager, Additive Manufacturing Innovation Centre at IDEAWORKS. “Giving students hands-on experience with innovative, affordable technology will better prepare them for industry while helping companies rethink what’s possible with 3D printing.”