3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Anycubic Photon P1 Max vs Bambu Lab A1
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Anycubic Photon P1 Max comparisonsMore Bambu Lab A1 comparisons
| Property | Anycubic Photon P1 MaxRESIN | Bambu Lab A1BEDSLINGER |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Anycubic | Bambu Lab |
| Class | RESIN | BEDSLINGER |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Anycubic Photon P1 Max[1] | Bambu Lab A1. Store title: "Bambu Lab A1 3D Printer"; spec page header "Bambu Lab A1 - Technical Specifications"[2] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Not documented | Announced and first shipped in the northern autumn/winter of 2023. Bambu Lab's own recall notice states A1 units were supplied from 1 December 2023; Tom's Hardware published its A1 review on 14 December 2023, so retail units were in reviewers' hands by then[3][4] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $959 advertised single-unit sale/from price; $999 compare-at, not launch MSRP. Global USD storefront, Other plug/no resin selected; US price, availability, shipping and tax require checkout. Checked 2026-10-17.[1] | From $299.00 (base A1) on the Bambu Lab US store, Aug 2026, during an advertised Back-to-School sale; the A1 product page shows $399.00 with the A1 Combo (A1 + AMS lite) swatch selected[5][6] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Not documented | Two SKUs on one product page: A1 (printer only) and A1 Combo (adds the AMS lite four-spool unit); the printer hardware is identical. Do NOT confuse with the A1 mini (180 mm cube, single Z leadscrew, 80 C bed, 2.4-in screen) or the newer A2L (330x320x325 mm). Contamination example found in the wild: Tom's Hardware's A1 review spec box prints a 2.4-inch screen and a 385x410x430 mm footprint (both A1 mini figures) and titles a section "Included in the box: Bambu Lab A1 Mini", while Bambu's own A1 spec sheet says 3.5-inch screen and 465x410x430 mm[2][4][6] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Still sold new in Aug 2026 alongside the newer and larger A2L ($469 base), which Bambu positions as the mega-size A-series machine[5][7] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 285.5 × 214 × 300 mm (X × Y × Z), advertised 18.3 L; usable volume not independently measured.[1] | 256 x 256 x 256 mm (manufacturer figure)[2] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 430 × 414 × 625 mm, manufacturer dimensions; external clearance not specified.[1] | 465 x 410 x 430 mm per Bambu's own tech-spec sheet. Tom's Hardware's spec box prints 385 x 410 x 430 mm for the same machine - that is the A1 mini's width, treat Bambu's figure as authoritative. Add clearance behind for Y-axis bed travel and above for the spool[2][4] |
| Net weight (kg) | 23.1 kg (manufacturer specification)[1] | 8.3 kg net[2] |
| Frame construction & material | Not documented | Steel plus extruded aluminium chassis; Bambu markets all-metal rails and a cover-protected drive system[2][8] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Not documented | Open frame, no enclosure or door; no official enclosure is sold for the A1[2] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | Not documented | Cartesian bed-slinger: toolhead moves in X on the gantry beam, heatbed moves in Y, gantry moves in Z. Bambu's own wiki calls it a Cartesian coordinate motion system; Bambu's marketing page describes it as a "Bed Slinger with CoreXY Speed", which is a comparison, not a kinematic claim[9][8] |
| X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size) | Not documented | Linear rail: "a high-precision linear rail and a beam", toolhead on a linear guide slider (Bambu wiki). Rail size not published[9] |
| Y-axis guide type | Not documented | Linear rail: heatbed mounted on a guide-rail slider, belt-driven in Y[9] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Dual linear guide rails and ball lead screws (manufacturer specification)[1] | Dual linear rods plus dual leadscrews with nuts, both leadscrews driven from one stepper through a synchronous belt with a quick tensioner and a tension-detection algorithm[9] |
| Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?) | Not documented | Three adjustable belt tensioners (X, Y, Z); a Belt Tension Monitor watches tension and reports out-of-range belts[9] |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | Not documented | Not published. Bambu's wiki says only that the mainboard "incorporates stepper motor drivers"; no driver part number is given and no teardown source was found that names one[9] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | Not documented | 500 mm/s max toolhead speed (manufacturer claim); no independent measurement found[2] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | Not documented | 10000 mm/s2 max toolhead acceleration (manufacturer claim). Tom's Hardware notes the moving-bed mass is why the A1 does not reach the P1S/X1 20000 mm/s2 figure[2][4] |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | Not documented | 28 mm3/s claimed, measured by Bambu on a 150x150 mm single-wall model in Bambu ABS at 280 C[2] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Not documented | Direct drive, hardened-steel extruder gears, integrated in the toolhead with a filament cutter and filament hub[2][9] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Not documented | All-metal integrated hotend (nozzle and heatsink combined in one unit) with a quick-swap clip - Bambu markets it as popping in and out with one clip. Stainless-steel nozzle, 0.4 mm included, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[2][8][9] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | 300 C claimed max hot-end temperature; firmware limit not published[2] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | Not documented | 100 C max build-plate temperature (both the spec sheet and the wiki give 100 C)[2][9] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Precision-ground steel build platform[1] | Textured PEI plate included; Bambu Cool Plate, High Temperature Plate and Dual-Texture PEI Plate also compatible[2] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Leveling-Free 3.0 with feedback and pre-print self-check (manufacturer claim)[1] | Nozzle-touch probing: the hotend carries an eddy-current sensor that detects nozzle-to-bed contact, giving both automatic bed mesh and automatic Z-offset with no paper method. The same eddy-current sensor doubles as the Y-axis resonance sensor[9][4] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Not documented | Yes - filament run-out sensor, plus filament odometry and a filament-tangle sensor. The tangle sensor is a Hall sensor reading a magnet in the toolhead filament hub: excessive feed resistance pulls the hub down, moving the magnet toward the sensor[2][9] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Not documented | Optional AMS lite (four spools, sold in the A1 Combo); connecting the enclosed-printer AMS / AMS 2 Pro / AMS HT to an A1 additionally requires an AMS HUB accessory (SA013)[6] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | One custom 5015 centrifugal part-cooling fan with two opposing air outlets aimed at the nozzle; closed-loop (RPM-feedback) control[2][9] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | Not documented | Single mainboard carrying a low-power dual-core SoC (with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth basebands and RF), a dual-core MCU and a single-core MCU, plus the stepper drivers. Bambu's spec sheet names the motion controller as a dual-core Cortex-M4. Exact chip markings not published[2] |
| PSU (brand, wattage, rail voltage) | 296 W power supply (manufacturer specification; not measured consumption)[1] | Not documented |
| Total rated power draw | Not documented | 100-240 VAC 50/60 Hz; max power 1300 W at 220 V, 350 W at 110 V. Bed heater wattage is not published separately[2] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Not documented | Closed-source proprietary firmware - not a Klipper or Marlin derivative, and no printer-firmware source is published. The bambulab GitHub organisation carries 11 repositories (Bambu Studio, wxWidgets/boost/ffmpeg forks, the wiki); none is printer firmware. Updates are delivered over the air via Bambu Studio / Bambu Handy[10] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4.5-inch resistive touchscreen[1] | 3.5-inch 320x240 IPS touchscreen[2] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Not documented | Touchscreen UI plus Bambu Handy mobile app and Bambu Studio PC application; Bambu describes the on-device UI as a simplified guided touchscreen system[2][8] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Wi-Fi and Ethernet; manufacturer advertises LAN isolation mode.[1] | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz only (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, 2412-2472 MHz), Bambu-Bus for the AMS lite, microSD card slot. No Ethernet, no USB host port[2] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Not documented | Built-in low-rate monitoring camera, up to 1080p, timelapse supported; Bambu's marketing calls out a physical lens cover. Frame rate is not stated for the A1 (the P1 series camera is specified at 0.5 fps)[2][8] |
| Calibration Routines & QoL | ||
| Assembly level & time from unbox to first print | Not documented | About 95% pre-assembled; a handful of screws attach the gantry to the base, then the filament wiper and spool holder[4] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Manufacturer lists all Anycubic resins; compatibility with other brands not verified.[1] | Ideal: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA. Not recommended: ABS, ASA, PC, PA, PET, carbon/glass-fibre reinforced polymers - the machine is open-frame and the bed stops at 100 C[2] |
| Safety | ||
| Known safety incidents / recalls / fire reports (with sources) | Not documented | Recalled in the US in cooperation with the CPSC: A1 units sold before 30 January 2024 (serial numbers with 'A' as the sixth digit) could suffer heatbed cable damage leading to a short circuit, electric shock or fire. 19 reports of damaged cables, one with observed sparking, no injuries. Remedy was refund plus $80 voucher, or heatbed+cable replacement by a trained technician plus $120 voucher. Current production ships a Kevlar-reinforced heatbed cable with thicker insulation and extended strain relief[3][6] |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | Not documented | Manufacturer claim only: bambulab.com states "Silent Mode Under 48 dB" with active motor noise cancelling; the US store page for both the A1 and the A1 mini carries identical copy claiming "49dB Whisper-Quiet Operation". No microphone-based independent measurement with a stated distance was found; Tom's Hardware only says it is "much more quiet than the current crop of speed freak machines"[8][6][4] |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | Not documented | 2-year limited warranty for consumers in the US, Canada, the EU, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland; 1 year in the rest of the world. Bambu Lab's own policy records the US/Canada term as a 2026 extension from one year to two[11] |
| Independently Measured Performance | ||
| Review scores from major outlets (list outlet + score + date) | Not documented | Tom's Hardware: Editor's Choice, rating 4.5 out of 5 in the page's structured data (14 December 2023)[4] |
| Resin & MSLA | ||
| Masking LCD | 14-inch monochrome 12K masking LCD; 24.8 × 24.8 µm XY pixel pitch (manufacturer specification)[1] | Not documented |
| Light source | COB + Fresnel + mask light source[1] | Not documented |
| Light uniformity & intensity | ≥4000 µW/cm² intensity and 92% uniformity (manufacturer claims)[1] | Not documented |
| Vertical print speedmm/h | 15–25 mm/h at 0.05 mm layers with standard resin (manufacturer claim; not independently measured).[1] | Not documented |
| Layer height range | 0.02–0.15 mm layer height[1] | Not documented |
| Release film | NFEP release film; store separately describes its Wave Release system.[1] | Not documented |
| Resin vat & feeding | 1.9 L vat with dynamic temperature control; auto-fill unit not supported.[1] | Not documented |
| Fume extraction | Optional AirPure 2.0 accessory; filtration efficacy not independently verified.[1] | Not documented |
Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- Anycubic Photon P1 Max official store: single-unit price and specifications Anycubic · 2026-10-17 · vendor
- Bambu Lab A1 - Technical Specifications bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab - Bambu Lab Recalls A1 3D Printers in the US bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Tom's Hardware - Bambu Lab A1 Review, Denise Bertacchi, 14 December 2023 tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
- Bambu Lab US Store - 3D Printers collection listing (base prices, Aug 2026) us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab A1 store page (A1 / A1 Combo variants) us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab - Compare all 3D printers (A2L / X2D / H2C columns) bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab A1 product page bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab Wiki - A1 introduction wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
- GitHub - bambulab organisation repository list (11 repos, checked Aug 2026) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Lab Warranty Policy bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor