3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Bambu Lab X1E vs UltiMaker S5

Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.

2 selected · all documented properties

Bambu Lab X1E vs UltiMaker S5 — documented properties and sources
PropertyBambu Lab X1ECOREXYUltiMaker S5INDUSTRIAL
Identity
BrandBambu LabUltiMaker
ClassCOREXYINDUSTRIAL
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Bambu Lab X1E; spec PDF header "Bambu Lab X1E Technical Specification"[1]UltiMaker S5 3D Printer[2]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)Not documentedStarting at $6,950 at MatterHackers, in stock, checked Aug 2026[2]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)Enterprise variant of the X1-Carbon, not a trim level. Differences from the X1C, from the two manufacturer spec sheets side by side: active chamber heating to 60 C (X1C has none), 320 C vs 300 C hot end, Smooth PEI plate included vs Cool/Engineering plates, G3+H12+carbon filter stack vs carbon filter only, Ethernet with a network kill switch, removable network module and 802.1X vs Wi-Fi only, 16 kg vs 14.13 kg, and 1400 W at 220 V / 750 W at 110 V vs 1000 W / 350 W[1][3]Three generations share the same 330 x 240 x 300 mm envelope and are easy to confuse: S5 (280 °C nozzle, glass bed to 140 °C, 4.7-inch screen), S7 (PEI-coated flexible plate, Wi-Fi 5 GHz added, $5,999) and S8 (340 °C, 500 mm/s, 50,000 mm/s2, PEI plate to 120 °C). Build-volume figures alone will not tell them apart[2][4][5]
Market position: superseded? successor announced?Not present in the Bambu Lab US store 3D-printer collection in Aug 2026, which lists A1, A1 mini, A2L, P1S, P2S, X2D, H2S, H2D and H2C. Bambu sells business machines through a separate Business & Institution channel, so absence from the consumer collection is not proof of discontinuation; no live first-party price could be recorded[6]Superseded by the S7 and then the S8, but still sold[2][4][5]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable256 x 256 x 256 mm (manufacturer figure)[1]330 x 240 x 300 mm[2]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)389 x 389 x 457 mm - identical to the X1-Carbon[1]495 x 585 x 780 mm assembled with the spool holder[2]
Net weight (kg)16 kg net (against 14.13 kg for the X1-Carbon)[1][3]20.6 kg[2]
Frame construction & materialSteel chassis with an aluminium and glass shell[1]Fully assembled professional chassis[2]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidFully enclosed with a door sensor, and the only X1 with active chamber heating; the chamber is controlled to a maximum of 60 C[1]Not documented
Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred)Actively heated chamber, maximum controlled temperature 60 C (manufacturer figure; not a passive measurement)[1]Not documented
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)CoreXY, two stepper motors with one belt each (X1 series motion system)[7]Dual-extrusion gantry with an articulating nozzle-lifting print head. UltiMaker does not publish the kinematic layout in this spec table[2]
X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size)Carbon X rail as on the X1-Carbon (X1 series toolhead and gantry)[8]Not documented
Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlashThree leadscrews belt-driven from a single stepper motor, whole bed moving in Z (X1 series)[7]Not documented
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)500 mm/s max toolhead speed (manufacturer claim); no independent measurement found[1]Not documented
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)20 m/s2 = 20000 mm/s2 max toolhead acceleration (manufacturer claim)[1]Not documented
Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s)32 mm3/s claimed on a 150x150 mm single-wall model in Bambu ABS at 280 C[1]Build speed under 24 mm3/s (manufacturer figure)[2]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDirect drive with hardened-steel extruder gears[1]Dual-geared feeder rated for advanced composites; dual extrusion with swappable print cores[2]
Filament diameterNot documented2.85 mm[2]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)All-metal hotend with a hardened-steel nozzle; 0.4 mm included, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional; built-in filament cutter[1]Not documented
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)320 C claimed max hot-end temperature - 20 C above the X1-Carbon[1][3]180-280 °C nozzle temperature range; heat-up under 2 minutes[2]
Stock nozzle size & sizes included in boxNot documented0.4 mm standard; 0.25, 0.6 and 0.8 mm available[2]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit110 C at 220 V, 120 C at 110 V max build-plate temperature[1]Heated glass bed, 20-140 °C[2]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedFlexible steel plate, Smooth PEI plate included; High Temperature, Textured PEI and Cool plates optional[1]Heated glass build plate[2]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)Nozzle-touch probing on the three ceramic heatbed force sensors, plus the Bambu micro-lidar for first-layer inspection[1][9]Automatic advanced levelling; probe technology not stated in this table[2]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Yes - run-out sensor and door sensor; odometry with AMS[1]Not documented
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designPart-cooling fan, hot-end fan, control-board fan, chamber temperature regulator fan and auxiliary part-cooling fan, all closed-loop controlled[1]Not documented
Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA)G3 pre-filter, H12 HEPA filter and granulated coconut-shell activated-carbon filter; VOC filtration rated Optimal and particulate filtration present[1]Not documented
Electronics & Power
Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist)Motion controller dual-core Cortex-M4; application processor quad ARM A7 at 1.2 GHz with a 2 TOPS NPU; 4 GB eMMC[1]Not documented
Total rated power draw100-240 VAC 50/60 Hz; 1400 W at 220 V, 750 W at 110 V[1]500 W maximum power output[2]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)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]Not published; print preparation is UltiMaker Cura and UltiMaker Essentials[2]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?5-inch 1280x720 touchscreen[1]4.7-inch colour touchscreen[2]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Touchscreen plus app and PC application[1]Not documented
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveWi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) plus 100 Mbps full-duplex RJ45 Ethernet, a network kill switch covering both Wi-Fi and Ethernet, a removable network module and 802.1X network access control - the feature set that distinguishes the X1E from every other Bambu machine. 4 GB eMMC and a microSD card reader[1]Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB[2]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Built-in 1920x1080 chamber monitoring camera; micro-lidar also fitted[1]Not documented
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listOptimal: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, BVOH. Superior: ABS, ASA, PC, PA, PET and carbon/glass-fibre reinforced PLA, PETG, PA, PET, PC, ABS, ASA. Ideal: PPA-CF/GF, PPS, PPS-CF/GF[1]Not documented
Safety
Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible)Firmware over-temperature protection is documented for the X1 series: HMS_0300-0200-0001-0003 fires when the heater runs at full power without reaching target in time. Thresholds are not published and the firmware is closed-source[11]Not documented
Noise & Power Consumption
Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method)Not documentedUnder 50 dBA operating sound, manufacturer figure. No independent measurement; distance and method not stated[2]
Reliability, Support & Ecosystem
Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes)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[12]Not documented
Independently Measured Performance
Dimensional accuracy measurements (third-party, with numbers)Not documentedXYZ resolution 6.9 / 6.9 / 2.5 micron (manufacturer specification, not an independent measurement)[2]

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

  1. Bambu Lab X1E Technical Specification (PDF) cdn1.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
  2. UltiMaker S5 3D Printer listing matterhackers.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Bambu Lab X1-Carbon - Technical Specifications (PDF) public-cdn.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
  4. UltiMaker S7 product listing shop3duniverse.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. UltiMaker S8 3D Printer listing matterhackers.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Bambu Lab US Store - 3D Printers collection listing (base prices, Aug 2026) us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Bambu Lab Wiki - X1 introduction wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
  8. PRNewswire - Bambu Lab Launches X1 Series, 23 May 2022 (Kickstarter dates and MSRP table) prnewswire.com · 2026-08 · doc
  9. Bambu Lab Wiki - Replace the Heatbed Sensor Unit / Heatbed Piezo Interface Board wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
  10. GitHub - bambulab organisation repository list (11 repos, checked Aug 2026) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Bambu Lab Wiki - HMS_0300-0200-0001-0003: nozzle heater over-temperature (X1 series) wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Bambu Lab Warranty Policy bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor