The side of it is just…gone. Reduced to a molten slag heap. A Bambu Lab A1 3D printer, to be exact, sits in a melted mess, its neighbor’s power cord scorched. This latest spectacle, courtesy of user Moreiras3D on Instagram, paints a grim picture. And it’s not just a bad Tuesday for one printer owner; it’s a fresh headache for Bambu Lab.
This isn’t the first time. Back in January, we heard whispers — no, shouts — about a faulty NTC thermistor. Grant Posner of 3D Musketeers flagged it. Charred cases. Melted plastic. The whole nine yards. Bambu Lab assured everyone it was an isolated incident, that the issue was fixed, and that no actual fires had occurred. Compliance. Flame-retardant materials. The usual corporate reassurances. They even claimed to have updated the hardware in Q3 2025. Which, if we’re counting, was about eight months ago. Or maybe that was next year? Tech timelines are a mess.
So, naturally, the internet screams ‘Recall!’ Louis Rossmann, bless his Luddite heart, churned out a video. ‘Bambu Lab PR Dumpster fire is turning into a literal one,’ he declared. And who can blame them? Seeing a printer melt into oblivion isn’t exactly confidence-inspiring. Especially when the company’s previous fix might have been, shall we say, premature.
But hold on. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This melted A1, while dramatic, has some… peculiar details. The video itself is a masterpiece of ambiguity. Gospel music. A kid unboxing a new A1. And in the middle of the melted carnage, a suspiciously large, vaguely plastic blob peeking out from under a dish towel. Red flag. Big one.
Some keen-eyed Redditors, bless their pixel-hunting souls, noticed this. The melted goo. The proximity damage. It suggests something more than just a runaway thermistor. It suggests… well, something else caught fire. Something next to the printer. A fire that then spread to the A1.
“So that burned mess between the two A1 printers would point to something really big going on there, and the damage to the side of the A1 on the right could be caused by proximity to whatever happened in the middle. Without any video evidence of the fire happening, we’re left to speculate with the video we have available (and some mildly annoying music). I’m not saying the A1 didn’t have a failure, but I’m not going to make the evidence fit the narrative; it has to be the other way around for this to work,” said Redditor Spyglass.
Grant Posner himself, the original NTC alarm-raiser, is investigating. He’s reached out to Moreiras3D. Wants the machine. Wants to test it. He suspects the NTC is involved, but also mentions ‘rags’ and ‘proximity.’ He’s not buying the simple narrative just yet.
This whole kerfuffle highlights a recurring theme in the consumer tech world: the tension between rapid iteration and genuine safety. Bambu Lab is pushing boundaries, churning out impressive machines. But when safety concerns arise, the response matters. A quick fix and a promise aren’t always enough. Especially when the fix itself might be… questionable.
My unique insight here? This isn’t just about a thermistor. It’s about trust. Bambu Lab’s entire rapid ascent was built on delivering slick, powerful machines at accessible prices. They bypassed the slow, deliberate development of established players. But that speed comes with risk. And when that risk manifests as melting plastic and potential fires, the company’s carefully crafted image starts to warp. Like the A1 itself.
Is this A1 a victim of an old, unaddressed flaw? Or a casualty of something far less savory, perhaps user negligence or a poorly understood environmental hazard? Without more concrete evidence, it’s all speculation. But the court of public opinion, fueled by viral videos and a healthy dose of skepticism, is already in session. And Bambu Lab is once again in the hot seat.
The NTC Nuisance
This NTC thermistor issue, if it is indeed the culprit, points to a deeper problem with component selection and thermal management in high-power electronics. The AC power distribution board is supposed to handle significant current, especially during the rapid heating phase. An NTC thermistor’s job is to regulate this inrush current, preventing a sudden surge. If this component overheats or fails, it can create a thermal runaway scenario. Bambu Lab’s claim that the hardware was changed in Q3 2025 is a crucial point. If this melted unit is from after that supposed fix, it throws Bambu’s own assurances into question. It suggests either the fix was insufficient, the timeline is wrong, or—and this is the most concerning possibility—the issue is not solely tied to that specific thermistor.
External Factors or Internal Flaws?
Look, 3D printers are complex machines. They generate heat. They have moving parts. They run for hours on end. A lot can go wrong. The presence of the melted blob and the dish towel in the video cannot be ignored. These are not standard accessories for a 3D printing setup. Could flammable materials have been too close? Could there have been an electrical surge from another device, or even a faulty power strip, that wasn’t adequately handled by the printer’s internal surge protection (or lack thereof)? This is where the Redditors’ skepticism gains traction. It’s easy to blame the printer, especially given past issues, but the visual evidence here is far from conclusive. The damage to the neighboring printer’s cord also suggests heat radiating outwards, rather than an internal explosion from the printer itself.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to the Bambu Lab A1 printer in the video?
A video shows a Bambu Lab A1 3D printer with its side completely melted down to the metal chassis. The cause of the incident is under debate, with some suspecting a known NTC thermistor issue and others pointing to potential external factors.
Did Bambu Lab recall the A1 printer due to fire hazards?
Bambu Lab previously addressed concerns about the A1’s AC power distribution board operating at high temperatures, which posed a fire risk. While they stated they would fix the issue on printers going forward and denied reports of actual fires at the time, there has not been a widespread recall announced.
Is the Bambu Lab A1 still considered a fire hazard?
Due to past reports of the A1’s power board overheating and this recent melted printer incident, some critics are calling for a recall. However, the exact cause of this specific incident remains unclear, with arguments being made for both internal component failure and external fire sources.
