WTF?! Many owners of Bambu 3D printers recently awoke to find completed print jobs that they hadn't initiated, ruined print jobs, or damaged printers. The company has already determined the source of the problem and is implementing software revisions so users no longer fear that their 3D printers might have become haunted or self-aware.
Bambu confirmed that a cloud glitch recently disrupted the remote functionality in its 3D printers, causing them to begin print jobs overnight without owner consent. The company is introducing multiple new safety measures to ensure nothing similar happens again.
Bambu's investigation revealed that on the night of August 15, an MQTT SDK client timeout caused an outage in the cloud infrastructure that handles remote 3D printing jobs. Amid two disconnections, cloud-connected printers queued and initiated printing while the owners were sleeping. Some ran jobs twice after failing to confirm the completion of the first task, damaging whatever was still on the plate. In other cases, the devices tore themselves apart.
Ok so this is a bit concerning, I have zero clue how their system is setup (yay proprietary closed source) but it looks like a disruption in Bambulab's cloud service cause a whole bunch of peoples printers to just.....start printing last night. pic.twitter.com/Sqbk9zmc60
– NERO 3D (@3dpNero) August 15, 2023
Taking full responsibility for the incident, the company is releasing firmware updates to give the printing process new safety steps and give users more control. The X1 series printers, which contain LIDAR, gain an option to check for objects on the plate before starting print jobs. The P1 series printers, which lack LIDAR, will ask users to check the plate and then confirm a prompt before they begin printing. Additionally, the system will rigorously inspect job timestamps to lower the chances of erroneous repeats.
Arguably the most severe aspect of the issue is the potential fire hazard the heat from 3D printers poses. So the update will make all Bambu printers deactivate their heaters and alert users upon detecting abnormal temperatures. Additionally, Bambu plans to improve LAN mode, which allows users to remotely control their printers without connecting to the internet or the company's cloud. Local file management and downloads are also on the way.
Bambu hasn't provided a timetable for the patches yet but is offering repair assistance and replacement parts for customers whose printers were damaged. The company will also replace wasted filament spools and guarantee two free spools of randomly selected PLA filament.
https://www.techspot.com/news/99884-cloud-glitch-causes-bambu-3d-printers-start-automatically.html
