NEW Launched 22 Sep 2026 · Bambu Lab's first CO2 laser

Bambu Lab R1A new Ray of making.

A 55W CO2 laser that cuts clear acrylic and thick wood, engraves glass, and aligns its own mirrors in a minute. The ease of a Bambu printer, now as a laser.

Explore R1 See the specs
55 WCO2 laser
1000 mm/sMax speed
600 × 300Work area (mm)
18 / 20 mmMax wood / acrylic
1 minuteAuto mirror alignment
One laser, more materials

The things a diode laser cannot do.

A diode beam passes straight through clear acrylic and glass. A CO2 beam does not, so R1 cuts and engraves both. Being CO2 also means thicker wood, faster, with less charring on the edges.

  • Clear acrylic up to 20 mm, wood up to 18 mm with the medium or long focus lens.
  • Engraves glass, stone and ceramic, and marks coated metals.
  • Stock up to 3000 mm long with the Conveyor, enough for furniture-scale work.
Pieces cut and engraved from wood, acrylic, glass and leather
Wood, plywood, MDFCUT · ENGRAVE
Opaque acrylicCUT · ENGRAVE
Clear acrylicCUT · ENGRAVE
LeatherCUT · ENGRAVE
Paper, cardboardCUT · ENGRAVE
Fabric, feltCUT · ENGRAVE
GlassENGRAVE
CeramicENGRAVE
Stone, slateENGRAVE
Coated metalMARK
Bare metalNO
PVC, vinylNEVER
Laser Alignment Sensor with crosshair
A first for a laser cutter

It aligns itself.

On a CO2 laser the beam reaches the lens by bouncing off a set of mirrors. Nudge one mirror and cutting power and precision drop with it. Until now that was a manual chore: tape thermal paper, fire a test shot, read the burn, turn the mirror, repeat for every mirror and every time things drift. A newcomer can lose an hour.

R1 does it on its own. Mount the Laser Alignment Sensor on the toolhead; the machine reads the beam off the crosshair, finds the error and corrects it with two mirror actuators. No paper, no test shots, no screws.

~1 min

to align the whole optical path

0

sheets of thermal paper, test shots, screws to turn

Motion tech from the 3D printers

Straight lines right after the turn. Even tone at 1000 mm/s.

A laser toolhead starts, stops and changes direction thousands of times in a single job. The algorithms that handle it are the ones proven on Bambu's 3D printers, retuned for a laser.

  • Vibration compensation. The jolt of a direction change leaves mechanical ringing that shows up as a jagged engraved edge. R1 models that resonance and cancels it, a first on a CO2 laser.
  • Power follows speed. The head slows into corners and speeds up on straights; at fixed power the corners burn dark and the lines come out pale. R1 adjusts power in step with every move, so tone stays even across the whole engraving.
Typical CO2 laser600 mm/s
Bambu Lab R11000 mm/s

About 70% faster, per Bambu Lab's published figures.

Detailed engraving with even lines
TriSense system

What you mark is what you cut.

Before it cuts, R1 needs three things: where the material and design are, how high the surface is, and how the toolhead is moving. Cameras, lasers and encoders handle all three as one.

R1 with the BirdsEye camera covering the work area
1

It locates

The BirdsEye Camera captures the whole work area, the Toolhead Camera pinpoints exactly what you are cutting, and the Pinpoint Laser marks the spot on the material.

2

It measures

The Distance Measurement Laser reads the surface height and sets focus automatically, on flat and curved surfaces alike.

3

It tracks

XY encoders report the toolhead's position in real time, keeping every move on course.

Engraving on a curved bowl

Curved surfaces

Engraves evenly across curved objects like a bowl. 360° engraving with the Rotary is coming in a future firmware update.

Engraving small objects

Small objects

The Toolhead Camera locates tiny objects and engraves clean detail on them.

Cutting along a sticker outline

Tracing a line

Reads a printed outline, such as the shape of a sticker, and cuts along it with accuracy under 0.2 mm.

Vision Encoder calibration board
Vision Encoder

Stays accurate as it ages.

Belts stretch, structures shift; every motion system drifts over time. The Vision Encoder calibration board measures that error and corrects for it, so a 200 mm cut comes out 200 mm.

<0.1 mm

absolute motion accuracy across the full 600 mm of travel

∞

re-run the calibration any time the machine ages

Vision Encoder sold separately.

Safe, and compact enough for a home workspace

Can it live indoors? Yes.

R1 is rated Class 1 under IEC 60825-1, the safest rating for a consumer laser. With the lid closed the beam stays fully contained: no goggles, no separate room.

Crossflow ventilation through the chamber

Crossflow ventilation clears the smoke as it cuts

Most lasers pull smoke out one side, leaving corners where it lingers. R1 draws air in on one side and pushes it out the other, so a steady current runs straight through the chamber. When a long board runs through the pass-through, the incoming air forms a curtain across the opening and keeps the smoke inside, headed for the exhaust.

Pair it with the E1 Pro purifier (sold separately): a pre-filter, a high-performance filter and activated carbon capture 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 μm.

Open the lid, it stops

Open the lid mid-job and the laser shuts off at once.

Flame detection

A sensor watches for flame; the auto extinguisher (sold separately) puts out a chamber fire on its own.

Emergency stop

The E-stop cuts all power when you need it.

Smaller body

More compact than a typical CO2 laser with the same work area. 940 × 560 × 200 mm, 33.5 kg.

⚠Important: with the Riser Base or the Conveyor the enclosure is no longer complete. R1 changes from a Class 1 to a Class 4 device, CO2 laser safety eyewear becomes mandatory, and it is intended for trained users only.
Accessory ecosystem

Grow it when you need to.

The short-focus lens is included. Everything below is sold separately.

Riser Base

Riser Base

Raises the machine to fit taller objects. Required for the Conveyor and the Rotary.

Conveyor

Conveyor

Feeds long stock automatically, extending the work area to 3000 × 600 mm.

Rotary

Rotary

Spins cylindrical objects for full 360° engraving. Works with the Riser Base.

Focus lenses

Medium / long focus lens

Cuts thicker: 18 mm wood, 20 mm acrylic. The short lens is still better for fine detail.

Vision Encoder

Vision Encoder

A calibration board that holds absolute motion accuracy within 0.1 mm.

E1 Pro

E1 Pro Air Purifier

Filters fumes and particles through a multi-stage filter with activated carbon.

Auto Fire Extinguishing System

Auto Fire Extinguishing System

An extinguisher that mounts to R1 and puts out a chamber fire automatically.

Bambu Suite

Bambu Suite

Software for Windows and macOS with OTA updates, like the printers. The laser library on MakerWorld is still being built.

Technical specifications

The full spec sheet.

Processing
Laser type55W CO2
MaterialsCut and engrave: wood, acrylic (incl. clear), leather, fabric, paper, EVA foam, shell. Engrave only: coated metal, glass, ceramic
Max cutting capacityShort focus: 15 mm black walnut / 20 mm acrylic · Medium: 18 / 20 mm · Long: 18 / 20 mm (faster)
Work area600 × 300 mm · with Conveyor: 600 × 3000 mm
Max speed / acceleration1000 mm/s · 10,000 mm/s²
Spot sizeShort Ø0.11 mm · Medium Ø0.17 mm · Long Ø0.19 mm
Absolute motion accuracy< 0.1 mm @ 600 mm (with Vision Encoder)
Air assist pump30 L/min @ 30 kPa
Measurement, positioning and automation
Positioning systemDual camera + dual laser + dual encoder · accuracy < 0.2 mm
Panoramic / close-up captureSupported
FocusingFully automatic laser ranging · pinpoint measure · curved-surface engraving
AutomationAuto laser alignment · one-tap setup · autofocus · automatic material recognition · device health management
Safety, physical and software
Safety certificationClass 1 laser (IEC 60825-1)
Safety interlocksLid-open protection · flame detection · auto fire extinguishing (extinguisher sold separately) · safety key · emergency stop
Dimensions940 × 560 × 200 mm · package 1095 × 725 × 310 mm
Space requiredStandalone: 940 × 660 × 650 mm (lid open); with 100 mm clearance: 1140 × 860 × 750 mm
Weight33.5 kg
Power780 W max · 100–240 V AC, 50/60 Hz
Operating temperature10–30 °C
SoftwareBambu Suite · Windows, macOS
ConnectivityDual-band Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) · USB
Ariel Studio's take

CO2 has always meant “capable, but expensive and fiddly”. R1 keeps the capable part and drops the rest. If a diode laser has been holding you back on clear acrylic or glass, this is the machine worth waiting for.

  • Buy it if: you make gifts, signs or decor to sell online and need clear acrylic; or you already run Bambu printers and want a laser in the same ecosystem.
  • Know before you buy: quite a few accessories are sold separately (medium/long lens, Riser, Conveyor, Rotary, Vision Encoder, E1 Pro); the Riser or Conveyor turns it into a Class 4 device; the laser library on MakerWorld and Bambu Suite is still young.
  • A hands-on video, cutting clear acrylic, the self-alignment, and a project that combines 3D printing with laser, is coming to the Ariel Studio channel as soon as the machine arrives.