Hey Steph - Is Open Hardware Really Dead?

When Josef Prusa recently said that “open hardware is dead,” it struck a nerve in the 3D printing world.

And for good reason.

In a community built on transparency, customization, and control, the idea that closed systems are the future feels like a major pivot. But for anyone who’s run a Bambu Lab printer, it’s easy to see why the argument holds: closed systems work.

Closed Hardware = Controlled Results…

Closed systems are reliable and consistent, tightly integrated, and specifically designed to eliminate common failure points (like slicing for different materials/printers) by taking those steps out of your hands. You just hit “print” and it works.

But that integration comes with a tradeoff: flexibility.

And for print farm owners with complex operations or who are trying to scale, that’s where things begin to break down.

…Until You Need Flexibility

Bambu’s AMS workflow when used with RFID spools is a game changer for print farms around the world. As long as you use their filament, slice for your printer’s AMS configuration, and ensure your AMS slot placement is consistent across printers, you get effortless multi-filament printing with maximum flexibility. 

But what happens when:

• You want to use third-party filament for cost, color, or performance reasons?
• You run multiple printers and don’t have time to re-slice for every printer?
• You move spools between printers and can’t keep slot layouts identical?
• Some of your printers have AMS and others don’t?

Bambu doesn’t gamble - and that’s the point. The system will fail safely rather than take a chance on mismatched colors or undefined filament types.

Great for reliability. Not so good for flexibility.

Creating Flexible, Fast, Reliable Systems

So, how can operators add some of this flexibility back into their closed system while maintaining the benefits said system provides?

Our print farm management software, AutoFarm3D, aims to do this exact thing. We don’t want to open up Bambu’s hardware - they’ve done a great job and we don’t want to mess with that. Rather than breaking open hardware, AutoFarm3D focuses on removing workflow bottlenecks.

How?

AMS Auto Mapping

AutoFarm3D automatically maps sliced jobs to loaded spools, regardless of AMS layout or printer. It supports chained AMS units, single-spool setups, and allows you to mix and match AMS and printer configuration without any manual mapping.

Spool Tracking

With AutoFarm3D, you can keep track of all your spools - RFID or not. It auto-detects RFID spools just like Bambu does, but it also gives you the ability to add non-RFID spools, so tracking filament across your farm is simple and comprehensive, no matter the brand.

Flexible Configurations

Running multicolour jobs across your farm requires no manual mapping or reslicing.

This allows you to pivot away from open hardware and towards open architecture without sacrificing operational flexibility or adding manual rework, a strategy that Bambu has confirmed they support.

You’re not locked into specific filaments, slot orders, or manual workflows, but you still get Bambu-level speed and print quality.

 The Future Isn’t Open or Closed: It’s Modular

AutoFarm3D doesn’t change how your printers work, it changes how you work. 

You don’t have to choose between reliability and flexibility: you can them both. Scalable workflows that integrate with reliable closed systems without disrupting the way they work set you free while keeping your farm running.

And in a world where “open hardware is dead,” that’s what we believe comes next: open workflows, adaptive automation, and modular systems that let you scale without sacrificing what made you fast in the first place.