# The Bambu Lab R1 is the most “3D printer” laser I’ve ever used

- Link: https://createdworkshop.com/videos/the-bambu-lab-r1-is-the-most-3d-printer-laser-i-ve-ever-used
- Published: 2026-09-22T14:00:00-05:00
- Author: 

The Bambu Lab R1 is a dedicated laser, but it borrows a lot of ideas from Bambu’s
3D printers, and that’s what makes it interesting to me. I start with the bed size
and where it sits at launch, then get into the automatic mirror alignment and the
calibration behavior I ran into during setup.

From there, I use the camera to lay out jobs and run cuts and engravings on three
projects: an engraved clock, a clear acrylic tracing board, and a six-layer mountain
sign.

I also talk about how the R1 sits next to the 80W laser I already have, plus the
conveyor, riser, rotary support, filtration, and exhaust.

The biggest limitation for me is Bambu Suite. The hardware takes a lot of the manual
setup off your plate, but the software can feel restrictive if you’ve been running
lasers for a while, so I talk through what I’d like to see change.