OrcaSlicer Fork Shut Down After Legal Pressure from Bambu Lab Over Cloud Access

OrcaSlicer, a widely used open-source fork of Bambu Lab’s 3D printer slicing software, was voluntarily shut down by its independent developer, Pawel Jarczak, following legal threats from Bambu Lab. The fork aimed to allow users to bypass Bambu Connect, middleware that limits OrcaSlicer’s remote printer functions for security reasons. Bambu Lab claimed that Jarczak’s modification impersonated their official client, Bambu Studio, potentially exposing their servers to high-volume requests. The company emphasized that while their code is open source under AGPL-3.0, their private cloud services are governed separately by user agreements. Jarczak argued that the technique merely involved publicly available metadata from Bambu Studio’s own code, and he voluntarily removed the repository to avoid prolonged legal disputes. Right-to-repair advocate Louis Rossmann reviewed the situation and pledged $10,000 to support the project’s legal defense if it returned online. The controversy has sparked debate over user rights, open-source development, and corporate control over cloud-connected hardware. Community members criticized Bambu Lab’s approach, noting that offline use of printers remains unaffected and highlighting broader concerns about DRM and restricted access in 3D printing. The incident illustrates the tension between open-source innovation and corporate enforcement of proprietary cloud services.