Centauri Carbon - consumer 3D printing leaps forward again as Elegoo fires shots at competitors with hugely affordable Core-XY machine

Centauri Carbon – consumer 3D printing leaps forward again as Elegoo fires shots at competitors with hugely affordable Core-XY machine

You have to credit Elegoo as being a company that constantly tries to push the boundaries of home 3D printing. Machines such as the Neptune 4 Max and Saturn 4 Ultra we have covered here at Readwrite before, but the launch of the new Centauri Carbon feels like yet another step forward, not just for Elegoo but for the hobby itself.

One look at the new Centauri Carbon, the first Core XY machine from the company, and it’s obvious Elegoo is firing shots at the currently under-siege Bambu Lab and its range of machines at the higher end, beyond the A1 – an area where Bambu Lab has ruled the roost for the past couple of years.

The Centauri Carbon is possibly a gut punch to Bambu at a time when it needs to take no more blows.

I’ve been playing with a Centauri Carbon for a couple of weeks now and we will get a full review up shortly, but, spoiler alert, I have loved every second of it. It works out of the box, produces beautiful prints from day one with no human tuning required, and looks very smart to boot.

So do Bambu Lab’s printers though. The difference here is the price with the Centauri Carbon at a pre-order price of £299/$299. A good 2-300 dollars less than the P1S it is competing with.

We still await news as to whether there will be an AMS-style multi-color printing add-on announced next. The smart money is there will be and that will be Elegoo’s first dabble into that range, an area where Bambu still holds the crown

“3D printing has been around for decades, but its shift into the consumer space has only gained momentum in recent years,” says Chris Hong, CEO of Elegoo. “The Centauri Carbon aims to be a breakthrough, lowering the barriers to creativity and enabling more people to tap into the power of this technology.”

Centauri Carbon Features:

The Centauri Carbon distinguishes itself from Elegoo’s previous models with its sleek space-gray metal design and fully enclosed integrated die-cast frame, offering superior safety, aesthetics, and high-temperature printing performance. Unlike traditional Cartesian printers that require extensive assembly, the Centauri Carbon delivers a “print out of the box” experience, ensuring seamless and reliable operation right from the start.

With a build volume of 256 × 256 × 256 mm, the Centauri Carbon achieves printing speeds up to 500mm/s and an acceleration of 20,000 mm/s². Its 1000W (at 220V) AC heated bed quickly reaches optimal temperatures, saving users time and eliminating the long wait for heating. According to Elegoo Lab, a custom smartphone stand can be printed in just 30 minutes.

The enclosure means you can print some more exotic filaments such as Carbon Fiber infused materials and this is supported by the hardened nozzle that will reach temps of up to 320 degrees.

Watch out for our review of the Elegoo Centauri Carbon in the coming days but our initial tests are very good indeed.