Can the Elegoo Centauri Carbon take on the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon? A 3D printer that delivers
Elegoo Centauri Carbon 3D printer now available to pre-order with deliveries expected in July. Picture: Elegoo.
Ever since I first heard about 3D printing, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of bringing a concept to life in physical form. However, for the longest time, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever fully utilise a 3D printer. I wondered what I’d actually print and whether it would be worth the investment.
That all changed when I got my first 3D printer in January last year. Since then, I’ve racked up over 2,000 hours of printing—mostly creating practical, useful objects, along with intriguing 3D models. The sheer versatility and creativity of 3D printing quickly turned it into an obsession. There are countless online platforms where talented designers share incredible 3D models for free, allowing anyone to print everything from tools and household items to intricate sculptures and collectibles.
In the past, 3D printing was a hobby for tinkerers, requiring constant troubleshooting, modifications, and upgrades to get the best results. But thanks to companies like Bambu Lab and Elegoo, modern 3D printers have become far more accessible. Now, you can buy a printer that’s almost ready to use straight out of the box and start printing in a way that feels as effortless as printing a document on paper.
The Elegoo Centauri Carbon is the latest high-speed 3D printer to enter the market, directly competing with premium models like the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon. After spending a few weeks with it, it's clear that this printer has a lot to offer, particularly for those looking for speed, reliability, and high-temperature material compatibility. While it isn't perfect, its strengths make it a compelling option for beginners and experienced users.
The Centauri Carbon comes well packaged and when you take it out of the box, you only need to remove a few screws and plug it in to start the setup process. It looks and feels sturdy, with a fully enclosed Core XY design. Its frame is die-cast and rigid, which helps maintain stability at high speeds. The top and front doors are made of strong tempered glass, offering visibility into the print chamber. The enclosure also helps regulate internal temperature, making it well-suited for printing materials like ABS and carbon-fibre-infused filaments.
Inside, the hotend features a brass and hardened steel nozzle with a 60W ceramic heater, capable of reaching 320°C quickly. Cooling is managed by a large fan on the hotend and an additional auxiliary cooling fan, ensuring consistent layer adhesion. However, one downside is the noise level — this printer is not quiet, and the fans can be particularly loud. The built-in LED lighting inside the chamber could also be improved, as it doesn’t provide the best illumination. Also, the glass is tinted, which makes it harder to see inside without opening the door.
The Centauri Carbon boasts a 256 × 256 × 256 mm build volume, comparable to competitors like the Bambu Lab P1S, X1 C, and A1. It includes a dual-sided plate, with one side being a standard PEI texture plate and the other optimised for PLA. The print bed heats quickly, thanks to a 1,000W AC heater, allowing faster print preparation.
The printer includes auto bed levelling with four pressure sensors and automatic Z-axis compensation, ensuring a perfect first layer without manual intervention.
The 4.3-inch touchscreen is responsive and well-designed, providing an intuitive interface for navigating settings and starting prints.
Connectivity options include Wi-Fi and USB, providing flexibility in sending print jobs to the printer. It comes with a USB-C drive containing the necessary software for PC or Mac and pre-sliced files that can be accessed and printed directly from the touchscreen.
Elegoo has chosen to use a re-skinned version of Orca Slicer, which is a welcome move given its popularity among advanced users. I’ve been using Bambu Studio for my Bambu Carbon X1, which is also based on Orca Slicer, so I could jump right in and feel at home. While there is a learning curve, it doesn’t take long to grasp the basics and start printing.
A built-in camera allows for print monitoring and time-lapse recording, though the quality isn’t quite on par with the X1 Carbon, and the bad lighting doesn’t help. That said, it’s a massive improvement over the cameras found in Bambu’s A1 series. A strange issue is that the camera preview works for only a few seconds before going blank. This seems like something Elegoo could fix with an update. Another limitation is that you can’t check on a print remotely unless you're on the same network or have set up your own VPN.
Another minor inconvenience is the requirement to cancel a print manually on the touchscreen before starting a new one, which disrupts the workflow slightly.
In my 80-plus hours of printing on the Centauri Carbon, it has matched the quality and often exceeded the speed of the X1 Carbon. On paper, it can achieve speeds up to 500mm/s with an acceleration of 20,000 mm/s², making it one of the fastest printers in its class. Despite these high speeds, print quality remains impressive, with minimal artefacts and consistent layer adhesion.
Auto bed leveling is required when switching sides of the plate. It takes longer than on Bambu Lab printers, but unlike them, you only need to do it once and not on every print.
It can print a wide range of filament types, including PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS, ASA, and carbon-fibre-infused materials. The enclosed chamber helps maintain temperature stability, reducing issues like warping when printing with temperature-sensitive filaments. I had excellent results printing ABS, a filament known for being tricky to work with.
In testing, the first print — a Benchy — came out in under 15 minutes with excellent detail. A more complex Eiffel Tower model printed well, with only minor stringing and slight imperfections in bridging. A small-scale 3D printed replica of the Centauri Carbon itself, included on the SD card, printed flawlessly and functions as a filament purge bin. Larger and more intricate prints also produced excellent results with no issues to report.
I’m not an expert in 3D printing. I’ve only been printing for a year, with just over 2,000 hours of experience. That said, during my few weeks of printing, I’ve been incredibly impressed with the speed, print quality, and reliability of the Centauri Carbon.
However, a few drawbacks hold it back from being perfect. The lack of a dedicated community-based file-sharing platform with G-code support, similar to PRUSAs, Printables and Bambu Labs Maker World, would help new users. The built-in lighting could be better, and some workflow quirks, like manually cancelling prints before starting a new one, feel unnecessary. However, I’m sure this will be fixed in a future update.
The spool loads on the side, which is more convenient than the back. However, the process is fiddly and less seamless than that of the X1 Carbon. Elegoo is developing a multi-filament system for the Centauri Carbon, but there is no information yet on its price or release date.
The Elegoo Centauri Carbon is an impressive 3D printer that offers the masses high-speed printing, reliability, and excellent build quality. It delivers results comparable to those of the X1 Carbon while offering a solid alternative for those looking for a high-performance machine without breaking the bank. Its ability to print a wide range of materials, robust auto bed levelling, and intuitive touchscreen make it an attractive option.
The Centauri Carbon is a strong contender in the high-speed 3D printing space. Elegoo surprised me by telling me the printer would cost under €500, but I was genuinely shocked when they announced the final price — just €330. At that price, it's an absolute no-brainer.
€330 Elegoo
