Formlabs is apparently winning the SLS 3D printing race.
A LinkedIn post by Formlabs CRO Nick Graham states:
“Competitive product: 55% of the SLS printers sold in the world are the Formlabs Fuse. And that number is rising. It stands alone in its category and price point. Many have tried, no others have succeeded so far.”
Apparently the company set an “all-time record” for SLS devices sold in August. I haven’t seen any detailed statistics, but it’s not hard to believe these figures.
Formlabs’ SLS offering has been well-planned and executed, so this is not a surprise.
We also know that business has been tough for their competitors. And who are those competitors? There are two categories: industrial and low-cost.
The two low cost competitors are (were) Sinterit and Sintratec. Sintratec closed their business months ago, unable to compete. There are also hints that Sinterit is also having issues. On the industrial side the main competitors would be EOS and 3D Systems.
However, Formlabs’ industrial competition markets machines at vastly higher costs. That puts Formlabs in an incredibly good position: they can capture some of the industrial market by providing a lower cost option. On the low-cost side, they can provide a very competent solution that seems to be outstripping the competition in that space as well.
This is good news for Formlabs, but also in an indirect way. Formlabs’ other major product line is resin 3D printers, led by their popular Form 4 device. The Form 4 is an amazing system that produces incredibly high quality prints and is very easy to use.
Resin 3D printers are still a competitive market, but have yet to be dominated by Asian manufacturers. This has happened in the FFF 3D print world, with Bambu Lab leading the way with inexpensive products that just work.
In the future it is entirely possible that the resin 3D printer market will develop into an analogous situation, with Asian manufacturers dominating the scene. If so, it could put Western resin 3D printer manufacturers at risk.
But wait — Formlabs has positioned themselves to have a well-running alternate product for the SLS market. In other words, their success in SLS sales bolsters their market position and lowers their future risk.
Good planning, Formlabs!
Via LinkedIn
