Huge news from Formlabs today: they are introducing a new desktop resin 3D printer that is at a very affordable price.
The new device is the Form Studio 1, and it’s about as far from the company’s original Form 1 as you can get.
This device inherits many of the characteristics of the company’s higher-priced commercial systems, but packaged in a smaller footprint with a far more affordable price: only US$699!
This puts a Formlabs resin 3D printer option within range of the dozens of cheap Asian devices that have basically taken over the low end of the market.
They have adapted the light engine used on their Form 4 systems for the Form Studio 1, and this includes their “Low Force Display” tech. This technology is extraordinarily good at printing very high-quality objects at high speed. In fact, Formlabs says the Form Studio 1 can complete most 3D print jobs in “two hours”. They also claim a print success rate of 98%, which I do not doubt, having used their Form 4 systems.
Along with the 3D printer, Formlabs also has the Form Wash+Cure compact post-processing station available as an option.
There are a couple of important points here.
First, Formlabs is going all-out on safety for this system. I am very pleased with this, because so many resin 3D printer systems seemingly ignore safety concerns in their system designs. Here, safety seems to be top of the list for Formlabs.
There are several factors contributing to the safety aspect:
- Use of Formlabs’ amazing low-odor, skin-safe, low-toxicity resins, which have ISO 10993 certification
- Resin cartridges with automatic dispensing
- Optional external VOC extractor accessory
- UL 2819 GREENGUARD certification
They say:
“Form Studio 1 is designed to run safely in shared indoor spaces. A fully enclosed print chamber and low-odor Alpha Resin formulations make it suitable right out of the box for use without a tent, enclosure, or dedicated ventilation.”
That cannot be said for any other desktop resin 3D printer.
The second aspect is simply usability. Formlabs has long held the lead in resin system usability through the use of their highly intuitive PreForm job preparation software and their easy-to-use printer interface. It’s one of the reasons their higher-level commercial systems are so popular: they are so easy to use.
Now that ease of use seems to be coming down to a more affordable level, as the Form Studio 1 uses PreForm. Workflows should be quite similar, and they are miles ahead of Chinese competition, which tends to use difficult software tools.
Finally, there’s the pricing. A price of US$699 is directly competitive with alternatives but comes with a) safety and b) ease of use. That could be a killer combination and may result in a lot more sales than one might expect for a resin 3D printer.
The main concern with resin 3D printers is that they are messy and toxic, which has certainly dampened sales. However, it may be that with the Form Studio 1 system, they could have broken through that barrier.
The pricing is also very interesting. Not only is the machine itself inexpensive, but also the materials carry a low price. The cartridges for their new Alpha safe resin are only US$29, far less than some alternatives that are not at all safe to use.
The Form Studio 1 is available for order as of today, and they expect to be shipping by the middle of next month. In four different colors!
Via Formlabs
