Formlabs uses a proprietary resin cartridge... it's the paper printers situation all over again, the printers themselves are not that expensive but the disposable ink costs an arm and a leg.
Don't go with Formlabs, support any of the open-platform alternatives.
And also, be aware that these printers require some serious development work (you need solvent to wash away uncured resin (if you ask me, this basically necessitates a chemical hood... Formlabs will happily upsell the "Form Wash" for this for another 699). If uncured resin falls on your floor (which has happened to me a little too many times), boy is it a horror cleaning it up even if you have industrial grade solvents; FDM printers are easier and their "ink" is much, much less expensive by comparison.
> Formlabs will happily upsell the "Form Wash" for this for another 699
(A separate aside, since the main ones were addressed: Formlabs also launched a new "Wash+Cure" station that does wash and cure for $199, instead of their standalone (but better, of course) units that cost something like $1000 together.)
I believe the Open mode in Form printers disable couples of interesting features that don't seem strongly connected to material properties of resin used, like resin recovery to tank and vat stirring wiper.
Form resin vats/tanks/tray/bed/whatever you call it are also not just proprietary, but their equivalent of FEP film is not replaceable. The resin vat usually have what is referred to as FEP film, a thin transparent Teflon sheet at the bottom of about a phone screen protector thickness and durability, stretched and pre-tensioned like a drum. The non-adhesion performance of film affects print quality, and it needs replacement eventually(I believe it is characterized as after x thousand layers printed, internally by printer manufacturers). On most printers, the replacement film can be bought and installed by the user. Formlabs printers use something other than regular FEP, and uses tool-less assembly that cannot be reversed, and therefore the whole proprietary tank needs to be discarded and replaced.
It's like Bambu Lab but the printbed is proprietary too and heated bed turns off for non-Bambu filaments. As if proprietary nozzles was not enough.
The amount of upselling, extra parts necessary for basic functionality, predatory resin pricing and specific open "modes" that are free to be subjects to amendment by contract makes this seem like a cash grab for investors rather than serious product. Really sour taste in the mouth from this.
Just buy an open source version from China that has the necessary hardware in an open format and let Claude adjust the software if there are concerns.
I'm unclear what the open source version from China of a resin printer is. Creatlity and Elegoo don't appear to be at all it as they lock you to the chitubox ecosystem.
I use prusaslicer and uvtools with my Elegoo Saturn. No proprietary lockin. I also own a Prusa, so I don't feel bad using their software with another brand.
There is currently no open source version of the high resolution monochrome LCDs. The LCDs and their drivers lock you into the Chitu ecosystem.
The problem, as Chitu figured out, is that as soon as you cough up the NRE to make the LCDs and make it publicly available, EVERYBODY will copy you and then there will be no profit left to sink the NRE that you just spent.
* If you buy the "Form Studio 1 Resin Tank Pro" extra at $79 because the included tank "is not compatible with Tough 1500 Resin or materials needing to utilize Open Material Mode"
You need to buy a tank anyway, which is $50 or so — that works with their new Alpha resins. The slightly more expensive tank is necessary only for their engineering-grade resins (only a couple are certified for the Studio 1 so far) and 'OMM' (Open Material Mode), which as mentioned above, comes out of the box on the Studio 1.
(Not replying to you directly, but generally to this thread)
I'm not suggesting Formlabs would do this, but advertising the $79 add-on and then making very few of them available would be a way for a manufacturer to look open while actually not supporting openness.
The $79 addon is also needed to use all of Formlabs existing engineering grade resins, which are more expensive than the Alpha resins. The engineering grade Tough 1500 is already validated on the Studio 1, and requires the $79 tank, plus is a major selling point of this printer.
There no reason for FormLabs to limit supply of the $79 tanks, it would also limit their ability to sell their more expensive resins to Studio 1 customers, and also removes a clear pathway to get people to upgrade to their more expensive machines, capable of working with their even more complex, and expensive, engineering resins.
I don't even think they're driving hype, they just have a problem common in the hardware world, they are far too optimistic in their shipping timeline.
Versus a company like Bambu who seems to ramp up production now, in advance of selling the product.
This printer at least comes with the "Open Material Mode (included)" that lets you print with 3rd party resins. I'm sure the workflow won't be quite as nice as with the Formlabs native resin. That is unless you can somehow refill the old jugs or buy empty ones. Before long I imagine 3rd party compatible containers will show up.
1) form studio can use any material out of the box you just have to design your own print settings for it
2) form studio wash + cure is $200, not $699
3) the new resins are UL certified for low voc/indoor use, as well as score as non-skin irritants (OECD 439), and post-processed parts comply with ISO 10993 for long term skin contact
4) the new resins cost $30-$50ish per L, as opposed to fdm ~$25ish per kg. you also have to buy a tank that eventually wears out but imo when i’m printing a lot with the same material the tank cost doesn’t add much to the overall
5) fdm is great too, i have both in my shop. you should always use the right process and material for the job. if you need higher detail than what fdm can provide, more sophisticated materials, and an order of magnitude higher volumetric print speed, the form studio is a great option.
I run two Form 3's and run functional prototypes often. If you don't specifically need prints that are good in the way that SLA prints are good, don't get one. There's also the issue of managing and disposing of uncured resins (hello photoinitiators! we gotta keep you out of the water table!) and waste solvent. All the SLA vendors are real quiet about what you're supposed to do with the waste. "Just do whatever your local regs require."
What are the open-platform alternatives? I was under the impression that the majority of printers used the CHITUBOX hardware platform internally, which was now locked to the CHITUBOX slicer. Has this changed? That would be wonderful news.
I don't think that Formlabs locks you into their wash and cure stations. Some of their printers lock you into their resin, but it looks like the Form Studio 1 discussed above and the Form 3, 3L, 4, and 4L let you use resin of your choice, although the Studio 1 does require you to buy a special $80 tray.
IIRC, ChiTu Systems once tried to use their leverage against the printer brands that rely on their components, and printer brands pushed back by seeking an alternative systems supplier with a new slicer. ChiTu-based printers have gained compatibility for alternative slicers after that.
> I don't think that Formlabs locks you into their wash and cure stations.
I would posit from the the getgo the average joe shouldn't consider resin printers, they should opt for FDM printers, because with FDM printers when the printer finishes printing a part... that's it! You more or less just pick it up from the printbed and there you have it... with resin printers, you -HAVE- to wash away the surrounding uncured resin. So, sure, it doesn't lock you into the wash and cure station, but doing it manually is an absolute chore any which way and chances of getting gooey resin on your hands, your clothes, your furniture goes way up and it is the most profoundly annoying thing when it does.
Try out a resin printer at your local makerspace to see what they're all about and the work that's required to print a part and develop it with solvents; for yourself get an FDM printer, they're plenty good enough for the average joe.
If you’ve ever used resin printers, you know the cartridges are a good thing because the liquid inside is basically carcinogenic if it comes in contact with your skin, so a lot of people just don’t do resin printing for exactly that reason and this gets around that.
Except you will have failed prints (for me it's 1 out of every 20 with my form 4 with the kinds of parts I tend to print), which will require taking out the tank to clean obstructions and free-floating debris... and when you're having to filter the resin (like so: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UdX94R3k7YU ), it's exceedingly hard to not get it in contact with your skin.
I agree that resin cartridges don't handle the resin handling problem.
Nitrile/latex gloves + eye protection + respirator are the absolute minimum for resin printing PPE. A long sleeve shirt wouldn't go amiss for rare flicked resin droplets. If you're not confident in your ability to prevent skin contact with resin, you shouldn't be doing resin printing.
Right. Just opening a bottle of this kind of photopolymer instantly sends DANGER signals from my nose to my brain (and my spine) causing my whole body to almost seize up. I cant believe reading some comments where people seem to be handing this stuff with their bare hands?!
> And also, be aware that these printers require some serious development work (you need solvent to wash away uncured resin (if you ask me, this basically necessitates a chemical hood...
As a 3D printer enthusiast (I model stuff in OpenSCAD and print to fix / DIY stuff around the house/car etc.) and seen how easy 3D printing using filament as become, resin 3D printers just seem... Extremely messy to me.
I understand that for people doing stuff like miniatures resin might be more precise (but filament printers with tiny nozzles became extremely precise too) but it just feels like a lot of work compared to... Just 3D print with filament.
I'm in the market for a new resin printer (I have a bunch of old ones) and no idea why I would buy this/why this is an improvement off my current printer based on what is presented on the marketing pages. Pass. I didn't buy the prusa resin printer but at least they were really good at communicating what the actual value was for folk who already have resin printers. This just seems like it's aimed at SLA novices
I have a resin printer (elegoo mars 2p) and have done a number of small "production" runs of things that don't really matter.
I have to say that it is the biggest pain in the arse thing I even own. While the prints come out "good", I find that dimensional accuracy is often really not good at all; and that the whole rinse in isopropyl, finish in the sun process is just a sticky, irritating, and probably carcinogenic drag.
And I can't imagine why USD700 is regarded as a bargain.
So this has served as a fine reminder - I need to sell this damn thing, it just takes up space.
Consider water-soluble resin, but always use 99% IPA to wash. First, dab with tissue paper to soak up drips, wash in used/dirty IPA, and then wash again in clean IPA. This will remove most if not all uncured resin. You should be able to hit within 0.1mm repeatability with anti-aliasing turned off.
Finally, the UVA cure chamber must be able to kick off the resin. After 15min on each side, then wash the build with a hand cleaner. Place all PPE like gloves in a clear bag, and leave in the sun on both sides for 1 hour.
"USD700" is almost double what a mid-sized Creality printer costs, and aftermarket 3M flex plate kits are about $30.
Without a garage/outdoor/lab work-space people shouldn't buy stinky resin printers. =3
Depends on the brand, but low-viscosity resins tend print easier, have less bubbles, and drip clean a little better.
The bad liquid-resin odor people detect is often unrelated to VOC levels, which is why activated-charcoal filters are mostly useless from an exposure standpoint. Exhausting crud outside into some ferns is the best solution for hobby printers. =3
It's actually carcinogenic. Also, exposure can cause an allergy to resin (which makes you allergic to all sorts of everyday objects), and a single drop in your eye can cause permanent blindness.
Resin is fairly inert once fully cured + aged/dried 2 weeks, but in its uncured state PPE should always be used. The uncured resin contact with skin is known to sometimes cause autoimmune sensitivities like allergic reactions. If you ever get blisters or a rash, than you are likely no longer able to work around acrylic resins and paints.
Always protect your skin, eyes, and lungs... even when the SDS/MSDS doesn't explicitly warn of currently known possible exposure hazards.
In general, treat it the same as paint with a booth/tent, exhaust fan, and paper-lined drip pan for when(not if) the membrane perforates. If the object is small, one could also use 100% infill so it may be cleaned properly (coating prints in a automotive UV-resistant clear acrylic spray paint a few weeks later prevents yellowing, and reduces handling risks.)
Around 40% of people will get cancer in their lifetimes, and most will never know. In general, avoiding physical contact with organic solvents is a good idea, and be pleasantly surprised if it turns out to be an overly cautious decision. =3
This thing is all over YouTube, they really backed up the truck to the Influencer Club and started handing out the goods. Lots of people I like and respect have showcased it, like Applied Science, Jeff Geerling, among others.
But although there's a lot of discussion about how large a discount this is from FormLab's 8 billion dollar printers, there is absolutely NO comparison that I can find to other brands! OK, it's a cheaper Bentley - but how does it compare to the Toyota or Honda that we can get down the street? There are loads of options with --on paper-- better specs for half this price or less.
Your regular printer, like mine, presumably puts down a line of melted plastic material with an extruder, bit by bit, so the print time is guided by complexity as well as size.
Resin printers, basically, are stereolithographic. They:
- dip the build plate (upside down) into a thin tray of resin
- push it all the way onto onto a screen at the bottom of the tray
- blast that screen with UV through a translucent LCD display that contains a mask image of the current "slice" of the whole plate, enough that the thin layer of resin partly cures
- lift the plate out of the resin so it peels off the screen and the resin replenishes below it
- repeat, with the next slice.
- then the whole model is taken out by hand, washed off, blasted with UV light to completely cure it, and the (more or less inevitable) supports snipped off.
So instead of printing line by line, the entire plate prints layer by layer — a small print takes (approximately) the same time as a full plate.
There are several big differences, notably that it is single-colour, much higher resolution, the various peel/adhesion forces are managed differently, larger parts need to be hollow with a vent so uncured resin drains out, most resin prints are quite brittle, and the whole process is traditionally really rather cytotoxic.
There are eco resins, tough resins, and printers that do a better job of not being chemically evil; this is one.
I've stayed away from it, because it's not the kind of printing I need (for all except one part that I might end up subcontracting) and because it is chemically nastier than b/w darkroom printing, which until now has been about my limit of risk.
The above is a bit of an oversimplification but it covers the main differences I think (happy to have corrections/additional comments)
No it doesn't. Don't be a baby that needs every little bit of information spoon fed to you. Google is right there. So is ChatGPT. YouTube if you prefer video explainers.
The commenter you're replying to doesn't represent the company and they are 100% correct. The company sells expensive products to educated commercial customers pretty much exclusively. A five second Google search for "what is a resin 3D printer" gives you a very good idea of what's being talked about. Clarifying every single obvious details in the comments doesn't improve the conversation being had here.
This is not a product for the masses, it's a niche manufacturing device that can cause severe health issues if not installed safely (exhaust ventilation, spill pad, etc.) and must be used with personal protective equipment.
It's a resin 3d printer. It uses toxic resin, you really don't want it working near humans without proper ventilation setup, you need to wear gloves, will need alcohol for cleaning prints.
And then unless you plan only on printing already prepared models you will need to learn how to user slicer software and maybe learn to model things yourself.
It is a product for enthusiasts by nature of how it works.
And they started being available to consumers some ten years ago or something, I recall them blowing up in popularity like crazy a couple of years later. For someone to have a 3D printer and not know what resin printers are seems very unusual.
Jeff Geerling has a great video about this printer that got me up to speed on resin printing as well - coming from the 3d printing world I'm stoked to see the price dropping but it also seems like a lot more hassle to me at this stage
I have a big interest in this; I have been making a lot of electronics as of late due to LLMs being so capable!
For instance, I wanted to buy a smart device to control my mini-split and it was 160$ on amazon for 1. Well I built 5 for 80$ in a weekend (excluding the 7 days shipping from China).
I'm very much looking for someone convince me not to buy this? Seems like people don't enjoy resin because it's a tad messy and it has a ~10-30 curing process.
Yet all parts from my FDM printer feels cheap and looks like nothing I'd be happy to buy unless I spend HOURS sanding and painting.
The finish of SLA regularly failed to meet my expectations. You either have warping and elephant foot at the built plate or you have a hundred support contacts to clip and sand.
Desktop CNCs are getting very capable and cheap. It’s hard to beat the tolerances and finish quality of a machined part.
I used to use an older, more expensive version from FormLabs in my last company to print our (more accurate) version of Invisalign negatives, and we'd thermoform the aligners over the top of the cured resin (with a barrier).
The accuracy was great. They'd hold up. Printing took a while, but generally pretty solid as we scaled from in-house to full lab setup. They're great as resin printers go.
How stiff can you make the resin with those 3d printers ? Probably not as much as carbon fiber, but how does it hold against aluminium or fiberglass? Also, can you do composite fibreglass/resin with 3d printers ?
Surprisingly complicated question. Most hobbyist grade machines are low powered and can only cure resin with pretty poor mechanical properties. Industrial resin printers can actually make incredibly strong parts.
The studio 1 can apparently print in Formlabs Tough 1500 which is a decent strength resin. It’s noticeably better than the average “ABS like”.
Resin prints are also isotopic (unlike composites and fdm prints) which has a lot of advantages for mechanical parts.
Asking if resin prints are strong is a bit like asking if metal parts are strong; it really depends on the metal or resin being used
Please, please do NOT buy a resin printer as your first printer; IF you want to print intricate details (where resin excels) at least start with an FDM printer anda 0.2mm nozzle. Lots of information can be found here at r/fdmminiatures.
Resin is extremely toxic and requires a dedicated area and handling and care.
You can wash manually with some isopropyl alcohol in a wash basin and then cure in the sun. It will be a pain to do, and somewhat inconsistent, but its possible. You can also get a cheaper wash and cure station for other 3D printers that would likely work well enough with some tuning.
My first printer was resin without a dedicated wash/cure set up and it was difficult enough that I sold the printer and got an FDM. Currently I'm using an Snapmaker U1 and it's really awesome and much easier. It also prints in multicolor seamlessly.
That said, if you do spend the extra for this along with the wash/cure and the voc extractor, the demos are really impressive. It seems like this printer is blazing fast, for single color prints it will print basically anything at better resolution than an FDM in <2 hours, whereas FDM could take anywhere from 4-12+ for a similar part with bigger layer lines.
Ive been 3D printing for over a decade, SLA printers are just not worth it IMO. There useful for certain applications, especially industry but for home hobbyist, FDM + 0.2mm nozzle would go further as a first 3D printer
Resin printing has its place but it's terribly messy and the FDM printers are getting so good these days it's basically trivial to print even complex multi part prints.
I have a noob "reverse" resin creation question. The product page says it has low VOC emissions. Could certain recyclables(e.g. 4,5 HDPE types) create the resin from my stuff at home with low VoC that I could use/sell etc?
My gut would say economically/technologically prohibitive but a low throughput table top recycler seems like a great way to reduce my recyclable garbage.
there are products where you can re-melt and create filament for 3d printers or push it into a mold. Can probably build your own for $500 + a $500 3d printer.
I felt like the applied science video was an ad. He said they sent him the printer to do the project so he at least got the printer free. I didn't hear any other disclosures but the entire back half of the video was talking about the printer
Wow this price is interesting. I guess the Chinese competition is really driving prices down. I do miss the first generation (I think second was too) where they were "true" SLA but they got sued into oblivion by 3D Systems.
Stereo lithography using lasers, vs "sla" now has nothing stereo about it nor lasers, just an lcd screen that exposes a 2d slice.
Why it's better is a little complicated and maybe not all one-way.
Definitely there are a lot of difficulties inherent in the way the lcd type has to move the part for every layer and fight a lot of suction every time, damaging a film that needs to stay optically perfect, frothing up the resin with bubbles yet another source of optical defects.
Maybe the laser machines have their own problems but not having to move the part (or move it much less and in a different less violent way) and not having to physically abuse an optical part has to make some difference.
In general yes, resin and FDM printers both produce toxic VOCs.
But FormLabs for this printer and resin have focused on safetey and acquired a certification on their Alpha resins which show low VOCs that should be safe to print in an indoor room with low ventilation.
I still wouldn't, I would add ventilation and wear PPE, it's still going to be releasing some VOCs even if it comes under a tolerable limit. But I do appreciate what seems to be the first ever initiative in 3D printing to address the elephant in the room of VOCs directly at the material level.
As someone who got into FDM printing about a year ago, and still finds it very exciting, this is a really compelling resin printer. It's priced very well for the capabilities, especially in terms of providing everything a beginner might need to be comfortable with resin printing.
That said, I just noticed Costco online has some FDM stuff, which I think is a pretty exciting development, so if I have any money to spend on 3d printing stuff in the near future, I'll probably spend it there. :)
Wrote this elsewhere, but this printer prints a full volume in 2 hours. In many scenarios it's 10x faster than FDM with better resolution and compatibility with advanced materials, like food grade / skin contact, ultra strength and rubber-like consistency.
You actually would probably want the wash/cure and VOC extractor upgrades so it's more like 1200$ before it's useful, but if you have the clean room space and ability to handle the toxic resin, functionally resin printing is typically better than fdm for single color prints.
From the hobbyist perspective, the main thing this gets you is much more precise and detailed prints, so they're very popular in the model making community.
From a professional perspective, this gives you access to a bunch of different materials that open up all kinds of options for prototyping.
The slight increase in fine detail is just not worth the toxicity imo. Put a 0.2mm nozzle on your FDM printer and you'll get good enough quality. Leave resin to businesses that can set up a proper warehouse with fume extraction and PPE.
You can even prototype your designs at home with FDM and send the final file to a company to do the resin prints.
I agree that for most people it's not worth it, but for people who need it it's absolutely necessary. The biggest hurdle is making sure new hobbyists don't just assume it's like FDM with minimal post-processing.
7.9 x 4.9 x 9.3 in build volume is small. Since it is resin, does it really make a difference to make the build area bigger without upgrading the hardware, just by increasing the frame size?
Formlabs uses a proprietary resin cartridge... it's the paper printers situation all over again, the printers themselves are not that expensive but the disposable ink costs an arm and a leg.
Don't go with Formlabs, support any of the open-platform alternatives.
And also, be aware that these printers require some serious development work (you need solvent to wash away uncured resin (if you ask me, this basically necessitates a chemical hood... Formlabs will happily upsell the "Form Wash" for this for another 699). If uncured resin falls on your floor (which has happened to me a little too many times), boy is it a horror cleaning it up even if you have industrial grade solvents; FDM printers are easier and their "ink" is much, much less expensive by comparison.
> Formlabs will happily upsell the "Form Wash" for this for another 699
(A separate aside, since the main ones were addressed: Formlabs also launched a new "Wash+Cure" station that does wash and cure for $199, instead of their standalone (but better, of course) units that cost something like $1000 together.)
It says it includes "Open Material Mode" which let's you "...print with any 405 nm photopolymer resin or 1064 nm powder on Formlabs 3D printers..."
I believe the Open mode in Form printers disable couples of interesting features that don't seem strongly connected to material properties of resin used, like resin recovery to tank and vat stirring wiper.
Form resin vats/tanks/tray/bed/whatever you call it are also not just proprietary, but their equivalent of FEP film is not replaceable. The resin vat usually have what is referred to as FEP film, a thin transparent Teflon sheet at the bottom of about a phone screen protector thickness and durability, stretched and pre-tensioned like a drum. The non-adhesion performance of film affects print quality, and it needs replacement eventually(I believe it is characterized as after x thousand layers printed, internally by printer manufacturers). On most printers, the replacement film can be bought and installed by the user. Formlabs printers use something other than regular FEP, and uses tool-less assembly that cannot be reversed, and therefore the whole proprietary tank needs to be discarded and replaced.
It's like Bambu Lab but the printbed is proprietary too and heated bed turns off for non-Bambu filaments. As if proprietary nozzles was not enough.
The amount of upselling, extra parts necessary for basic functionality, predatory resin pricing and specific open "modes" that are free to be subjects to amendment by contract makes this seem like a cash grab for investors rather than serious product. Really sour taste in the mouth from this.
Just buy an open source version from China that has the necessary hardware in an open format and let Claude adjust the software if there are concerns.
I'm unclear what the open source version from China of a resin printer is. Creatlity and Elegoo don't appear to be at all it as they lock you to the chitubox ecosystem.
I use prusaslicer and uvtools with my Elegoo Saturn. No proprietary lockin. I also own a Prusa, so I don't feel bad using their software with another brand.
> Just buy an open source version from China
References and links?
There is currently no open source version of the high resolution monochrome LCDs. The LCDs and their drivers lock you into the Chitu ecosystem.
The problem, as Chitu figured out, is that as soon as you cough up the NRE to make the LCDs and make it publicly available, EVERYBODY will copy you and then there will be no profit left to sink the NRE that you just spent.
* If you buy the "Form Studio 1 Resin Tank Pro" extra at $79 because the included tank "is not compatible with Tough 1500 Resin or materials needing to utilize Open Material Mode"
OMG $79 more! That ruins everything!
You need to buy a tank anyway, which is $50 or so — that works with their new Alpha resins. The slightly more expensive tank is necessary only for their engineering-grade resins (only a couple are certified for the Studio 1 so far) and 'OMM' (Open Material Mode), which as mentioned above, comes out of the box on the Studio 1.
(Not replying to you directly, but generally to this thread)
$79 per tank.
Along with some issues with the screen and the non-pro resins.
It’s anti-consumer.
They want to be the HP/Bambu of resin printers.
I'm not suggesting Formlabs would do this, but advertising the $79 add-on and then making very few of them available would be a way for a manufacturer to look open while actually not supporting openness.
The $79 addon is also needed to use all of Formlabs existing engineering grade resins, which are more expensive than the Alpha resins. The engineering grade Tough 1500 is already validated on the Studio 1, and requires the $79 tank, plus is a major selling point of this printer.
There no reason for FormLabs to limit supply of the $79 tanks, it would also limit their ability to sell their more expensive resins to Studio 1 customers, and also removes a clear pathway to get people to upgrade to their more expensive machines, capable of working with their even more complex, and expensive, engineering resins.
Isn't that the Prusa model? IIRC Prusa would release something, and then force you to get on a waitlist.
I'm not saying I hate Prusa here, I'm saying that limited availability is a common practice to drive hype.
I don't even think they're driving hype, they just have a problem common in the hardware world, they are far too optimistic in their shipping timeline.
Versus a company like Bambu who seems to ramp up production now, in advance of selling the product.
This printer at least comes with the "Open Material Mode (included)" that lets you print with 3rd party resins. I'm sure the workflow won't be quite as nice as with the Formlabs native resin. That is unless you can somehow refill the old jugs or buy empty ones. Before long I imagine 3rd party compatible containers will show up.
@pen2l what are you even talking about…?
1) form studio can use any material out of the box you just have to design your own print settings for it
2) form studio wash + cure is $200, not $699
3) the new resins are UL certified for low voc/indoor use, as well as score as non-skin irritants (OECD 439), and post-processed parts comply with ISO 10993 for long term skin contact
4) the new resins cost $30-$50ish per L, as opposed to fdm ~$25ish per kg. you also have to buy a tank that eventually wears out but imo when i’m printing a lot with the same material the tank cost doesn’t add much to the overall
5) fdm is great too, i have both in my shop. you should always use the right process and material for the job. if you need higher detail than what fdm can provide, more sophisticated materials, and an order of magnitude higher volumetric print speed, the form studio is a great option.
source: i don’t work at formlabs, but i used to
One of the main reasons to get the studio one is the UL GREENGUARD Gold Certification right? Their resins are much safer.
I love resin printer, but boys the amount of post-processing is really off-putting.
I run two Form 3's and run functional prototypes often. If you don't specifically need prints that are good in the way that SLA prints are good, don't get one. There's also the issue of managing and disposing of uncured resins (hello photoinitiators! we gotta keep you out of the water table!) and waste solvent. All the SLA vendors are real quiet about what you're supposed to do with the waste. "Just do whatever your local regs require."
What are the open-platform alternatives? I was under the impression that the majority of printers used the CHITUBOX hardware platform internally, which was now locked to the CHITUBOX slicer. Has this changed? That would be wonderful news.
I don't think that Formlabs locks you into their wash and cure stations. Some of their printers lock you into their resin, but it looks like the Form Studio 1 discussed above and the Form 3, 3L, 4, and 4L let you use resin of your choice, although the Studio 1 does require you to buy a special $80 tray.
IIRC, ChiTu Systems once tried to use their leverage against the printer brands that rely on their components, and printer brands pushed back by seeking an alternative systems supplier with a new slicer. ChiTu-based printers have gained compatibility for alternative slicers after that.
> I don't think that Formlabs locks you into their wash and cure stations.
I would posit from the the getgo the average joe shouldn't consider resin printers, they should opt for FDM printers, because with FDM printers when the printer finishes printing a part... that's it! You more or less just pick it up from the printbed and there you have it... with resin printers, you -HAVE- to wash away the surrounding uncured resin. So, sure, it doesn't lock you into the wash and cure station, but doing it manually is an absolute chore any which way and chances of getting gooey resin on your hands, your clothes, your furniture goes way up and it is the most profoundly annoying thing when it does.
Try out a resin printer at your local makerspace to see what they're all about and the work that's required to print a part and develop it with solvents; for yourself get an FDM printer, they're plenty good enough for the average joe.
Agreed, but it's worth calling out that some niches more or less require resin.
Anything small and aesthetic is going to basically require resin. Warhammer minis and jewelry (tiny filigree) come to mind.
FDMs have gotten better, but you're still not going to get those fine sub-millimeter details like you can with resin.
Yeah, resin is a must for minis.
I outsource to a guy a know who's a jeweller and has his workflow down. Tried doing it myself and hated it.
I cannot emphasize enough how much I hate these Formlabs printers. I am dealing with them at work and wish to be working on anything else.
Perhaps you can emphasize the reasons you don't like them?
Do you have any specific recomendations?
If you’ve ever used resin printers, you know the cartridges are a good thing because the liquid inside is basically carcinogenic if it comes in contact with your skin, so a lot of people just don’t do resin printing for exactly that reason and this gets around that.
Except you will have failed prints (for me it's 1 out of every 20 with my form 4 with the kinds of parts I tend to print), which will require taking out the tank to clean obstructions and free-floating debris... and when you're having to filter the resin (like so: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UdX94R3k7YU ), it's exceedingly hard to not get it in contact with your skin.
I agree that resin cartridges don't handle the resin handling problem.
Nitrile/latex gloves + eye protection + respirator are the absolute minimum for resin printing PPE. A long sleeve shirt wouldn't go amiss for rare flicked resin droplets. If you're not confident in your ability to prevent skin contact with resin, you shouldn't be doing resin printing.
Right. Just opening a bottle of this kind of photopolymer instantly sends DANGER signals from my nose to my brain (and my spine) causing my whole body to almost seize up. I cant believe reading some comments where people seem to be handing this stuff with their bare hands?!
> And also, be aware that these printers require some serious development work (you need solvent to wash away uncured resin (if you ask me, this basically necessitates a chemical hood...
As a 3D printer enthusiast (I model stuff in OpenSCAD and print to fix / DIY stuff around the house/car etc.) and seen how easy 3D printing using filament as become, resin 3D printers just seem... Extremely messy to me.
I understand that for people doing stuff like miniatures resin might be more precise (but filament printers with tiny nozzles became extremely precise too) but it just feels like a lot of work compared to... Just 3D print with filament.
I may be wrong though.
I'm in the market for a new resin printer (I have a bunch of old ones) and no idea why I would buy this/why this is an improvement off my current printer based on what is presented on the marketing pages. Pass. I didn't buy the prusa resin printer but at least they were really good at communicating what the actual value was for folk who already have resin printers. This just seems like it's aimed at SLA novices
I have a resin printer (elegoo mars 2p) and have done a number of small "production" runs of things that don't really matter.
I have to say that it is the biggest pain in the arse thing I even own. While the prints come out "good", I find that dimensional accuracy is often really not good at all; and that the whole rinse in isopropyl, finish in the sun process is just a sticky, irritating, and probably carcinogenic drag.
And I can't imagine why USD700 is regarded as a bargain.
So this has served as a fine reminder - I need to sell this damn thing, it just takes up space.
Consider water-soluble resin, but always use 99% IPA to wash. First, dab with tissue paper to soak up drips, wash in used/dirty IPA, and then wash again in clean IPA. This will remove most if not all uncured resin. You should be able to hit within 0.1mm repeatability with anti-aliasing turned off.
Finally, the UVA cure chamber must be able to kick off the resin. After 15min on each side, then wash the build with a hand cleaner. Place all PPE like gloves in a clear bag, and leave in the sun on both sides for 1 hour.
"USD700" is almost double what a mid-sized Creality printer costs, and aftermarket 3M flex plate kits are about $30.
Without a garage/outdoor/lab work-space people shouldn't buy stinky resin printers. =3
The water soluble resins smell even worse in my option somehow this was counterintuitive for me.
Depends on the brand, but low-viscosity resins tend print easier, have less bubbles, and drip clean a little better.
The bad liquid-resin odor people detect is often unrelated to VOC levels, which is why activated-charcoal filters are mostly useless from an exposure standpoint. Exhausting crud outside into some ferns is the best solution for hobby printers. =3
Is it "actually carcinogenic" or only if you use it 8 hours a day?
FWIW I run the printer in a downstairs bathroom with its own extractor fan and cure in the sun.
It's actually carcinogenic. Also, exposure can cause an allergy to resin (which makes you allergic to all sorts of everyday objects), and a single drop in your eye can cause permanent blindness.
Resin is fairly inert once fully cured + aged/dried 2 weeks, but in its uncured state PPE should always be used. The uncured resin contact with skin is known to sometimes cause autoimmune sensitivities like allergic reactions. If you ever get blisters or a rash, than you are likely no longer able to work around acrylic resins and paints.
Always protect your skin, eyes, and lungs... even when the SDS/MSDS doesn't explicitly warn of currently known possible exposure hazards.
In general, treat it the same as paint with a booth/tent, exhaust fan, and paper-lined drip pan for when(not if) the membrane perforates. If the object is small, one could also use 100% infill so it may be cleaned properly (coating prints in a automotive UV-resistant clear acrylic spray paint a few weeks later prevents yellowing, and reduces handling risks.)
Around 40% of people will get cancer in their lifetimes, and most will never know. In general, avoiding physical contact with organic solvents is a good idea, and be pleasantly surprised if it turns out to be an overly cautious decision. =3
Man how the prices have fallen from the early days. I recall the one my lab had in college was >10k (>20k even?)
This thing is all over YouTube, they really backed up the truck to the Influencer Club and started handing out the goods. Lots of people I like and respect have showcased it, like Applied Science, Jeff Geerling, among others.
But although there's a lot of discussion about how large a discount this is from FormLab's 8 billion dollar printers, there is absolutely NO comparison that I can find to other brands! OK, it's a cheaper Bentley - but how does it compare to the Toyota or Honda that we can get down the street? There are loads of options with --on paper-- better specs for half this price or less.
This page really needs to explain what is “resin printer” and why would I need it. I have no idea how is it different from my regular 3D printer.
Your regular printer, like mine, presumably puts down a line of melted plastic material with an extruder, bit by bit, so the print time is guided by complexity as well as size.
Resin printers, basically, are stereolithographic. They:
- dip the build plate (upside down) into a thin tray of resin
- push it all the way onto onto a screen at the bottom of the tray
- blast that screen with UV through a translucent LCD display that contains a mask image of the current "slice" of the whole plate, enough that the thin layer of resin partly cures
- lift the plate out of the resin so it peels off the screen and the resin replenishes below it
- repeat, with the next slice.
- then the whole model is taken out by hand, washed off, blasted with UV light to completely cure it, and the (more or less inevitable) supports snipped off.
So instead of printing line by line, the entire plate prints layer by layer — a small print takes (approximately) the same time as a full plate.
There are several big differences, notably that it is single-colour, much higher resolution, the various peel/adhesion forces are managed differently, larger parts need to be hollow with a vent so uncured resin drains out, most resin prints are quite brittle, and the whole process is traditionally really rather cytotoxic.
There are eco resins, tough resins, and printers that do a better job of not being chemically evil; this is one.
I've stayed away from it, because it's not the kind of printing I need (for all except one part that I might end up subcontracting) and because it is chemically nastier than b/w darkroom printing, which until now has been about my limit of risk.
The above is a bit of an oversimplification but it covers the main differences I think (happy to have corrections/additional comments)
https://formlabs.com/uk/blog/ultimate-guide-to-stereolithogr...
Thanks for posting that, very helpful
No it doesn't. Don't be a baby that needs every little bit of information spoon fed to you. Google is right there. So is ChatGPT. YouTube if you prefer video explainers.
I've always found the best approach to a commercial product for the masses it to belittle them first and only appeal to the enthusiasts...
The commenter you're replying to doesn't represent the company and they are 100% correct. The company sells expensive products to educated commercial customers pretty much exclusively. A five second Google search for "what is a resin 3D printer" gives you a very good idea of what's being talked about. Clarifying every single obvious details in the comments doesn't improve the conversation being had here.
This is not a product for the masses, it's a niche manufacturing device that can cause severe health issues if not installed safely (exhaust ventilation, spill pad, etc.) and must be used with personal protective equipment.
It's a resin 3d printer. It uses toxic resin, you really don't want it working near humans without proper ventilation setup, you need to wear gloves, will need alcohol for cleaning prints.
And then unless you plan only on printing already prepared models you will need to learn how to user slicer software and maybe learn to model things yourself.
It is a product for enthusiasts by nature of how it works.
I also buy $900 things without googling them to see what they even are
It prints by curing a resin instead of heating and forming plastic. They've been around in industry for decades.
And they started being available to consumers some ten years ago or something, I recall them blowing up in popularity like crazy a couple of years later. For someone to have a 3D printer and not know what resin printers are seems very unusual.
Jeff Geerling has a great video about this printer that got me up to speed on resin printing as well - coming from the 3d printing world I'm stoked to see the price dropping but it also seems like a lot more hassle to me at this stage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l9xU3_36Xs
I have a blog post up for those who don't like extracting the relevant info from a video :)
https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2026/formlabs-form-studio-...
He got one for free in exchange for making a video that glosses over the fact that it uses proprietary resin cartridges.
I have a big interest in this; I have been making a lot of electronics as of late due to LLMs being so capable!
For instance, I wanted to buy a smart device to control my mini-split and it was 160$ on amazon for 1. Well I built 5 for 80$ in a weekend (excluding the 7 days shipping from China).
I'm very much looking for someone convince me not to buy this? Seems like people don't enjoy resin because it's a tad messy and it has a ~10-30 curing process.
Yet all parts from my FDM printer feels cheap and looks like nothing I'd be happy to buy unless I spend HOURS sanding and painting.
The finish of SLA regularly failed to meet my expectations. You either have warping and elephant foot at the built plate or you have a hundred support contacts to clip and sand.
Desktop CNCs are getting very capable and cheap. It’s hard to beat the tolerances and finish quality of a machined part.
I used to use an older, more expensive version from FormLabs in my last company to print our (more accurate) version of Invisalign negatives, and we'd thermoform the aligners over the top of the cured resin (with a barrier).
The accuracy was great. They'd hold up. Printing took a while, but generally pretty solid as we scaled from in-house to full lab setup. They're great as resin printers go.
How stiff can you make the resin with those 3d printers ? Probably not as much as carbon fiber, but how does it hold against aluminium or fiberglass? Also, can you do composite fibreglass/resin with 3d printers ?
Surprisingly complicated question. Most hobbyist grade machines are low powered and can only cure resin with pretty poor mechanical properties. Industrial resin printers can actually make incredibly strong parts. The studio 1 can apparently print in Formlabs Tough 1500 which is a decent strength resin. It’s noticeably better than the average “ABS like”. Resin prints are also isotopic (unlike composites and fdm prints) which has a lot of advantages for mechanical parts. Asking if resin prints are strong is a bit like asking if metal parts are strong; it really depends on the metal or resin being used
My experience is the resin is very stiff but very brittle, but I haven't kept up with the latest resins.
Honest question, what would I do if this is my first 3D printer and I don't have the ability to wash and cure? Or do I and I just don't know it, ha
Please, please do NOT buy a resin printer as your first printer; IF you want to print intricate details (where resin excels) at least start with an FDM printer anda 0.2mm nozzle. Lots of information can be found here at r/fdmminiatures.
Resin is extremely toxic and requires a dedicated area and handling and care.
You can wash manually with some isopropyl alcohol in a wash basin and then cure in the sun. It will be a pain to do, and somewhat inconsistent, but its possible. You can also get a cheaper wash and cure station for other 3D printers that would likely work well enough with some tuning.
My first printer was resin without a dedicated wash/cure set up and it was difficult enough that I sold the printer and got an FDM. Currently I'm using an Snapmaker U1 and it's really awesome and much easier. It also prints in multicolor seamlessly.
That said, if you do spend the extra for this along with the wash/cure and the voc extractor, the demos are really impressive. It seems like this printer is blazing fast, for single color prints it will print basically anything at better resolution than an FDM in <2 hours, whereas FDM could take anywhere from 4-12+ for a similar part with bigger layer lines.
You can wash the print in an ultrasonic bath [1] in isopropyl alcohol (IPA).
Then cure using a UV LED strip (5m w USB plug ~2 EUR) inside an empty can (another 2-5 EUR) and a solar-powered rotating base [2].
The light from the LEDs is cures as well as powers the base. All four will set you back less than 50 EUR.
[1] https://aliexpress.com/item/1005010131053964.html [2] https://aliexpress.com/item/1005012796313088.html
Ive been 3D printing for over a decade, SLA printers are just not worth it IMO. There useful for certain applications, especially industry but for home hobbyist, FDM + 0.2mm nozzle would go further as a first 3D printer
Agreed, unless you need to print intricate 3D figurines or high resolution engineering widgets, get a FDM printer and avoid the mess of SLA.
$699 is an incredible price
We don't have a wash here at our office, we just use a small container with IPA.
We have a UV cure cube, but often I just cure under a $20 amazon desktop UV light.
Honestly a Bambu printer is so insanely easy to use you'd be making printing ^25 harder with this.
For another $250, you can get another box that washes and cures.
Just don't. Resin printers are a pain. Get an FDM (filament) printer first.
Resin printing has its place but it's terribly messy and the FDM printers are getting so good these days it's basically trivial to print even complex multi part prints.
I have a noob "reverse" resin creation question. The product page says it has low VOC emissions. Could certain recyclables(e.g. 4,5 HDPE types) create the resin from my stuff at home with low VoC that I could use/sell etc?
My gut would say economically/technologically prohibitive but a low throughput table top recycler seems like a great way to reduce my recyclable garbage.
There is nothing like that currently available, or likely to be created (resin curing is a chemical process, not a melting/solidifying).
there are products where you can re-melt and create filament for 3d printers or push it into a mold. Can probably build your own for $500 + a $500 3d printer.
How did the preorder form for this product endup #2 here on HN in 10 minutes with no comments?
Theres no new blog or video or news, preorders opened 2 weeks ago
If I had to guess, the latest Applied Science video on YouTube which somewhat showcased it.
I felt like the applied science video was an ad. He said they sent him the printer to do the project so he at least got the printer free. I didn't hear any other disclosures but the entire back half of the video was talking about the printer
The upvotes look genuine to me. I guess people are just excited?
Seems to be sharper, faster, and larger in volume than their previous offerings—and for < half the price, too!
Pretty cool.
Wow this price is interesting. I guess the Chinese competition is really driving prices down. I do miss the first generation (I think second was too) where they were "true" SLA but they got sued into oblivion by 3D Systems.
> "true" SLA
What is that? Why is it better?
Stereo lithography using lasers, vs "sla" now has nothing stereo about it nor lasers, just an lcd screen that exposes a 2d slice.
Why it's better is a little complicated and maybe not all one-way.
Definitely there are a lot of difficulties inherent in the way the lcd type has to move the part for every layer and fight a lot of suction every time, damaging a film that needs to stay optically perfect, frothing up the resin with bubbles yet another source of optical defects.
Maybe the laser machines have their own problems but not having to move the part (or move it much less and in a different less violent way) and not having to physically abuse an optical part has to make some difference.
Does it produce toxic fumes?
In general yes, resin and FDM printers both produce toxic VOCs.
But FormLabs for this printer and resin have focused on safetey and acquired a certification on their Alpha resins which show low VOCs that should be safe to print in an indoor room with low ventilation.
I still wouldn't, I would add ventilation and wear PPE, it's still going to be releasing some VOCs even if it comes under a tolerable limit. But I do appreciate what seems to be the first ever initiative in 3D printing to address the elephant in the room of VOCs directly at the material level.
As someone who got into FDM printing about a year ago, and still finds it very exciting, this is a really compelling resin printer. It's priced very well for the capabilities, especially in terms of providing everything a beginner might need to be comfortable with resin printing.
That said, I just noticed Costco online has some FDM stuff, which I think is a pretty exciting development, so if I have any money to spend on 3d printing stuff in the near future, I'll probably spend it there. :)
Why is it showing me $749 excluding tax? Did the price increase by $50 since this was posted?
John Formlab here, I check the referrer and charge extra to people coming from wealthy people websites
I have the sensational $200 bamboo lab printer what would the $700 thing give me more?
Wrote this elsewhere, but this printer prints a full volume in 2 hours. In many scenarios it's 10x faster than FDM with better resolution and compatibility with advanced materials, like food grade / skin contact, ultra strength and rubber-like consistency.
You actually would probably want the wash/cure and VOC extractor upgrades so it's more like 1200$ before it's useful, but if you have the clean room space and ability to handle the toxic resin, functionally resin printing is typically better than fdm for single color prints.
From the hobbyist perspective, the main thing this gets you is much more precise and detailed prints, so they're very popular in the model making community.
From a professional perspective, this gives you access to a bunch of different materials that open up all kinds of options for prototyping.
The slight increase in fine detail is just not worth the toxicity imo. Put a 0.2mm nozzle on your FDM printer and you'll get good enough quality. Leave resin to businesses that can set up a proper warehouse with fume extraction and PPE.
You can even prototype your designs at home with FDM and send the final file to a company to do the resin prints.
I agree that for most people it's not worth it, but for people who need it it's absolutely necessary. The biggest hurdle is making sure new hobbyists don't just assume it's like FDM with minimal post-processing.
Amazing detail, a resin allergy, and cancer
> a resin allergy
How many months before it develops, on average?
Does it come with MCP integration for Claude/Antigravity CLI?
7.9 x 4.9 x 9.3 in build volume is small. Since it is resin, does it really make a difference to make the build area bigger without upgrading the hardware, just by increasing the frame size?