Formlabs Promises 4X-5X Print Speed Increase with Next-Gen 3D Printer

The device relies on a proprietary new Low Force Display (LFD) print engine.

Formlabs Form 4 1
Formlabs

Formlabs today launched Form 4 and Form 4B, its new flagship resin 3D printer featuring a proprietary new Low Force Display (LFD) print engine, updates to the company’s library of resins, new automated post-processing, and an improved user experience.

The company said Form 4’s up to five times faster print speeds will unlock new levels of productivity for product designers, engineers, manufacturers, healthcare professionals, and innovators to take design risks and accelerate time to market.

Form 4 Highlights

  • Fast print speeds: Prints two to five times faster than Form 3+ depending on material, enabling same-hour iteration or batch production with masked stereolithography (mSLA) technology. 

    • Complete most prints in under two hours and small parts in minutes of cycle time.

    • Achieve maximum vertical print speeds of 100 mm per hour.

  • LFD Print Engine: A departure from laser and galvanometer technology, Form 4 features an ultra high power backlight (16 mw/cm2), proprietary release texture, Light Processing Unit 4 (LPU 4), and dual-layer, flexible film resin tank. 

  • Unmatched reliability: Print success thanks to validated print settings, precision heating, force sensing, and debris detection.

  • Parts that always fit: With 50-micron pixels, highly collimated light, advanced pixel smoothing, and light touch supports, Form 4’s print quality is unmatched.

  • Intuitive to use: Anyone can learn to print in 15 minutes – featuring automatic resin handling, instant material changes, automated post-processing, and quick release build platform technology.

  • 40% lower cost per part: Delivering affordability with long-lasting resin tanks (75,000+ layers) and Light Processing Unit (1M+ layers), lower resin pricing, 30% larger print volume, and 3.5 times higher throughput.

In addition to the new printers, Formlabs is introducing six new resins to its resin library, including:

  • Four newly reformulated General Purpose Resins that take advantage of the Form 4 ecosystem to print two to five times faster than Form 3 with improved toughness and color.

  • Fast Model Resin for high-speed prototypes and production of orthodontic models.

  • Precision Model Resin for highly accurate dental models that always fit.

Additionally, Form 4 is validated to use 17+ other performance materials from Formlabs’ materials library, with new materials to be added regularly. Form 4B, designed for innovative healthcare professionals in the dental and medical industries, is compatible with 15 additional biocompatible materials. 

Form 4 (starting at $4,499) and Form 4B (starting at $6,299) are available today at Formlabs.com.

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