Page 65 - Plastics News May 2024

PRODUCT NEWS

Formlabs Releases Fastest 3D Printer Yet

Formlabs CEO and co-founder Max
Lobovsky. “More than a decade ago,
Formlabs created the desktop SLA 3D
printer category and set a new standard
for accuracy, reliability, ease of use,
and affordability in 3D printing. We’ve
built on the strength and insights gath-
ered from more than 130,000 printers
on the market and over 300 million
parts printed to deliver the Form 4, our
best SLA printer ever. Its reliability and
new level of speed will transform how
our customers develop new products.”
Formlabs states that the Form 4 is
highly intuitive and user-friendly, with
he Form 4 can achieve verti- reolithography technology, are capable automatic resin handling, instant ma-
cal print speeds of 100 mm of printing parts in two hours or less, terial changes, automated post-pro-
per hour and outpace injec- offering speeds two to five times fast- cessing, and quick-release build plat-
tion molding, according to the er than the company’s Form 3+. The form technology. It also features an
company. printer can achieve maximum verti- integrated camera to monitor prints,
cal print speeds of 100 mm per hour. take photos, and manage printers from
A historical drawback of 3D printing According to Formlabs, these speeds anywhere.
has been its speed — or lack thereof. have been shown to outpace injection
Compared to technologies like injec- molding. Skeptical? Watch the video Formlabs introduces six new resins.
tion molding, 3D printing has tradition- below. Along with the printer release, Form-
ally been slower, but in recent years labs is also adding six new resins to
that has been changing, quite dramati- The Form 4 is based on Formlabs’ new its already extensive material library.
cally. Many companies have released Low Force Display (LFD) print engine, These include four newly reformulated
3D printers that boast unprecedented which has at its core a high-powered, General Purpose resins that offer im-
speeds, making the technology all the 60-LED light source the company calls proved speed, toughness, and color.
more appealing, particularly for batch a Backlight Unit. This enables, in addi- In addition, Fast Model resin has been
production. tion to speed, high print quality. Speed developed for high-speed prototypes
and print quality do not always go hand
Biocompatible version available. in hand, but the Form 4 offers 50-mi- and orthodontic models, and Precision
Model resin is now being offered for
cron pixels, advanced pixel smoothing,
The latest entry in the high-speed 3D- and light touch supports. highly accurate dental models.
printer category comes from resin Source – Plastic Today
printer manufacturer Formlabs. The “Form 4 is a huge leap not only for
Form 4 and its biocompatible varia- Formlabs and our customers, but also
tion, Form 4B, which use masked ste- for the entire 3D-printing world,” said

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