Formlabs Form 4 Prints at Double to Quintuple Speed

Formlabs has unveiled its latest desktop 3D printers, the Form 4 and the Form 4B, with the 4B targeted for dental use. The printer features Formlabs’ new print engine, updates to the resin library, automated postprocessing and an improved user experience.

According to Formlabs, the Form 4 prints between two and five times faster than the previous generation, the Form 3, depending on the material being used, enabling same-hour iteration or batch production with masked stereolithography (mSLA) technology. Most prints can be completed in under two hours, and vertical print speeds of up to 100 mm/hr. can be achieved.

The print engine of the Form 4 is called the Low Force Display (LFD). The LFD includes a backlight unit that generates high power, collimated, uniform light, generating 16 mW/cm at the print plane. The light processing unit uses this light to form each cross section of the printed part. It consists of an upgraded LCD with integrated heating and temperature sensors. A new release texture system reduces the peel forces in release by 40%, enabling greater part size and quality at speed. 

The resin tank is expected to last 75,000 layers or more, and light processing unit over 1 million layers, contributing to a 40% reduction in cost per part. The print volume is also 30% larger and the printer has 3.5 times higher throughput.

Formlabs also announced the addition of six new resins to its library, four of them for general purpose, the Fast Model resin for high speed prototypes and orthodontic models, and the Precision Model resin for dental models. Form 4 is additionally validated to use 17 other performance materials from Formlabs’ library. Form 4B is validated for use with 15 biocompatible materials in the library.