Milestones
- Form 1 KickstarterOct 2012Complete.
- Form 3 launchedApr 2019Complete.
- Fuse 1 benchtop SLS ships2021Complete.
- Form 4 and Form 4B launchedApr 2024Complete.
- Expand production and dental applicationsNowCurrent milestone.
Most important updates
- 16 Oct 2024
- Apr 2024
Current obstacles
- Screens wear outStrong UV light slowly damages the LCD, so it must be replaced and kept cool.
Physics limits
- Each layer must be peeled off the tankEvery cured layer sticks to the tank floor and must be pulled free. Peel and suction forces grow with layer area, limiting speed and causing failures on large, solid cross-sections.
- LCD masks waste most of the lightAn LCD passes only a small share of the UV behind it and the rest turns to heat. UV also slowly degrades the screen, so light power and screen life trade off.
- Cured resin shrinks and stays brittleLiquid resin shrinks by several percent as it hardens, pulling parts slightly out of shape. The cross-linked plastics tend to be more brittle or creep more than moulded thermoplastics.
How it works
Light
Light through an LCD
Rows of LEDs shine through an LCD screen that blocks light everywhere except the layer's shape.
Tank
Soft film
A flexible film under the resin lets each layer peel off gently, protecting fine details.
Papers & demos
- Apr 2024demoForm 4 and Low Force Display printing (opens formlabs.com)Brought fast LCD-based resin printing to professional printers with Formlabs' materials.
Update log
Wed 16 Oct 2024
- Minor: PressHardware
Apr 2024
- Major: BlogHardware
About Formlabs
Formlabs
Desktop resin (SLA) and SLS 3D printers
Formlabs makes professional desktop 3D printers, plus their materials and software: the Form resin printers and the Fuse nylon-powder printers. Founded in 2011 by MIT Media Lab students, it is one of the biggest sellers of professional printers, strong in dental and engineering.
- Put professional resin printing on the desktop with Form 1 (2012 Kickstarter), then powder printing with Fuse 1.
- Form 4 (2024) hardens a whole layer at once with an LCD screen, several times faster than Form 3.
- Last priced round: $150M at $2B in May 2021, led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2.
- Founded
- 201115 yrs
- Headquarters
- United States
- Status
- Private
- Valuation
- private
- Raised
- $153M2 rounds
- Last round
- Series E · $150MMay 2021$2B post
- Works in
- ManufacturingPlastic 3D printing
- Coverage
- 2 programs · 8 updateslatest 9 Jun 2026checked 25 Sep
- Lead investors
- SoftBank Vision Fund 2
- People
- Max LobovskyCo-founder & CEO