The Form 2 can produce objects that are 40 percent larger than the original printer could, and the company says controlling the temperature of the resin more precisely is one of the new features that allows the Form 2 to achieve higher levels of detail. Apparently, Massachusetts-based Formlabs is counting on it, as it has rolled out a new edition of its Form printer. The downside? At $3,499, it’s still something meant more for professionals than typical consumers.
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We’ve been tracking Formlabs since we saw an early prototype of the Form1 at Maker Faire 2012 and were excited to get an invite to demo the second version here in Manhattan. Most 3D printers build objects by constantly applying small amounts of plastic layer by layer until it is fully formed.
Now that the 3D-printing market has matured a bit, with everyone from amateur artists to fashion designers using the technology, the company is presenting the next generation of its easy-to-use device: the Form 2. The Form 2 can also use cartridges to refill the printer’s resin tank while it’s printing, which helps solve one of the biggest problems in desktop 3D printing: losing a print because the printing process stopped part of the way through.
Maxim Lobovsky, Formlabs’ co-founder and CEO, describes the Form 1 as “the most simplified machine” the company could make. They include MarkForged, whose printed materials are designed for strength and durability; Voxel8, which is going after the printed electronics market; and Desktop Metal, which according to BetaBoston is trying to print high-performance metals, as its name suggests (though it could also be a great rock-music genre). The printer comes with a liter of resin for printing and a finish kit for post-processing parts. Previously, you had to manually add support structures.
Connected capabilities: The Form 2 offers wireless printing via Wi-Fi, creating custom notifications and mobile alerts. In an industry that barely has its feet off the ground when you consider the timeline-and the future- numerous manufacturers are making improvements and offering new releases and editions at lightning speed, accommodating users with new features and functions and often putting new options at their fingertips before they were even quite aware how much they were going to need-and appreciate-them. “It’s like the Mac; you don’t have to think about it. When it’s printing, it’s printing”, said Lobovsky.
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The Form 2 is a desktop printer capable of extremely high resolution prints.
