Tested In-Depth: Formlabs Form 2 SLA 3D Printer
We go in-depth with the Formlabs Form 2 SLA desktop 3D printer, which creates models by curing resin, layer by layer with a laser. Sean and Norm have been using the printer for the past few months, stress testing its new resin materials, print resolution, software, and cartridge-based resin. Here’s how Form 2 compares to the first-generation Form 1, as well as FDM printers.
Shot by Adam Isaak and edited by Norman Chan
21 thoughts on “Tested In-Depth: Formlabs Form 2 SLA 3D Printer”
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Did the vision mixer go on holiday at 16 mins? Id have cut away from the closeup cam. 😀
Formlabs parts are brittle and do break easier than a pla or abs 3d printed products. So don’t buy this for anything but art pieces to look at or things you are going to be making casts of. IMO the cost of operation is 4 to 5 times that of a pla or abs 3d printer. so if you REALLY need that resolution go for it. But I’d stick with a cheaper 3D printer.
Also You can’t recycle the resin parts after a fail like you can with a Pla or abs. https://www.3dhubs.com/talk/thread/how-make-your-own-filament-recycling-old-3d-prints-part-1 …And the jury is still out on just how toxic the resin is, hence the black gloves.
This isn’t quite accurate. While the clear, gray, black and white resins are acrylic-like and may be more brittle than ABS or PLA they are still plenty strong – it depends on the print. There’s also the tough and flex filament available. It’s a different tool and you need to pick the correct tool for the job. I have both kinds of printers and use them for different things. I print jobs for Tippett Studio on the Form 2 that I can’t do on an FDM machine and vice versa.
The gloves are more for the alcohol and avoiding the stickiness of the resin.
Great review! Are there any longterm effects like shrinking/deformation/brittleness on the printed parts or are they mostly ‘inert’ after they are printed?
Is the dedicated desk space/workspace for the printer and cleanup station the same as shown in the review? Or do you put the alcohol station near a sink or store it away until you need it?
Unless you UV cure them right away they will tend to get harder after a time. If you keep them away from UV light or paint/clear coat them, they are generally fine. Excessive UV will cause brittleness and discoloration. As discussed above the main resins are acrylic-like and can break if dropped or knocked hard.
A table that size should be ok, there’s no reason you can’t have them side by side. Neatness is key.
..by the way, nice shirt Sean!
Nice video Sean, you’re a good host. Next time you’re in SF lets do dinner.
you should order a test print from form labs, the strength is better than you might expect. the better layer adhesion, and fewer defects also makes that strength more consistent, than with FDM. There are definitely strengths and weaknesses for both. I would also wager that you’ve never recycled a scrap of ABS or PLA back into filament.It’s harder than it looks.
It may be 3x as expensive, but that is only a few dollars per print unless you are doing very large prints. That’s next to nothing if you are spending hours modeling, printing, and cleaning up. As for toxicity, fully cure it, and don’t stick it in your mouth.
Why do they use a silicone base rather than a glass base for the print tray?
Pure speculation on my part, but I assume it performs better with the laser passing through than glass does.
Also, the constant lasering clouds the tray, meaning it needs to be replaced relatively often. If the laser also clouds glass, I suspect it would be a lot more expensive to replace.
Maybe i’m just imagining this, but it seems like there has been a lot more of Sean in the videos lately. Gotta say I love it, great video!
Excellent video, excellent demonstration – having squids created using different methods really shows off the features of the machine.
Hope to see more of Sean’s work and his reviews. Looking forward to your next lego build with Norm.
Great film editing. Really like the placements of the closeup shots in the video.
It’s been mentioned in the podcast that he has relocated to Oakland, so now he’s just across the bay from Tested, rather than in NY. 🙂 Good news for those of us who love the 3d-printer content!
oh sweet, i take it that was on this is only a test? Sadly i don’t see that one much, i listen to the podcasts in my studio at work and sadly the volumes don’t really work for that one. The music is too loud because i need to turn the volume up really high to hear the talking. (This isn’t a complaint, my studio just happens to be noisy)
But that’s great, i love the 3d printer content, and the Millennium Falcon lego build was one of my favorites.
For the bubble of liquid. Would sun light or a uv flash light harden the bubble?
With the clear resin couldn’t you put the finished model under a black light to cure the bubble trapped inside?
Thank you very much for the detailed review! It’s clear that you’ve been testing the Form 2 for quite a while. Can you comment on the dimensional accuracy of the printer? My work is a small business that uses the Form 1+ to test designs, and one of the biggest problems is that the part tolerances are not great, and the printed part is not representative of the 3D model.
Man, I sure hope Sean gets the chance to try out a DWS XFab and do some comparisons, just so I can finally decide 😛
Countspatula, educate yourself! When they investigated further and found that prints from both a Stratasys Dimension Elite FDM printer and from a Formlabs Form 1+ stereolithography printer were “measurably toxic” to developing zebrafish embryos. The resin-based SLA printed parts from formlabs were far worse for the fish than the fused ABS prints. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwkFF5esAAM Formlabs is peddling TOXIC SLUDGE!
Sounds Toxic to me…