Formlabs is bringing its walled garden to home users, which may be a very big deal.
Resin printers are very cool, but difficult to recommend for home crafters. When most people think about 3D printers, they think about filament and a printhead that moves around in front of you to create something. Some of this is due to availability and cost, but the biggest reason that kind of printer has become the most popular is safety. Resin printers, which use light to create a 3D shape inside a container of liquid resin, are historically best used in workshops and creative studios over a shelf in your home. Not only is the resin not safe to get on your hands, but most also produce fumes that are not safe to inhale for extended periods of time. As a result, the software driving these machines is generally less user-friendly as it’s not aimed at casual home use.
Today, the team at Formlabs is announcing the Form Studio 1, a $699 resin printer promising a home-friendly user experience and a collection of resins that don’t put off those unhealthy fumes.
Formlabs’ most affordable printer to date is a clear attempt to expand beyond the more industrial settings you would previously find these printers, without sacrificing the things that make other printers from this company stand out. Form Studio uses a backlight system with 28 LEDs with their own lenses to more accurately place light where it’s needed, which is a significant departure from the traditional LCD system seen in most affordable resin printers.
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