Open Platform enables Formlabs SLA 3D printer users to access third-party materials

Formlabs Open Platform, a new offering from Form SLA, allows users to use third-party materials as well as custom print settings.

The company has also announced that it will be launching its Silicone 40A and Alumina 4N Resins, both of which will also be developers for its Form SLA Range.

Formlabs was established in 2011 and has since then preferred to maintain control over the resins used to print on its Form series SLA system. It now offers 45 proprietary resins to its vast user base. This approach has its strengths in ensuring quality, for example, but also its limitations – users sometimes prefer to source their materials from trusted third-party companies, for example. 

Open Platform includes three solutions that are claimed to expand the capabilities and provide more versatility for Formlabs SLA Printers. ‘Certified Materials’ offers users a curated selection of best-in-class third party resins, starting with resins from Kulzer GmbH Formlabs’ customers in APAC can now access dental biocompatible applications. ‘Print Settings Editor’, meanwhile, is a new PreForm feature that enables advanced users to modify print settings to tailor their print performance. And ‘Open Material License’ is an optional, paid software license that allows expert users to print with any 405 nm photopolymer resin.

According to Formlabs the Silicone 40N Resin combines material properties of cast silicon with the flexibility of 3D-printing. Formlabs Pure Silicone Technology enables users to print 100% silicon parts with complex geometry that is not possible with conventional methods. The material can produce parts with excellent thermal and chemical resistance. It can also produce parts that are able to withstand repeated cycles stretching, flexing, and compression. Formlabs believes that the material is suitable for the automotive and industrial markets, as well as the medical and consumer product markets.

“Silicone 40A Resin gives me the flexibility to do designs that previously could only be done with a very expensive and time-consuming moulding process, allowing us to explore new markets and manufacture products that would have been prohibitively expensive or complicated before,” said Guy Cardwell, director of research and development at HGM Automotive Electronics. “Other 3D printing solutions can print some kinds of elastics, but only the SLA Formlabs printer using Silicone 40A Resin can create soft connector seals that match the quality and durability of a silicone or TPU moulded part.”

Formlabs’ Alumina 4N Resin can be printed on Form 3+ printers and is said to boast 98.6% relative density and 99.99% purity. The company claims that it is reliable under extreme conditions, for parts that are thermally-resistant, abrasion resistant, mechanically strong, chemically inert. According to Formlabs, Alumina 4N has applications in the chemical, automotive, semiconductor, foundry, and defence industries.

“Alumina 4N Resin is remarkably easy to work with and plugs into our workflow seamlessly,” said Benjamin Lam, Materials Research Engineer at the Air Force Research Laboratory. “It fits a need in the market, with a low barrier of entry that allows us to rapidly iterate on designs and produce parts at a comparably low cost.”

Formlabs announced the Fuse Depowdering Kit and the Fuse Starter package, which will help to make the adoption of SLS 3D printer technology more affordable.

The Starter Package, which includes the Fuse 1+30W as its core, is available for 24,999 USD. Fuse Depowdering Kit, which is part of this offering, provides a complete depowdering system for low-volume and multiple material production.

“So much attention in the additive industry is focused on hardware, but materials are just as essential for delivering on our mission to create user-friendly 3D printing solutions so that anyone can make anything,” commented Formlabs co-founder and CEO Max Lobovsky. “That’s why we continue to innovate relentlessly in the material space, creating high-performance materials that unlock new possibilities in manufacturing, healthcare and other industries. With Silicone 40A and Alumina 4N, we’re combining the flexibility and efficiency of 3D printing and the performance of silicones and ceramics, at a price point that anyone can afford. We’re thrilled to both expand our ecosystem and make our Fuse 3D printers more accessible so our customers and new users can truly create anything at an affordable price.”

Now you can purchase Silicone 40A (also known as Alumina 4N), Fuse Starter Package, and Fuse Starter Package. Early October, the PreForm Print settings editor will be released. Open Material License is available in the first quarter of 2024.