Formlabs Stereolithography 3D Printers Tech Specs
Technology
Masked Stereolithography (MSLA)
Printer Engine
Low Force Display™ (LFD)
Key Components of the Print Engine
Backlight Unit
Light Processing Unit 4 (LPU 4)
Release Texture
Flexible Film Resin Tank
Intelligent Control Systems
High-Speed Automatic Resin Handling
Light Source
Backlight Unit: 60 uniform-wavelength LEDs, a plano-convex lens array, and integrated air cooling
405 nm optical wavelength
16 mW/cm² optical power intensity delivered to the cure plane
50 µm pixel size
Maximum Print Speed¹
100 mm/hour
3.9 in/hour
Typical Print Speed²
Average: 40 mm/hour across all materials
Range: 15-100 mm/hour depending on the material
Typical Dimensional Tolerances³
1-30 mm features: ±0.15% (lower limit: ±0.02 mm)
31-80 mm features: ±0.2% (lower limit: ±0.06 mm)
81-150 mm features: ±0.3% (lower limit: ±0.15 mm)
Materials
23 industry-leading Formlabs materials, or third-party materials using Open Platform. New materials being developed periodically
Explore Materials
Biocompatible Materials
No (available on Form 4B)
Build Volume (W x D x H)⁵
20.0 × 12.5 × 21.0 cm
7.9 × 4.9 × 8.3 in
5.25 liters
Build Area
250 cm²
38.8 in²
Maximum Part Length⁶
27.3 cm
10.7 in
XY Resolution⁷
50 µm with pretuned anti-aliasing for subpixel resolution
Superior fine feature performance and sharp features compared to the Form 3 Series
Layer Thickness⁸
25–300 µm
0.001–0.012 in
Resin Cartridges
1
Resin Cartridge Type
Next-generation resin cartridge
5-10x faster filling
63% less waste
30% less shelf space
Resin Heating
High speed conduction resin heating with infrared temperature sensing
Internal Temperature
Auto-heats resin to 25–45 °C (77–113 °F), depending on material
Force Sensing
Z-Axis Force Sensor: automatically optimizes print quality and print speed based on part geometry and selected material.
Supports
Auto-generated
Light-touch removal
Design/CAD Specifications
Printer Dimensions (W x D x H)
39.8 × 36.7 × 55.4 cm
15.7 × 14.5 × 21.9 in
Minimum Access Dimensions (W x D x H)
40.7 × 47.8 × 84.4 cm
16.0 × 18.8 × 33.2 in
Printer Weight
18.3 kg
40.4 lb
Operating Environment
18–28 °C
64–82 °F
Power Requirements
100–240 VAC
4.8 A
50/60 Hz
480 W
Connectivity
Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz; IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac, WPA/WPA2)
Ethernet (1000 Mbit)
USB-C 2.0
Printer Control⁹
7" interactive touchscreen
1280 × 800 resolution
Languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese
Alerts
Touchscreen alerts
SMS/email via Dashboard
Speaker for audio alerts
Sensors and Control Systems
6 upgraded sensors that precisely control resin temperature, resin level, print forces, and print status:
High-speed conduction resin heating with infrared temperature sensing
Ultrasonic Resin Level Sense: controls resin in the tank
Z-Axis Force Sensor: controls and minimizes print forces
Resin Cartridge Load Cell: measures exact resin level in cartridge
Printer Leveling Sensor
Camera
Camera
Integrated camera
2592 x 1944 resolution (5MP)
Remote monitoring, print history, and print timelapses
Can be easily disabled, covered, or removed
Software
PreForm, Dashboard, Fleet Control
PreForm System Requirements
Windows 7 (64-bit) and up
Mac OS X 10.12 and up
OpenGL 2.1
C++ runtime library from Microsoft (Windows only)
4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
File Types
STL, OBJ, and 3MF file input
FORM file output
PreForm Print Setup Features
One-Click Print
Adaptive layer thickness for faster printing with fine details
Remote Print
Auto-orient for optimal print position
Auto-mesh repair
Auto-generation of supports
Advanced tools for manually editing supports
Rotate, scale, duplicate, and mirror
Layer slicer for path inspection
Custom print settings
Available in multiple languages
Dashboard Printer Management Features
Manage prints and printers via the cloud
Track resin and tank usage over time
SMS and email alerts
Create enterprise group accounts with admins to more easily share printers and control access
Resin Tank Estimated Lifetime¹⁰
75,000+ layers with any Formlabs material
For example: approximately 190 prints using average height model (39 mm tall), any resin, and 100µm layer height
Light Processing Unit Estimated Lifetime¹¹
600,000 - 1,900,000 layers, depending on material and layer height
For example: approximately 2,800 prints using average height models (39 mm tall), Grey Resin V5, and 100µm layer height
Technology
Masked Stereolithography (MSLA)
Printer Engine
Low Force Display™ (LFD)
Key Components of the Print Engine
Backlight Unit
Light Processing Unit 4 (LPU 4)
Release Texture
Flexible Film Resin Tank
Intelligent Control Systems
High-Speed Automatic Resin Handling
Light Source
Backlight Unit: 60 uniform-wavelength LEDs, a plano-convex lens array, and integrated air cooling
405 nm optical wavelength
16 mW/cm² optical power intensity delivered to the cure plane
50 µm pixel size
Maximum Print Speed¹
100 mm/hour
3.9 in/hour
Typical Print Speed²
Average: 40 mm/hour across all materials
Range: 15-100 mm/hour depending on the material
Typical Dimensional Tolerances³
1-30 mm features: ±0.15% (lower limit: ±0.02 mm)
31-80 mm features: ±0.2% (lower limit: ±0.06 mm)
81-150 mm features: ±0.3% (lower limit: ±0.15 mm)
Materials
37 industry-leading Formlabs materials, including 14 biocompatible, or third-party materials using Open Platform. New materials being developed periodically.
Explore Materials
Biocompatible Materials
Yes
Build Volume (W x D x H)⁵
20.0 × 12.5 × 21.0 cm
7.9 × 4.9 × 8.3 in
5.25 liters
Build Area
250 cm²
38.8 in²
Maximum Part Length⁶
27.3 cm
10.7 in
XY Resolution⁷
50 µm with pretuned anti-aliasing for subpixel resolution
Superior fine feature performance and sharp features compared to the Form 3 Series
Layer Thickness⁸
25–300 µm
0.001–0.012 in
Resin Cartridges
1
Resin Cartridge Type
Next-generation resin cartridge
5-10x faster filling
63% less waste
30% less shelf space
Resin Heating
High speed conduction resin heating with infrared temperature sensing
Internal Temperature
Auto-heats resin to 25–45 °C (77–113 °F), depending on material
Force Sensing
Z-Axis Force Sensor: automatically optimizes print quality and print speed based on part geometry and selected material.
Supports
Auto-generated
Light-touch removal
Design/CAD Specifications
Printer Dimensions (W x D x H)
39.8 × 36.7 × 55.4 cm
15.7 × 14.5 × 21.9 in
Minimum Access Dimensions (W x D x H)
40.7 × 47.8 × 84.4 cm
16.0 × 18.8 × 33.2 in
Printer Weight
18.3 kg
40.4 lb
Operating Environment
18–28 °C
64–82 °F
Power Requirements
100–240 VAC
4.8 A
50/60 Hz
480 W
Connectivity
Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz; IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac, WPA/WPA2)
Ethernet (1000 Mbit)
USB-C 2.0
Printer Control⁹
7" interactive touchscreen
1280 × 800 resolution
Languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese
Alerts
Touchscreen alerts
SMS/email via Dashboard
Speaker for audio alerts
Sensors and Control Systems
6 upgraded sensors that precisely control resin temperature, resin level, print forces, and print status:
High-speed conduction resin heating with infrared temperature sensing
Ultrasonic Resin Level Sense: controls resin in the tank
Z-Axis Force Sensor: controls and minimizes print forces
Resin Cartridge Load Cell: measures exact resin level in cartridge
Printer Leveling Sensor
Camera
Camera
Integrated camera
2592 x 1944 resolution (5MP)
Remote monitoring, print history, and print timelapses
Can be easily disabled, covered, or removed
Software
PreForm, Dashboard, Fleet Control
PreForm System Requirements
Windows 7 (64-bit) and up
Mac OS X 10.12 and up
OpenGL 2.1
C++ runtime library from Microsoft (Windows only)
4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
File Types
STL, OBJ, and 3MF file input
FORM file output
PreForm Print Setup Features
One-Click Print
Adaptive layer thickness for faster printing with fine details
Remote Print
Auto-orient for optimal print position
Auto-mesh repair
Auto-generation of supports
Advanced tools for manually editing supports
Rotate, scale, duplicate, and mirror
Layer slicer for path inspection
Custom print settings
Available in multiple languages
Dashboard Printer Management Features
Manage prints and printers via the cloud
Track resin and tank usage over time
SMS and email alerts
Create enterprise group accounts with admins to more easily share printers and control access
Resin Tank Estimated Lifetime¹⁰
75,000+ layers with any Formlabs material
For example: approximately 340 prints using clear aligner models (22 mm tall), any resin, and 100µm layer height
Light Processing Unit Estimated Lifetime¹¹
600,000 - 1,900,000 layers, depending on material and layer height
For example: approximately 5,000 prints using diagnostic models (22 mm tall), Grey Resin V5, and 100µm layer height
Technology
Laser-Powered Stereolithography (SLA)
Printer Engine
Low Force Stereolithography™ (LFS)
Key Components of the Print Engine
Laser
Light Processing Unit (LPU)
Flexible Film Resin Tank
Intelligent Control Systems
Automatic Resin Handling
Light Source
2 Light Processing Unit
EN 60825-1:2014 certified
Class 1 Laser Product
405 nm optical wavelength
Two 250 mW lasers
85 µm laser spot size
Maximum Print Speed¹
Not measured
Typical Print Speed²
Not measured
Typical Dimensional Tolerances³
Not measured
Materials
23 industry-leading Formlabs materials, or third-party materials using Open Platform. New materials being developed periodically
Explore Materials
Biocompatible Materials
No (available on Form 3BL)
Build Volume (W x D x H)⁵
33.5 × 20 × 32 cm
13.2 × 7.9 × 12.6 in
21.4 liters
Build Area
670 cm²
104.3 in²
Maximum Part Length⁶
Not measured
XY Resolution⁷
25 µm
0.001 in
Layer Thickness⁸
25–300 µm
0.001–0.012 in
Resin Cartridges
2
Resin Cartridge Type
Original resin cartridge
Resin Heating
Air-heated print chamber
Internal Temperature
Auto-heats to 35 °C (95 °F)
Force Sensing
Z-Axis Force Sensor: automatically optimizes print quality and print speed based on part geometry and selected material.
Supports
Auto-generated
Light-touch removal
Design/CAD Specifications
Printer Dimensions (W x D x H)
77 × 52 × 74 cm
30.3 × 20.5 × 29.1 in
Minimum Access Dimensions (W x D x H)
90 × 96 × 104 cm
35.4 × 37.8 × 41 in
Printer Weight
54.4 kg
120 lb
Operating Environment
18–28 °C
64–82 °F
Power Requirements
100–240 VAC
8.5A MAX
50/60HZ
650 W
Connectivity
Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz; IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, WPA/WPA2)
Ethernet (1000 Mbit)
USB-B 2.0
Printer Control⁹
5.5" interactive touchscreen
1280 × 720 resolution
Languages: English
Alerts
Touchscreen alerts
SMS/email via Dashboard
Two LED status indicators
Speaker for audio alerts
Sensors and Control Systems
5 original sensors that control resin temperature, resin level, and print forces:
- Convection resin heating with thermistor temperature sensing
- Ultrasonic Resin Level Sense: controls resin in the tank
- Z-Axis Force Sensor: controls and minimizes print forces
- Resin Cartridge Load Cell: measures resin level in the cartridge
- Printer Leveling Sensor
Camera
-
Software
PreForm, Dashboard, Fleet Control
PreForm System Requirements
Windows 7 (64-bit) and up
Mac OS X 10.12 and up
OpenGL 2.1
C++ runtime library from Microsoft (Windows only)
4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
File Types
STL, OBJ, and 3MF file input
FORM file output
PreForm Print Setup Features
One-Click Print
Adaptive layer thickness for faster printing with fine details
Remote Print
Auto-orient for optimal print position
Auto-mesh repair
Auto-generation of supports
Advanced tools for manually editing supports
Rotate, scale, duplicate, and mirror
Layer slicer for path inspection
Custom print settings
Available in multiple languages
Dashboard Printer Management Features
Manage prints and printers via the cloud
Track resin and tank usage over time
SMS and email alerts
Create enterprise group accounts with admins to more easily share printers and control access
Resin Tank Estimated Lifetime¹⁰
250-800 hours of printing and/or 10-35 weeks exposed to resin, depending on material
Light Processing Unit Estimated Lifetime¹¹
Not measured
¹ Using Fast Model Resin and 200µm layer height on the Form 4 Series. Based on actual print times from a collection of test parts covering common engineering, product design, manufacturing, and dental applications. Using Draft v2 Resin and 200µm layer height on the Form 3 Series. Based on the 75th percentile actual print speed from reported prints in 2023.
² Average across all materials printed at 100µm layer height, weighted by material popularity. Print speed will vary depending on the material, layer height, and part geometry. The range is based on the materials with the slowest median print speed and highest median print speed.
³ Using Grey Resin V5 and 100µm layer height, post-cured for 5 minutes at room temperature. One test model with various feature sizes 3D printed on three different printers.
⁴ Using 50µm layer height. Tested using full arch restorative model with dies, four models per print job, printed on three different printers and post processed according to the recommended settings.
⁵ If you are printing a job that is taller than 19.0 cm (7.5 in) on Form 4/B, or taller than 18.5 cm on Form 3/B/+, you have to remove the resin tank while removing your print. PreForm will warn users when their job is above 19.0 cm on Form 4/B or over 18.5 cm on Form 3/B/+.
⁶ Assuming a part printed on supports that resembles a rectangular prism with 12.5 cm depth and 1 cm height.
⁷ XY resolution describes how precisely the printer can cure resin in the XY (horizontal) plane. It corresponds to the pixel size of the Light Processing Unit 4.
⁸ Layer thickness availability varies by material. View our materials compatibility table to confirm availability.
⁹ Languages beyond English will come in future firmware releases on the Form 4 Series.
¹⁰ The exact lifetime of an individual resin tank depends on layers printed, physical wear, and accidental damage.
¹¹ Using 100µm layer height. The exact lifetime of an individual LPU depends on total light energy passed through the module, which depends on number of layers printed, material, and layer height, as well as accidental damage. When replacement is necessary, anyone can easily and quickly replace the LPU 4 at a low cost.
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