Introducing the Form 3+ and Form 3B+, New Improvements to the Best Selling SLA Ecosystem

Go from design to finished part faster than ever with the Form 3+ and Form 3B+, Formlabs’ newest versions of the best-selling line of professional SLA 3D printers, now shipping to customers across the world. 

The Form 3+ and Form 3B+ are rich with features that make it simple to quickly and reliably produce functional, high-quality prototypes, end-use parts, medical devices, dental parts, and more. The new hardware and software developments implemented in the Form 3+ and Form 3B+ take Low Force Stereolithography (LFS), originally introduced in 2019 on the Form 3 and Form 3B, even further, improving print speed, refining part quality and delivering a more streamlined workflow.

Formlabs prides itself on making easy to use, user friendly 3D printing products. With the introduction of Build Platform 2, our next generation build platform with patented Quick Release Technology, we’ve furthered our commitment to streamlining the entire 3D printing workflow. Build Platform 2 improves post-processing efficiency with a fully integrated solution that allows for quick, clean, and easy removal of parts after printing.

For both functional prototypes and industrial quality end-use parts, the Form 3+, Form 3B+, and Build Platform 2 make it faster and easier than ever to fabricate 3D printed parts.

Formlabs customers in every industry rely on the speed of Formlabs SLA printers to make their ideas a  reality and deliver finished products quickly and efficiently. Whether you’re working in an engineering team with a critical product deadline or you are an orthopedic surgeon with an emergency rush case, success often depends on getting a finished part as soon as possible. With the Form 3+ and Form 3B+ printers, customers can now print 20% - 40% faster than previously possible. The speed enhancements are a result of both hardware and software improvements that take our best selling SLA technology to the next level.

To learn about how we achieved 20-40% faster print speeds in more detail, read our technical deep dive article. 

Improvements to print speed don’t just make parts faster, it also makes products better. When a design team is able to go from ideation to finished part multiple times each day, the end result is a more thoughtful and well-tested product. With the updates available on the Form 3+ and Form 3B+, a design change doesn’t need to set a timeline back—alterations can be designed and printed in the same day, empowering customers to iterate more frequently, and create better products. 

We know customers rely on the accuracy and precision of our SLA printers for parts with fine details, from a jeweler printing filigree on an engagement ring, to a biomedical engineer creating a microfluidics model. In order to maximize print speeds while preserving these details, the Form 3+ and Form 3B+ are capable of producing parts with varying layer thickness, using smaller layers for more detailed geometry. Adaptive Layer Thickness, an advanced print mode now available for all materials, reduces print time by adjusting the layer thickness based on part geometry.

From the start to the finish of every print, improvements to software, firmware, and hardware are making the Form 3+ and Form 3B+ print experience faster and more efficient. From product designers rushing to meet a prototype deadline to surgeons printing practice models before a complicated operation, the Form 3+ and Form 3B+ are the ideal solutions to deliver high-quality parts quickly.

Part quality and surface finish are important to customers in almost any industry adopting 3D printing technology, and Formlabs has consistently been a market leader in this area. A product designer turns to Formlabs for high-fidelity prototypes that can stand up to a design review panel, just as radiologists might use Clear Resin for anatomical models that illuminate difficult pathologies. Being able to rely on a high quality, consistent finish takes the guesswork out of going from a 3D printed part to the final production part. Engineers can spend more time focusing on iterative design changes and surgeons can spend more time using a model to practice, and less time post-processing the part. 

One of the innovations introduced with LFS technology and the Form 3 and Form 3B was the Light Processing Unit (LPU), a laser system that moves beneath the resin tank and delivers a laser path that is always perpendicular to the print plane. The combination of this linear movement and the system of mirrors inside the LPU means you get a consistently perpendicular, round laser spot no matter where on the print bed the laser is aiming. This is important for producing accurate, highly-detailed parts and leads to better surface finish.

The Form 3+ and Form 3B+ further include new hardware and software that tightens laser movement parameters and smooths the motion of the LPU, minimizing any deviation from the curing path. The more stable LPU creates even smoother finishes, finer details, and more transparent parts when printing with translucent resins like Clear Resin, Elastic Resin, or BioMed Clear Resin.

Formlabs printers empower anyone to create anything, which means printers have to operate optimally in a broad range of temperature environments. The Form 3+ and Form 3B+ printers include a new heating system with improved sensors that more quickly and accurately heat the print bed to the optimal temperature for each resin. That development creates quicker and more consistent printing for each material, ensuring high quality parts, every time. No matter what customers want to make, or where they want to make it, they can rely on the Form 3+ and Form 3B+ to deliver parts with the same accuracy, tolerances, and finish, every time.

There is a perception in the 3D printing world that SLA printing can be messy and requires additional tedious steps after printing. Formlabs began to address this concern with the introduction of Form Wash and Form Cure, our automated post-processing solutions that clean and post-cure parts. Now, the Form 3+, Form 3B+, and our new Build Platform 2 take this a step further, improving the efficiency of the overall workflow and reducing labor time from start to finish. 

The new Build Platform 2 has patented Quick Release Technology that fundamentally changes the SLA workflow. Previously, specialized tools were required to remove parts from the build platform, which took time and could result in part defects. Now with the Build Platform 2, printed parts instantly release from the print surface with one simple movement of the side handles. The flexible print surface ensures an instant release of batch parts simultaneously, saving labor time previously spent manually removing parts off one by one. The flexible surface and release mechanism also means that there’s no need to use sharp tools that could scratch the build plate or damage parts.

Further time and labor savings during post-processing are a result of an improved support configuration inherent to the new material settings introduced on the Form 3+ and Form 3B+. Where previous PreForm versions generated a rounded tip attachment of the support to the part, the new PreForm version creates a prism shape for the touchpoints, enabling an easier and cleaner break. 

The Form 3+ and Form 3B+ and Build Platform 2 help customers’ bottom line by improving operational efficiency, making them the ideal solutions for manufacturers who need to cut costs on the assembly line, busy service bureaus producing a range of parts, or hospitals improving patient care. Build Platform 2 is compatible with the Form 2, Form 3 and Form 3B, as well as Form 3+ and Form 3B+, enabling access to the improved workflow for any Formlabs desktop SLA 3D printer user.

From the beginning of your workflow to the end, the Form 3+ and Form 3B+, alongside Build Platform 2, are the fastest, most reliable way to produce high quality prototypes and end use parts. With a suite of improvements designed to start a print easier, build a part faster, and finish a part in minutes, our new desktop SLA printers help anyone make anything.