Why Service Bureaus and In-House Manufacturers Are Switching to Formlabs

Service bureaus and in-house manufacturing teams thrive at the intersection of speed, quality, and adaptability — delivering everything from one-off prototypes to batch production runs. But growth often stalls at a critical bottleneck: outdated printers that limit throughput, materials, and responsiveness. Imagine a client needing durable automotive prototypes for testing — or your team requiring precise jigs to optimise an assembly line. These moments test your production’s limits, determining whether you seize the opportunity or settle for a compromise. 

This is where Formlabs steps in. We understand the unique pressures faced by contract manufacturers and in-house service bureaus. That's why we've engineered a suite of professional-grade SLA and SLS 3D printers, complemented by an ever-expanding library of advanced materials, designed to break through those bottlenecks — unlocking scalable, reliable, and cost-effective production without straining resources. With over 130,000 printers sold globally, Formlabs empowers teams to slash lead times and ensure consistency, helping businesses worldwide scale and succeed.

Many service bureaus start with entry-level printers. While affordable, these often falter under higher demands — frequent failures, limited materials, and slow speeds erode growth and trust. Scaling with traditional industrial systems, like large-format MJF or SLA printers, means massive investments and sprawling facilities. Picture it like aviation: a wide-body Boeing 777 carries more passengers but demands a huge hangar, costly crew, and long turnarounds, while four Boeing 737s cover more routes, pivot faster, and cost less to run. Formlabs’ SLA and SLS printers are like those 737s — compact, versatile, and production-ready, delivering high throughput without breaking the bank.

Go beyond basic plastics with over 45+ application-specific materials. SLA resins range from elastic and flexible to extremely rigid, from flame-retardant and static-dissipative to biocompatible. SLS powders like Nylon 12, Nylon 11, Nylon 11 CF, Nylon 12 GF, Nylon White, and TPU 90A deliver durability for prototypes to production.

Read DYT’s Case Study. See how DYT scales with Formlabs in the real-world examples below.

Want even more options? Open Material Mode lets users tweak settings and use curated third-party 405 nm resins or 1064 nm powders, blending Formlabs’ reliability with tailored flexibility for niche applications.

ACMO Filtration for Safer Printing: Low-cost resins often contain 4-Acryloylmorpholine (ACMO), a harmful and hazardous chemical, lack or misrepresent safety information, and come with no customer support. The workflows of low-cost resin 3D printers are also more manual and prone to user error, leading to an increased risk of exposure to resin and isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Formlabs SLA resins are engineered to be ACMO-free, reducing exposure risks for operators and ensuring a safer workspace. Our materials deliver the precision and durability that professionals demand, making them a trusted choice for bureaus prioritising both high-quality parts and employees' well-being.

Failed prints cost both time and money. Form 4 delivers a 98.7% print success rate, tested against benchmark SLA printers, where failure rates soar 10-20x higher (13.8% to 25.3% in benchmarks). Unlike many low-cost SLA & FDM printers that fail 1 in every 5–6 jobs, the Form 4 Series is built for nonstop productivity.

Learn more about Additium3D’s cost savings in the real-world examples in our case study.

For SLS, the Fuse 1+ 30W brings the same dependability. Its parts meet Tier 1 ISO 2768 tolerances — a global standard for precision in mechanical engineering, ensuring consistency that matches injection moulding quality. That means reliable, repeatable builds with no surprises. Download the accuracy report to know more (based on internal study).

Speed is your edge. The Form 4/B prints most parts in under two hours across all materials, maintaining pinpoint accuracy and smooth finishes even at top speed. For large-format prints, the Form 4L finishes full builds in under six hours. For example, BMW X7 seat components are printed on Fuse 1+ 30W with Nylon 12 GF Powder, producing 1,440 parts per build for 16,000 parts monthly, bridging tooling gaps.

Most Formlabs SLS production customers print one full build chamber overnight and a half-full build chamber during the day; they can maximise the throughput of the SLS workflow without adding extra labour. Meanwhile, automated media blasting using Fuse Blast reduces post-processing time by up to 80% compared to just using the Fuse Sift.

Formlabs printers empower service bureaus to conquer production challenges, delivering measurable value in real-world scenarios. From slashing costs to scaling operations, our SLA and SLS systems drive success across industries.

Additium3D in Spain struggled with Phrozen printers failing 30% of the time, causing costly delays and toxic resin issues. “Print failures overwhelmed our facility,” says Director Guillermo Navarro. Replacing three Phrozen units with one Form 4L, boasting a 98.7% success rate, cut costs by 20% and enabled reliable production of flexible test parts using Elastic 50A Resin and Clear Resin V5.

Brose leverages a fleet of Formlabs printers — including the Form 3L, Form 4, and Form 4L, and the Fuse 1+ 30W - to accelerate automotive prototyping and production. Using SLA to create precise, large-format prototypes quickly, while the Fuse 1+ 30W produces strong, functional parts like grippers and end-use assembly fixtures. This in-house setup has helped Brose cut lead times, avoid outsourcing delays, and save up to 90% in costs. “With Form 4L and Fast Model Resin, we print large parts in hours, not overnight, that would otherwise take weeks and cost hundreds of euros,” says Matthias Peischer, Technical Project Manager at Brose. 

Dongguan Yuencheng Technology (DYT) couldn’t scale SLS production without costly facilities for automotive housings and consumer electronics components. Starting with 3 Fuse 1+ 30W, they plan to scale to 20. “A 200-square-meter studio can operate over 20 Fuse 1+ 30W units,” notes CEO Alex Wu. Fitting in 1.3 square meters each, these printers met diverse material demands, eliminating facility upgrades. 

Autotiv’s manual post-processing delayed high-volume SLS parts, like industrial fixtures, risking client deadlines. “Since adding Fuse Blast, we’ve saved hours daily,” says Operations Manager Chris Haak. Cutting post-processing by 80%, Autotiv achieved 24-hour deliveries without extra staff, boosting satisfaction in contract manufacturing. 

At Microsoft’s Advanced Prototyping Centre, Formlabs’ SLA and SLS printers work in tandem to meet rapid prototyping demands — from high-detail parts on the Form 4L to functional, durable components on the Fuse Series. “We were able to do three full builds in three days instead of a week and a half. So Form 4L already paid for itself in that build alone,” says Additive Prototyping Lead Mark Honschke. For SLS, the team chose the Fuse Series for its compact footprint, clean operation, and ease of use — an ideal alternative to traditional powder bed systems that are space-intensive and messy. 

Efficiency is king. Formlabs SLA and SLS systems are engineered to boost your uptime. Form 4 and Form 4L deliver a seamless experience from unboxing to first print. Automated resin handling, no messy calibrations—printers are ready in minutes, not hours. The Build Platform Flex snaps parts off cleanly in seconds, with no scraping required. Form Wash and Form Cure automate cleaning and curing, turning raw prints into finished parts with minimal hands-on time. It’s a straightforward workflow that even new operators can master quickly.

Unlike traditional SLS systems — bulky, dirty, and demanding high-cost facilities — the Fuse series is compact and efficient, with a Fuse 1+ 30W fitting in just 1.3 square meters. 70% powder recycling minimises dust and maintenance, ensuring a tidy workspace without nitrogen generators. PreForm software maximises productivity with automated part packing, optimising pack density for up to 30% higher throughput per build, while Fuse Sift and Fuse Blast streamline powder recovery and polishing with push-button simplicity.

This isn’t just about convenience — it’s about profitability. Less troubleshooting means more time printing, whether a rush SLA prototype or an SLS batch run. Let your team focus on clients, not maintenance, making Formlabs the hassle-free choice for bureaus of any size.

Growth shouldn’t mean gambling on massive investments or overhauling your shop. Formlabs SLA and SLS printers fit into your existing setup, delivering production-ready power with the flexibility to scale as demand spikes, without breaking the bank. The result? A faster return on investment that keeps your bureau agile and profitable.

Where one large-format MJF printer demands over 10–15 square meters and a six-figure price tag, five Fuse 1+ 30W units fit in the same space for a fraction of the cost. A traditional industrial SLA printer eats up 2.5 square meters and costs as much as a luxury car. In that same footprint, four Form 4L printers deliver quadruple the throughput and redundancy for non-stop production.

Ready to scale? Formlabs printers are production-ready out of the box, built for batch runs with the reliability and speed bureaus need. Lower upfront costs, compact designs, and minimal maintenance mean you’re not sinking cash into space or downtime. You’re printing more parts, winning more clients, and seeing ROI sooner, often within months, not years. Whether you’re a startup or a veteran bureau, Formlabs scales with you, turning growth into opportunity, not a hurdle.