Formlabs Form Studio 1 vs. Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K
Looking for a resin 3D printer? Compare Formlabs Form Studio 1 with the Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K side by side.
Formlabs Form Studio 1
Basics
Professional resin 3D printer for anyone
Form Studio 1 brings the speed, reliability, and print quality of Formlabs' professional printers to the desktop at a price anyone can reach. It's designed to just work: automatic resin dispensing, validated print settings, and one-click print preparation mean you spend your time creating, not troubleshooting. Alpha Resins deliver sharp, durable parts and are UL GREENGUARD Gold certified for low emissions, so you can print with confidence at home. Backed by more than a decade of SLA 3D printing experience and more than 500 million prints, Form Studio 1 turns ideas into form.
BENEFITS
- Outstanding value
- Blazing fast speed
- High resolution and fine details
- Great accuracy and print quality
- Easy to use, with an intuitive workflow
- Wide range of validated resins, including some engineering resins
- Safe resin and printed parts, UL Greenguard Gold Certified
- Reliability
- Professional customer support
- Open system
- Wash and cure systems available
APPLICATIONS
- Hobby projects
- Models and props
- Miniatures & figurines
- Concept modeling
- Rapid prototyping
- Functional prototyping
- Short-run production
- Jewelry prototyping and casting
Print Technology
Low Force Display™ (LFD)
LFD is a new generation of masked stereolithography (MSLA) 3D printing where reduced peel forces lead to incredible surface finish and unmatched accuracy.
PRINT SPEED
Blazing fast
Up to 130 mm/hr with Alpha Fast Resin
40 mm/hr with general-purpose resins
10-20 mm/hr with functional materials
All while maintaining a very high print success rate.
LIGHT INTENSITY
6 mW/cm^2 max
XY RESOLUTION
35 μm
Pretuned anti-aliasing for subpixel resolution resulting in superior fine and sharp feature performance.
LIGHT SOURCE
Backlight Unit with 28 uniform-wavelength LEDs and custom lens array of plano-convex lenses for highly collimated and uniform light even at high power.
PEELING MECHANISM
Release Texture V2, a next-generation proprietary microtextured optical film, provides airflow between the resin tank and the Light Processing Unit. The improved Flexible Film Resin Tank features a dual-layer flexible film that gently separates from the edges of a cured layer, reducing the peel forces exerted on it, now with increased airflow and further reduced peel forces.
Build Volume
20.0 × 12.5 × 23.5 cm
7.9 × 4.9 × 9.3 in
5.9 liters
Materials
9 validated and 23 compatible Formlabs resins
Nine validated materials cover everyday printing, engineering parts, and jewelry casting.
Six Alpha Resins handle general-purpose printing, from fast drafts to fine, highly detailed parts. Alpha Resins are designed with safety in mind: they are UL GREENGUARD Gold certified for low chemical emissions when used with Form Studio 1 and the VOC Extractor, and printed parts are certified skin-safe in accordance with ISO 10993.
Tough 1500 V2, Flexible 80A V2, and True Cast Resins extend the capabilities of Form Studio 1 to functional prototypes, soft-touch parts, and castable patterns.
Every validated Formlabs material comes with print settings tested for Form Studio 1, delivering industry-leading print success and reliability without calibration or trial and error.
Most other Formlabs resins are also compatible with Form Studio 1 and work with automatic resin dispensing. Starting settings are provided, but you may need to fine-tune them. Since Form Studio 1 doesn't include a resin mixer, results and mechanical properties may differ from the technical data sheet.
Open system
Open material mode is included, enabling the freedom to print your favorite third-party resins.
Features and Ease of Use
Automatic resin handling
Clean and hands-off: Automatic resin dispensing means no pouring or manual refilling, so your workspace stays clean.
Streamlined workflow: Resin level sensing and automatic dispensing keep the tank at the right level, so prints run without interruption.
Reliable: Precise, consistent dispensing helps ensure every print finishes successfully.
Light-touch supports
Pre-tuned support settings with light-touch supports are available for every material to facilitate support removal with minimum marks.
To print pre-supported models, use the readily available Formlabs Print Setting (FPS) specific for pre-supported models.
Accessible and automated post-processing tools
Form Studio Wash+Cure, a compact and affordable washing and curing solution designed for Form Studio 1. Also compatible with Form Wash and Form Cure, automated washing and post-curing solutions with validated settings for each Formlabs material.
Resin heating system
High-power heater (up to 45 °C) enables the use of viscous resins and improves their print reliability.
Toolless part removal
Quick, easy, and tool-free with Build Platform Flex. Prevents part breakage and potential injuries while removing parts.
Remote printing
Remote printing is available via PreForm, and queued jobs can be started via the Formlabs Mobile app.
Camera
2-megapixel (1080p) print camera with enhanced lighting enables real-time monitoring of prints and beautiful time-lapses in all conditions.
App
Formlabs Mobile app features remote printing, notifications, monitoring, print history, and viewing livestream and time-lapse videos.
Software
Powerful, easy to use, free
Formlabs' free print preparation software, PreForm, automatically suggests optimal orientation, supports, and layout in just one click, with the ability to manually refine details as needed.
You can also use Dashboard or the Form Mobile app to manage your printers, whether it be a single printer or a fleet, monitor prints, and track materials and consumables.
PreForm has settings for all compatible Formlabs resins and some third--party resins for easy, optimized printing.
Reliability
99% print success rate
Print success rate comparable to Form 4. Reliability testing is in progress.
The improved Release Texture and durable Flexible Film Resin Tank minimize peel forces during printing. Plus, the built-in Resin Level Sensor and Z-Axis Force Sensor ensure consistency and performance.
In the event of an issue, error messages display QR codes that lead to support articles to get you back up and running as quickly as possible.
Class-leading accuracy
Dimensional tolerances:
- 1-30 mm features: ±0.5% (lower limit is ±0.08 mm)
- 31-80 mm features: ±0.2% (lower limit is ±0.08 mm)
- 81-150 mm features: ±0.03% (lower limit is ±0.08 mm)
Support
Professional support
All Formlabs hardware includes a one-year warranty and email support from a dedicated team. Detailed online guides, including step-by-step video tutorials, are also available.
Purchase the Service Plan to extend your warranty coverage and get access to additional benefits like accidental damage coverage and dedicated phone support, so you can use the printer worry-free.
Cost
Starting at $699
The $699 starting price includes all the essential tools required to start printing and access to the powerful software.
The Form Studio 1 Flex Package for $749 includes Build Platform Flex for toolless part removal; the Complete Package for $948 adds the Form Studio Wash+Cure all-in-one washing and curing unit, while the Professional Package for $1,647 includes Form Wash and Form Cure automated post-processing tools.
Buy from Formlabs via sales or the online store, or purchase through one of our distribution partners.
Company
Market leaders for professionals
Formlabs brought SLA 3D printing to the desktop in 2011 and SLS printing to the benchtop in 2021, and has become the market leader in both technologies, selling more than 150,000 printers. The Form Studio is a 5th generation product, powered by a proven technology that has been used to print over 500 million performance parts.
Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K
Cost
Resin 3D printer for hobbyist
Elegoo offers an affordable, feature-rich entry into resin 3D printing, popular with hobbyists and miniature makers. Getting consistent results, however, still takes hands-on effort: resin is poured manually, print settings often need tuning for each resin, and slicer and support setup are left to the user. Safe printing typically depends on the user's own ventilation and protective equipment. Elegoo’s resin lineup covers general-purpose and ABS-like options but offers few materials for demanding functional applications.
BENEFITS
- Low entry price
- High resolution and fine details
- Open system
- Wash and cure systems available
APPLICATIONS
- Hobby projects
- Models and props
- Miniatures & figurines
- Concept modeling
- Jewelry prototyping and casting
Print Technology
Masked Stereolithography (MSLA)
PRINT SPEED
Slower than advertised
Theoretical maximum of 150 mm/hr
In reality, around 10-20 mm/h
At higher print speeds, the print success rate drops significantly.
LIGHT INTENSITY
5 mW/cm^2 max (on revised version)
XY RESOLUTION
19 x 24 μm
LIGHT SOURCE
The COB light source and Fresnel collimating lens
PEELING MECHANISM
Straight pull for the Saturn 4 and tilt release for the Saturn 4 Ultra in combination with a non-durable PFA release film. These basic peeling mechanisms force users to sacrifice part quality, reliability, or printing speed.
Build Volume
21.2 × 11.8 × 22 cm
8.3 × 4.7 × 8.7 in
5.3 liters
Materials
Limited selection, unvalidated settings, potentially harmful resins
Elegoo offers a limited selection of materials, focused primarily on hobbyist and educational markets. Its range of functional resins for professional applications is minimal.
Materials are not validated for the printer, which can lead to more failed prints, lower overall quality, and time and material wasted on settings testing. Parts may fail in use or miss specifications, forcing reprints.
Low-cost resins also tend to have strong odors, emit high levels of VOCs that require ventilation, and contain more hazardous chemicals.
Open system
Features and Ease of Use
Manual resin dispensing
Messy and inconvenient: Pouring resin by hand raises the risk of spills and a messy workspace.
Extra workflow steps: Resin levels have to be monitored and topped up manually, adding time and effort to every print.
Inconsistent reliability: Manual pouring leaves more room for human error, which can lead to failed prints.
Basic supports
Great supports are possible but require manual work, significant tuning, and tweaking.
Basic post-processing tools
Post-processing tools are less user-friendly, which makes the workflow slower, messier, and more complex.
Resin heating system
The heater enables the use of viscous resins and improves their print reliability.
Manual part removal
Parts must be removed with tools, which risks breaking the part or injuring the user.
Remote printing
Camera
1080p print camera with lighting for remote monitoring and acceptable- quality time-lapse video and AI feature for failure detection.
App
Elegoo Matrix that allows remote printing, notification, monitoring, print history, and access to Nexprint model library.
Software
Limited features, free
Elegoo's SatelLite 3D Slicer offers a limited set of features. Each print requires a lengthy manual setup, and each new resin type requires tinkering to dial in print settings, wasting time and materials.
There’s no logging system on the printers, no remote print monitoring, and no online dashboard to manage printers, print jobs, or materials.
Workflow
~75-86% print success rate
In independent lab testing, two low-cost resin printers had print success rates of 75% and 86%, meaning 10x-20x the failure rate of Form 4.
Failed prints cause project delays, wasted resin, extra labor for reprints, and uncertainty every time you press print. Tuning the printer can raise the success rate, but it takes additional time and experimentation.
Variable accuracy
Varies significantly depending on material and print settings.
Workflow
Minimal support
Elegoo hardware comes with 3-12 months of limited warranty, and there is little or no support provided for customers other than online self-service. The knowledge base is limited, and customers often need to rely on community forums to debug their printers.
There’s no service plan available.
Workflow
Starting at $499
The $499 starting price includes all the essential tools required to start printing.
Workflow
Emerging company
Founded in 2011 and based in Shenzhen, China, Elegoo is an emerging company that develops that develops low-cost resin and filament 3D printers predominantly for hobbyist and personal use.
Get started with professional-grade resin 3D printing.
Why Choose the Form Studio 1?
Blazing Fast: Print most parts in less than 2 hours
Safe Printing: Low-odor, rigorously tested, UL GREENGUARD Gold certified
Amazing Parts: Razor-sharp details and premium materials
Reliable: 99% Formlabs print success*
Open: Print with any resin
*Form Studio 1 reliability shows comparable print success to Form 4 that has been independently tested and measured at a 98.7%. Final Form Studio 1 reliability testing is in progress.
Form Studio 1 Workflow Overview
Get started with Form Studio 1 Training Series
Training videos take you from unboxing to your first print. Follow along for setup, printing, and post-processing, then learn how to bring 3D printing into the work you already do.