With Open Material Mode, you can print with any type of 405 nm photopolymer resin on Formlabs SLA printers. Open Material Mode is available for a one-time lifetime fee per printer.

Follow the steps in this article to print with Open Material Mode on your Formlabs SLA printer.

• A printer with Open Material Mode activated
• Form 3 generation: version 2.5.0 and later
• Form 3L generation: version 2.5.0 and later
• Form 4 generation: version 1.6.0 and later
• The latest version of PreForm installed
• Form 3 generation: version 3.37.1 and later
• Form 3L generation: version 3.37.1 and later
• Form 4 generation: version 3.38.1 and later

To print with Open Material Mode, you first need to create a print setting using the PreForm Print Settings Editor:

1. Open PreForm.
2. Click Edit > Print Settings Editor. The Print Settings Editor window appears, showing a list of the existing custom print settings.
3. Click New Print Setting. A list of Formlabs print settings appears.
4. Select your printer type in the printer type filter dropdown.

5. Pick a Formlabs material that has the closest properties to the resin you want to print with. A list of validated print settings for that Formlabs material appears.

6. Select a print setting. Click Copy & Edit Selected. A screen appears with the new print setting.

7. Toggle Open Material to ON. The toggle turns blue.

8. Edit any other parameters you want to modify.
9. Give the setting a custom name, edit print parameters, and then click Save. Your custom print setting is saved and the My Settings list appears.

The print setting is now available to set up jobs using any 405 nm photopolymer resin.

After you have created a custom Open Material print setting, you can use it to slice and send jobs to a printer with Open Material Mode activated.

1. If the Print Settings Editor window is still open, click X to close it. The main PreForm workspace appears.
2. In the Job Setup panel, click Edit Job Setup. The Job Setup screen appears.
3. Select or add a printer that has Open Material Mode activated. A blue ribbon next to the printer serial name indicates that the capability has been activated.

4. Scroll down to the Choose Material section. Select Open Material.

5. Scroll down to the Choose Print Settings section. Select the print setting you created earlier.

6. Click Apply. The main PreForm workspace reappears.
7. In the Job Setup card, confirm that the resin has been set to Open Material V1 and your custom print setting has been selected.

8. Set up your job and upload it to your printer, as you would with a Formlabs print setting.

Insert a new resin tank and manually pour in the resin you want to print with. When printing with a job with Open Material Mode, automatic resin dispensing is disabled.

When printing with Open Material Mode, the printer behaves differently than when printing with a Formlabs resin. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. The printer will not automatically dispense resin from the cartridge. Manually pour resin into the tank before starting a print. Pour enough resin to cover the tank film.
2. The printer will not detect the resin level in the tank automatically and will not warn you if the resin is too low or if the tank is overfilled. Monitor the resin level in the tank during the print and manually refill the tank as needed.
3. Normally, Formlabs SLA printers warn you about resin tank and resin cartridge mismatches to avoid dispensing incorrect resin. For jobs set up with Open Material Mode, this check is disabled. If you’re printing with different resins in different tanks, mark them appropriately to avoid mixing resins.
4. The printer will not provide automatic tank lifetime warnings for tanks used with non-Formlabs resins.

Printer and consumable performance may also change depending on the third-party resin you are using.

Depending on the non-Formlabs resin you are printing with, the tank lifetime may be shortened. Performance may degrade significantly and lead to tank failures and damage to your printer. You are responsible for monitoring lifetime and performance of the resin tank.

Formlabs SLA printers heat resin while preparing for a print. For non-Formlabs resins, this may lead to evaporation of volatile components. Ensure appropriate ventilation when printing with third-party resins.