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Quick Start Guide (Form Studio 1)

Quick Start Guide (Form Studio 1)

This guide illustrates the various components of the Form Studio 1, the initial setup, and how to begin printing. Review the unboxing and setup support article for more detailed instructions on how to unbox, install, and connect your Form Studio 1.

Read and understand the instruction manual and its safety instructions before using the Form Studio 1.

Printer components

Form Studio 1 components

Required for printing

  1. Resin cartridge
  2. Build platform
  3. Resin tank

Printer components

  1. Printer touchscreen
  2. Tool caddy
  3. Tank latches
  4. Camera
  5. Build platform latch
Form Studio 1 components - rear

Rear ports

  1. Optional exhaust port
  2. Power switch
  3. Power port
  4. USB and Ethernet ports
Form Studio 1 accessories

Included accessories

  1. Non-reactive nitrile gloves
  2. Leveling disc
  3. Mixer/plastic tank scraper
  4. Metal scraper
  5. Camera lens cap
  6. USB cable
  7. Flush cutters
  8. Sanding sticks
  9. Parallelism shims
  10. Hex keys
  11. Cleaning sheet removal tool
  12. Drip tray
  13. LevelSense calibration tool
  14. Power cable

Unboxing

  1. Position the Form Studio 1’s packaging near the designated location, leaving enough room for two people to comfortably maneuver throughout the area. Stand the Form Studio 1’s packaging upright to ensure it is level.
  2. Open the top of the box.
  3. Unpack the power cable and accessories.
  4. Remove the top foam.
  5. Lift the printer out of the box using its shipping bag and place it on a flat, level surface.
  6. Lift the printer out of the bag and place it on your work surface.
  7. Remove any additional packaging around the printer.
  8. Open the printer cover.
  9. Remove the resin tank, build platform, and the internal foam.
  10. Remove the protector from the Light Processing Unit.
Unboxing the Form Studio 1

Note:

The original packaging is designed to be kept and reused for transporting or shipping the machine for service. Save the complete packaging including any inserts for your convenience.

Powering on

Connect the power cable to the printer and a power outlet and turn on using the rear power switch.

Connecting the Form Studio 1 to power

Note:

If the printer does not initialize and display the onboarding prompts, ensure that the cover is closed.

Setting up

Follow the prompts on the touchscreen to complete the setup procedure:

  1. Connect your printer to the internet to complete setup and install firmware with all available features.
  2. Level your printer.
  3. Insert consumables: the resin cartridge, resin tank, and build platform.
  4. Login to Dashboard or make an account at formlabs.com/setup.
  5. Add your printer to Dashboard to track print progress, manage printers, and more.
Form 4 touchscreen.

Contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller for additional product support.

Next steps

Once you’ve set up your Form Studio 1, download PreForm to your computer and start printing.

Prepare a file for printing

After downloading PreForm, read the support articles on designing successful 3D models and using PreForm to learn more about the software and preparing models for printing on Formlabs SLA printers.

If this is your first time using PreForm, an onboarding tutorial will appear and walk you through the software’s capabilities. Click Help > Show Onboarding Tutorial to review this information at any time.

Send your file to the printer

When you’re ready, send your print to your Form 4 or print a job remotely and start printing.

Start a print

If you inserted a resin tank, resin cartridge, and build platform into your Form Studio 1 during the setup process, the printer should be ready to print and will start automatically. If not, confirm the print on the printer touchscreen to start.

Finish your printed part

Once the print is complete, remove the build platform from the printer, wash any remaining liquid resin off your printed part, and post-cure and remove supports as necessary. Read the support article on SLA basic finishing steps to learn more.

Between prints

Between prints, be sure to keep your Form Studio 1 clean, paying particular attention to spilled resin. Handle the Form 4 resin tank with care to ensure print success and printer reliability.