The Formlabs journey began early 2011 through conversations among a group of designers and engineers. Just like you, we saw the power of 3D printing but were frustrated by the complexity and enormous price tags that come with high-end stereolithography machines. And so, we started to dream of a digital fabrication tool that was intuitive, powerful and affordable all at once.
Today that dream is here – The Form 1 desktop 3D printer is shipping – thanks to YOU.
We are proud to say that today we shipped the Collector’s Edition Form 1 printers and half of the Initial Formation tier of pledges. Kickstarter backers will be printing by the end of next week!
When we unveiled our prototypes last year, many of you showed your support in our efforts and backed it with pledges and orders. The Form 1 was truly created by a community, which makes you, our Kickstarter backers and our preorder customers, an integral part of the Form Team.
We especially appreciate your patience and encouragement as we fell behind our original delivery schedule. Fortunately, the hard work and many extra hours from the Formlabs team will make the average Form 1 only a few months late. This despite the complexity of a project that aimed to build precision hardware, develop desktop software, engineer high-quality materials, produce thousands of units, and ship them globally.
We will ship Form 1s as they are produced, fulfilling Kickstarter rewards and preorders by priority. As our production ramps and we have accurate data on our steady state production capacity, we will share more precise dates for each group of printer deliveries. (You will receive a personal confirmation e-mail the day your unit ships).
In the meantime, thanks again! And do drop by our booths at the Maker Faire in the Bay Area or ICFF in New York if you are around. Make sure to give the team a high five. They deserve it, and so do you!
We can’t wait to see what you create on your Form 1!
P.S. For all you makers out there who want an inside look at the Form 1, check out hacker-extraordinaire (and Formlabs advisor) Bunnie Huang’s great tear-down blog post. (Note that opening the machine can be dangerous and may void your warranty)