A SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON

Formlabs Form 4 vs. Bambu Lab X1 Series

Form 4 vs. Bambu Lab X1 Series

Looking for a 3D printer? Compare Formlabs Form 4 with the Bambu Lab X1 Series side by side.

Formlabs Form 4

Cost

Formlabs Form 4

Resin 3D printer for professionals

Low Force Display™ (LFD) is a new generation of masked stereolithography (MSLA) 3D printing where reduced peel forces lead to incredible speed, surface finish, and unmatched accuracy. Resin 3D printing creates 100% solid parts with a smooth surface finish and fine details. This makes it possible to produce clear, watertight, and isotropic parts.

Learn More About LFD

BENEFITS

  • Blazing fast speed
  • Intuitive workflow
  • Reliability
  • Customer support
  • Wide range of validated, engineering-grade, and specialty materials
  • Great accuracy and print quality
  • High resolution and fine details
  • Easy to use

APPLICATIONS

* Use Form 4B for biocompatible printing

Print Speed

Formlabs Form 4
3D printed samples
2 h 36 m

Time to print one assembly on Form 4 in Grey Resin, 100 microns layer height.

3D printed samples
13 h 2 min

Time to print 50 assemblies (100 parts) on Form 4 in Grey Resin, 100 microns layer height.

Surface Finish

Formlabs Form 4
3D printed part
Smooth Surface Finish

SLA 3D printers create parts that are nearly indistinguishable from injection molded plastics.

Resolution

XY RESOLUTION

50 μm

Pretuned anti-aliasing for subpixel resolution resulting in superior fine and sharp feature performance.

Read More About Resolution

MINIMUM WALL THICKNESS

0.2 mm

MINIMUM EMBOSSED AND ENGRAVED DETAILS

0.1 mm

Build Volume

Formlabs Form 4
20 x 12.5 x 21 cm
7.9 x 4.9 × 8.3 in

Materials

Formlabs Form 4
3D printed samples

20+ high-performance, industry-leading resins

Formlabs resins are designed for a range of high-performance applications including underwater parts, wind tunnel test models, welding jigs, and threaded parts.

Engineering materials are designed with specific mechanical properties from soft silicone to flexible, tough, durable, and rigid varieties. Materials include polyurethanes for end-use parts, and specialty materials for high-temperature applications.
 
A comprehensive library of resins for dental and medical applications is available on Form 4B, including 15+ materials for biocompatible parts including materials for bone, tissue, dentin, and mucosal membrane contact.

Formlabs resins are designed with user safety and minimum odor in mind.

Explore Formlabs Materials
Validated print settings
Open material mode and advanced user settings available
Learn More About Open Material Mode

Reliability

Formlabs Form 4

94% print success rate

The Form 4 delivers a print success rate of 94% out of the box. A new Release Texture and a 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. 

TYPICAL DIMENSIONAL TOLERANCES

1-30 mm features: ±0.15% (lower limit: ±0.02 mm)
31-80 mm features: ±0.2% (lower limit: ±0.06 mm)
81-150 mm features: ±0.3% (lower limit: ±0.15 mm)

Software

Formlabs Form 4

Helpful presets reduce guesswork

Formlabs' free print preparation software, PreForm, has validated print settings for all Formlabs resins for easy, optimized printing, and the option to fine-tune settings for peak performance. 

You can also use the online Dashboard to manage a fleet of printers, monitor prints, track materials and consumables, and work with your team.

Try PreForm Now

Support

Formlabs

Professional support

All Formlabs hardware comes with one-year warranty and email support provided by a dedicated staff. Purchase a Pro Service Plan to extend your coverage further and get access to additional benefits like hot-swap replacements, dedicated phone support, training, and more, so you can stay focused on growing your business.

Learn More About Formlabs Service Plans

Cost

Formlabs Form 4

Starting at $4,499

The $4,499 starting price includes all the essential tools required to start printing and access to the powerful software and online Dashboard. The Form 4 Complete package for $6,599 also includes custom-developed automated post-processing tools and a premier service plan for a turnkey solution.

Buy from Formlabs via sales or the online store, or purchase through one of our distribution partners.

Company

Formlabs

Market leader 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 130,000 printers. The Form 4 is a 4th generation product, powered by a proven technology that has been used to print over 400 million performance parts.

Learn More About Formlabs

Bambu Lab X1 Series

Cost

Bambu Lab X1 Series

Filament printer for prosumers, students, and hobbyists

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers extrude thermoplastic filaments, creating lightweight, low-cost parts, but the process lacks the ability to reproduce fine details and parts often have visible layer lines on the surface. FDM prints also have voids, which makes them anisotropic, meaning they are weaker in the Z direction than the XY plane.

Learn More About FDM vs. SLA

BENEFITS

  • Low cost per part
  • Relatively fast print speed
  • Easy to use
  • Minimal post-processing

APPLICATIONS

  • Rapid prototyping
  • Manufacturing aids
  • Concept modeling 
  • Hobby projects

Print Speed

Bambu Lab X1 Series
10 h 32 min

Time to print one assembly in PLA Basic on Bambu Lab X1, 120 microns layer height.

250 h

Time to print 50 assemblies (100 parts) in PLA Basic on Bambu Lab X1, 120 microns layer height.

Surface Finish

Bambu Lab X1 Series
3D printed part
Visible Layer Lines

FDM printers create parts with visible layer lines and a slightly rough surface, requiring additional post-processing for higher quality results.

Resolution

XY RESOLUTION

N/A

The resolution of FDM 3D printed parts is dependent on the nozzle’s size, the material properties of the molten material, and the control with which the motor can move the nozzle.

MINIMUM WALL THICKNESS

0.8 mm

MINIMUM EMBOSSED AND ENGRAVED DETAILS

0.6 mm wide, 2 mm high

Build Volume

Bambu Lab X1 Series
25.6 x 25.6 x 25.6 cm
10 x 10 x 10 in

Materials

Bambu Lab X1 Series
FDM filaments

10+ thermoplastic filaments

Bambu Lab provides a wide range of filaments and printers can be used with third-party materials. Filaments are budget-friendly, with a range of colors and finishes, including gloss, matte, glow-in-the-dark, and glitter, and the option to include up to 16 materials in one print.

FDM parts can be hollow to save material and print time, but they cannot be printed fully dense, even with 100% infill. Parts are anisotropic, not watertight, and lack clarity and smoothness. As a thermoplastic, FDM parts will soften at high temperatures.

Skin-safe filaments are available, but other biocompatible options are not available, limiting applications.

FDM parts can be handled directly after printing and the process is clean and low-odor.

Generic print settings
Open platform

Reliability

Bambu Lab X1 Series

N/A

TYPICAL DIMENSIONAL TOLERANCES

N/A

Software

Bambu Lab X1 Series

Customizable with additional research

Bambu Lab’s free print preparation software, Bambu Studio, has print settings for their own filament, plus generic presets for third-party materials. Print settings can be imported or edited with trial and error.

Third-party slicers such as Superslicer, Prusaslicer, and Cura are compatible with Bambu Lab printers, but some advanced features are not supported.

Support

Bambu Lab X1 Series

Minimal support

The warranty is limited to one year and does not extend to any printer parts which are considered consumables. Support is available via an online portal.

Cost

Bambu Lab X1 Series

Starting at $1,199

The Bambu Lab X1C starts at $1,199, while the X1E starts at $2,499. The X1C Combo, which includes one AMS material management system, enabling the printing of four different colors, is $1449. Additional AMS is available for $349 and also requires the AMS Hub for $48.99, to print 5-16 colors. Free slicer software from Bambu Lab is available, as well as third-party offerings. There is no option for professional service.

Software

Bambu Lab X1 Series

FDM market leader

Bambu Lab is a consumer tech company founded in 2020 based in Shenzhen, China. They launched with a massive Kickstarter campaign and since then have become one of the market leaders for desktop FDM 3D printers.

Do you have more questions about the differences between these solutions?

Request a Free Sample 3D Print

See and feel Formlabs quality firsthand. We’ll ship a free sample part printed on Form 4 to your office.

Form 4 Sample Part

Meet Form 4

Form 4B
Form 4

Get more done with most prints in under 2 hours.

game controller
1h38m
Form 4
3h37m
Benchmark FDM
4h11m
Benchmark SLA
10h47m
Form 3+

Battle Beaver Customs, Game Controller

LED Light Bar and Mount
2h49m
Form 4
4h28m
Benchmark FDM
6h52m
Benchmark SLA
10h35m
Form 3+

Holley, LED Light Bar and Mount

robotic Finger
2h1m
Form 4
3h54m
Benchmark FDM
3h37m
Benchmark SLA
8h31m
Form 3+

RightHand Robotics, Robotic Finger Overmolds

Tower Cap
1h37m
Form 4
5h32m
Benchmark FDM
4h38m
Benchmark SLA
4h29m
Form 3+

Formlabs Form 4, Tower Cap

Connector
1h28m
Form 4
9h12m
Benchmark FDM
2h16m
Benchmark SLA
9h43m
Form 3+

Electrical Connector

(1) Typical print time using 80th percentile print height (53 mm), 100 µm layer height, and most materials.

Print time is similar whether you’re printing one part or a full build of many parts.

1hr19min
1hr13min
Parts being 3D Printed
Prototyping

Increase your productivity by 3x. Say goodbye to iterating after hours.

Prototyping - 3D printed parts
Production

1 Minute per Part. Reach peak production efficiency.

3D printing production - several parts

Tackle any problem with our industry-leading materials, or use Open Platform.

General Purpose. Fastest printing, best appearance, versatile properties

A Wide Range of Applications To Help You Excel in Your Work

Pre-Production Validation
Tough 1500 Resin

Forge Motorsport reverse-engineered an underperforming part, 3D printed a new design, and tested it on a vehicle for five months before committing to tooling.

Pre-Production Validation
Tough 1500 Resin

Forge Motorsport reverse-engineered an underperforming part, 3D printed a new design, and tested it on a vehicle for five months before committing to tooling.

The Form 4 Ecosystem

Complete Your 3D Printing Experience

Form 4 3D Printer
Form Wash

Form Wash

Automate Cleaning

Form Cure

Form Cure

Reliable, Professional Post-Curing