A SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON

Formlabs Form 4L vs. Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S

Form 4L vs. Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S

Looking for a large-format resin 3D printer? Compare Formlabs Form 4L with the Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S side by side.

Formlabs Form 4L

Cost

Formlabs Form 4L

Large-format resin 3D printer for professionals

Form 4L offers industry-leading technology and support so you can optimize production and reliably print most large parts in under six hours. Go from design to finished part in fewer steps than ever with a streamlined, end-to-end ecosystem. Leverage our extensive resin library, designed to deliver industrial- grade parts that are up to any challenge. Formlabs printers are trusted by tens of thousands of professionals around the world.

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
  • Wash and cure system available

APPLICATIONS

* Use Form 4BL for biocompatible printing

Technology

Formlabs Form 4L

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. Formlabs Light Processing Unit (LPU) 4L is designed to deliver 600K - 1.9M layers of consistent print performance and takes only minutes to replace using a tool provided with the printer.

Learn More About LFD

Light Intensity

16 mW/cm² optical power intensity delivered to the cure plane.

Print Speed

Blazing fast

Up to 80 mm/h with Fast Model Resin, 24 mm/h on average across all materials.

XY Resolution

  • 50 μm 
  • Pretuned anti-aliasing for subpixel resolution resulting in superior fine and sharp feature performance.
Read more about resolution

Light Source

Backlight Unit with 145 uniform-wavelength (LEDs) and custom lens array of plano-convex lenses for highly collimated and uniform light even at high power. 

Learn More

Build Volume

Formlabs Form 4L
35.3 x 19.6 x 35 cm
13.9 x 7.7 x 13.8 in

Materials

Formlabs Form 4L
3D printed samples

19 validated resins on Form 4L, 32 on Form 4BL

A wide range of materials for prototyping and production from soft silicone to flexible, tough, durable, and rigid varieties. Polyurethanes for end-use parts, specialty materials for high-temperature applications, and castable patterns.

A comprehensive library of resins for dental and medical applications is available on Form 4BL, including 12 materials for biocompatible parts. Third-party materials using Open Material Mode.

All Formlabs materials come with optimized print settings to guarantee industry-leading print success and reliability. Formlabs resins are designed with user safety and minimum odor in mind.

Explore Formlabs Materials

Ease of Use

Formlabs Form 4L
Form 4L Ecosystem

Automatic Resin Handling

  • No mess: Automatic resin dispensing eliminates the need for manual intervention, resulting in reliable prints and a clean workspace.
  • Streamlined workflow: Resin level sensing and automatic resin dispensing ensure optimal resin levels are maintained.
  • Reliable: Consistent, precise, and automated resin dispensing for reliable completion of prints.

Light-touch supports

Pre-tuned support settings with light touch supports are available for every material to facilitate support removal.

Automated post-processing tools

Automated washing and post-curing solutions designed for Form 4 and with validated settings for each Formlabs material

Resin mixing and heating system

Consistent printing and a wider variety of material options, including highly-filled materials. Debris detection.

Toolless part removal

Quick, easy, and tool-free with Build Platform Flex. Prevents part breakage and potential injuries while removing parts.

Remote printing

Camera

Reliability

Formlabs Form 4L

95%+ print success rate

"We’ve pushed Form 4BL to its limits, and it hasn’t failed a single print. Its reliability under pressure has been outstanding."- Brian Albers, 3D Printing Engineer, St. Louis Children’s Hospital

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 4L

Powerful, easy to use, free

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 4L

Starting at $9,999

The $9,999 starting price includes all the essential tools required to start printing and access to the powerful software and online Dashboard. The Form 4L Complete package for $19,999 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.

Consumables

  • Robust, long-lasting consumables
  • Resin tanks are built to last and deliver consistent performance. Each resin tank costs $249 comes with a reusable lid, making them easy to stack and store.
     

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

Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S

Cost

Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S

Large-format resin 3D printers for hobbyists

Phrozen's Sonic Mega 8K S offers a low-cost entry into the world of resin 3D printing. It’s ideal for hobbyists, students, and anyone getting started with resin 3D printing, but does require a great deal of tinkering and a significant time investment to achieve successful prints.

BENEFITS

  • Low entry price
  • High resolution and fine details
  • Wash and cure systems available

APPLICATIONS

  • Hobby projects
  • Models and props
  • Concept modeling
  • Jewelry prototyping and casting

Technology

Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S

Masked Stereolithography (MSLA)

Phrozen’s Sonic Mega 8K S MSLA resin 3D printer uses an LED and an LCD photomask to shape the layer image onto the bottom of the tank. The LCD screen is not durable, which means that it requires frequent replacements.

Light Intensity

N/A

Print Speed

Slower than advertised

Around 5-15 mm/h based on slicing real-life parts in slicer software using various resins and settings.

XY Resolution

43 μm

Light Source

405 nm ParaLED® Matrix 3.0

Build Volume

Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S
33 x 18.5 x 30 cm
12.99 x 7.28 x 8.52 in

Materials

Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S
3D printed models

20+ non-validated resins

Phrozen offers a limited selection of materials, especially for professional applications. Functional resins have inferior mechanical, thermal, and creep performance, resulting in parts that are often brittle, dimensionally inaccurate, not functional, or don’t fit together. 

Materials are not validated on the printer, which results in more failed prints, overall lower quality, and time and material waste during settings testing. The part may fail during use or simply not meet the specifications, necessitating reprints. 

Low-cost resins also have strong odors requiring ventilation and may contain more hazardous chemicals.

Learn More About Safety

Ease of Use

Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S
Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S ecosystem

Manual

  • Messy and inconvenient: Manual resin dispensing can be messy, with a higher risk of spills.
  • Additional workflow steps: Manual adjustment of resin levels is required, adding time and effort to the printing process.
  • Inconsistent reliability: Greater chance of human error with manual resin pouring contributes to frustrating print failures.

Bulky supports

Supports with large tips and dense structures add time for sanding, reduce surface quality, and increase post-processing time. 

Manual post-processing tools

Manual post-processing tools increase the likelihood of exposure to isopropyl alcohol and potential spills.

No resin mixing and heating system

Manual mixing is required periodically. The lack of resin mixer means no debris detection, fewer material options, dimensional accuracy issues, and print failures.

Manual part removal

Tools required to remove parts. Risk of part breakage or injury while removing parts. Not compatible with flexible build plates.

No remote printing

No camera

Reliability

Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S

N/A

Low-cost resin printers typically have a 60-70% print success rate out of the box. This causes project delays from unexpected failure, resin waste from failed prints, extra labor costs from reprints, and worry from not knowing what will happen after pressing “print.” Tuning the printer can increase the print success rate but requires additional time and experimentation.

Resin tanks are flimsy and the film breaks easily. In case of failures, the resin can cover and damage critical optical surfaces of the printer, requiring a lengthy clean-up or replacement. 

TYPICAL DIMENSIONAL TOLERANCES

N/A

Software

Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S

Barebone, paid

Phrozen's Premium Slicer doesn't come included with the printer purchase, but costs an additional $299. 

It offers a very limited set of features and is only available for Windows. 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.

Support

Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S

Minimal support

Phrozen hardware comes with 3-12 months of limited warranty and there is little or no support provided for customers other than self-service online. Knowledge base is limited and customers often need to rely on community forums to debug their printers.

Cost

Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S

Starting at $1,499

The Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S starts at $1,499 for the printer. Manual Mega S post-processing solutions are available, as is the separate purchase of Phrozen's barebones Premium Slicer software. There is no option for professional service.

Consumables

  • Frequent replacement of consumables is necessary, taking time from printing 
  • Resin vats are flimsy and cost $199 to replace. They are difficult to stack and store, making it difficult to switch between materials.

Software

Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S

Emerging company

Founded in 2016 in Taiwan, Phrozen is an emerging company that develops resin 3D printers predominantly for hobbyist and personal use.

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 4L

Form 4L
Form 4

Speed at scale. Large prints in under 6 hours.

Lacrosse Head
4h54m
Form 4L
14h24m
Leading FDM
62h32m
Benchmark FDM
21h57m
Form 3L

Lacrosse Head

Radio Flyer Seat Prototype
2h37m
Form 4L
0m
Leading FDM - part doesn't fit
42h3m
Benchmark FDM
21h6m
Form 3L

Radio Flyer Seat Prototype

SpaceCraft Display Holders
4h12m
Form 4L
12h48m
Leading FDM
86h49m
Benchmark FDM
22h52m
Form 3L

SpaceCraft Display Holders

Golf Training Club
5h50m
Form 4L
10h38m
Leading FDM
68h34m
Benchmark FDM
17h17m
Form 3L

Golf Training Club Assembly

RadioFlyer Scooter Cover
4h58m
Form 4L
12h43m
Leading FDM
76h48m
Benchmark FDM
18h47m
Form 3L

RadioFlyer Scooter Cover

Stunning parts that always fit.

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

Flame Retardant. UL 94 V-0 certified, FST rated

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 4L Ecosystem

Complete Your 3D Printing Experience

Form 4L 3D Printer
Form Wash L

Form Wash L

Automate Cleaning

Form Cure L

Form Cure L

Reliable, Professional Post-Curing