Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W 3D printer: technical specs and pricing

3D printer producer Formlabs has launched a brand new, 3 times extra highly effective successor to the Fuse 1, its debut desktop Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) system. 

The Fuse 1+ 30W, is Formlabs’ newest foray into SLS 3D printing and options a number of upgrades, together with a 30-watt laser, designed to facilitate the sooner manufacturing of elements from new, high-performance supplies. Thanks to those enhancements, Formlabs says the system will allow its core skilled designer customers to start producing elements in-house in underneath 24 hours when it ships in late-August 2022. 

Formlabs’ enlargement and the SLS 3D printing market

Established in September 2011 by three MIT Media Lab college students, Formlabs is primarily generally known as a developer of stereolithography (SLA) 3D printers and supplies than SLS ones. The agency’s repeatedly evolving SLA portfolio, which permits it to deal with the wants of shoppers starting from designers to dentists and clinicians, at present contains the Kind 3+, Kind 3L, Kind 3B+ and Kind 3BL. 

Formlabs has carved out a major share of the SLA market, promoting over 100,000 SLA 3D printers. Now it’s now dealing with stiff competitors as resin 3D printing has change into more and more commodified because of the proliferation of lower-cost LCD-based techniques – primarily coming from China. An analogous sample performed out within the FFF world, with elevated early value factors adopted by a increase in additional inexpensive 3D printers; a development undoubtedly hastened by Dr. Adrian Bowyer’s RepRap mission.

One solution to keep forward of the competitors is to maintain transferring. And Formlabs moved into SLS, launching the Formlabs Fuse 1 and Fuse Sift in January 2021. Parallels will be drawn with Prusa’s diversification, including SLA to FFF to its product portfolio with the Authentic Prusa SL1S SPEED resin 3D printer.

Talking concerning the launch, CEO Max Lobovsky mentioned “Since launching the Fuse 1 in January 2021, Formlabs has single handedly expanded the SLS market, accounting for greater than 50 p.c of SLS printer gross sales in that point.”

“With the Fuse 1+ 30W, we’re pushing SLS 3D printing to new heights — delivering really speedy, high-throughput SLS printing at a value level that corporations can afford. In complete, Formlabs has offered over 100,000 skilled SLA printers — greater than some other 3D printer producer — and the Fuse 1+ 30W units us as much as equally dominate the SLS market.”

Chris Connery, VP of World Evaluation and Analysis at analysts CONTEXT elaborates on this information, “ all SLS printers regardless of value level and construct quantity and simply SLS alone (excluding HP’s MPF, Stratasys’ SAF and different Polymer Powder Mattress Fusion applied sciences) then certainly Formlabs had the highest combination unit quantity market share Q1’21-Q1’22 with 49.8%. When machine value is used to weight SLS market share to then present share by system income (Unit x Worth) then EOS loved the highest market share throughout that interval with 32% (with Formlabs because the #3 participant by way of SLS System revenues). If ALL Polymer Powder Mattress Fusion system shipments are included, then Formlabs nonetheless loved the highest market share at 38% adopted by HP.”

Persevering with, the analyst provides, “For positive credit score goes to Formlabs for championing this new class of benchtop SLS printers however certainly additionally essential to correctly place these smaller machines as a brand new class. CONTEXT tends to quantify the printer market by means of ASTM Course of (to then aggregating in MJF, SLS, SAF, and so on into Polymer Powder Mattress Fusion) and by our value courses INDUSTRIAL ($100K+), DESIGN ($20K-$100K), PROFESSIONAL ($2.5K-$20K), PERSONAL (underneath $2.5K) and KIT&HOBBY (Outlined by DIY meeting). As such, HP was the most important Polymer Powder Mattress Fusion participant over that point in each the INDUSTRIAL in addition to the DESIGN value courses with Formlabs main the PROFESSIONAL area (far forward of #2 Sinterit).”

Ramping up with the Fuse 1+ 30W

As highlighted in our Fuse 1 3D printer evaluation, Formlabs’ debut SLS system is designed to offer engineers and designers with an inexpensive and accessible means of making purposeful prototypes and elements. Constructing on these foundations, the Fuse 1+ 30W options a lot of new and improved elements, that allow it to course of a broader vary of powders and produce elements twice as rapidly. Along with a extra highly effective laser, the machine owes its elevated pace to a brand new galvanometer system, which permits it to succeed in scanning speeds of as much as 12.5 meters per second. 

The Formlabs’ Fuse 1+ 30W 3D printer has the identical 165 x 165 x 300 mm construct quantity as earlier than, however its new energetic powder dealing with system is now mentioned to make it appropriate with industrial-grade supplies. The system additionally comes fitted with a nitrogen purge choice that, in keeping with the agency, permits it to course of these in a approach that yields elements which have “properties aggressive with [those of] trade leaders.”

To showcase the Fuse 1+ 30W’s capabilities, Formlabs has already printed case research during which it was used to fabricate varied biking and automotive elements. In a single instance use case, the agency discovered it was in a position to produce shaft couplings 52% sooner than the Fuse 1. In one other, in the meantime, it drove down bike seat lead occasions by 24%, proving its value as a design validation and stopgap-creating instrument. 

If used alongside the Fuse 1+ 30W, Formlabs additionally says its Nylon 11 CF Powder is good for creating lightweight-yet-rigid elements able to withstanding repeated knocks. When utilized to provide plastic options to metallic spares, for example, the corporate claims its materials permits adopters to harness the very best of nylon and carbon fiber, and manufacture merchandise with each excessive stiffness and power. 

In follow, Formlabs believes its new system might be adopted by present SLS customers looking for to “decentralize their 3D printing operations,” with out duplicating prices. Equally, the agency expects the Fuse 1+ 30W’s enhanced capabilities to make it preferrred for producing a a lot wider vary of alternative elements, in addition to industrial fixtures, jigs and tooling. 

Technical specs and pricing 

Under are the technical specs for the brand new Fuse 1+ 30W 3D printer. The system is out there to order now, with costs beginning at $27,499, and delivery set to start in late-August 2022. 

	Formlabs Fuse 1	Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W
Expertise	Selective Laser Sintering	Selective Laser Sintering
Construct Quantity	165 x 165 x 300 mm	165 x 165 x 300 mm
Layer Thickness	110 Microns	110 Microns
Laser Kind	Ytterbium Fiber 10W	Ytterbium Fiber 30W
Laser Spot Measurement (FWHM)	200 Microns	247 Microns
Construct Chamber	Modular (Fuse 1 and Fuse Sift appropriate)	Modular (Fuse 1 and Fuse Sift appropriate)

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Featured picture reveals an engineer utilizing Formlabs’ new Fuse 1+ 30W 3D printer. Picture through Formlabs.