Makes 3D printing in production an accessible reality with introduction of its first-ever SLS 3D printer, the Formlabs Fuse 1, and a scalable automation system, the Form Cell.

SOMERVILLE, Mass., June 5, 2017 – At its Digital Factory conference today, Formlabs, the designer and manufacturer of powerful and accessible 3D printing systems, announced the launch of Fuse 1, the company’s first selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printer, and Form Cell, an automated production solution for additive manufacturing that uses the Form 2, the best-selling professional 3D printer.

“When we launched the world’s first desktop stereolithography 3D printer in 2012, Formlabs created new possibilities for designers and engineers to create physical products by giving them access to professional 3D printing technology that had historically been unavailable,” said Max Lobovsky, CEO of Formlabs. “With Fuse 1, we are taking the same approach to making powerful SLS technology available to a huge range of customers. And with Form Cell, we are making an efficient, scalable production solution by leveraging the Form 2, an SLA print engine that’s already stood the test of printing more than 10 million parts.”

Numerous companies, including global brands like Google, are already testing the new systems*. Today, New Balance announced a strategic collaboration with Formlabs to make high-performance footwear.

“SLS technology enables designers and engineers to accelerate their prototyping process by combining realistic material properties with the minimization of 3D printing design constraints,” said David Beardsley manager of Google ATAP Skunkworks. “With the Fuse 1, a combination of high precision parts, reduced cycle time and robust materials allow teams to easily iterate throughout the design process and accelerate from whiteboard to final parts.”

“By enabling teams to easily iterate and also to directly manufacture final products, Fuse 1 and Form Cell open up a wealth of innovation flexibility within the product development cycle, from early prototyping to manufacturing,” said Dávid Lakatos, chief product officer of Formlabs.

With today’s new developments, Formlabs is powering next-generation digital manufacturing and enabling mass customization through industrial 3D printing. Highlights about Fuse 1 and Form Cell:

Fuse 1

The Fuse 1 brings the industrial power of SLS 3D printing to the benchtop, with the intuitiveness and reliability that users of the Form 2 have come to love.

• 20x less expensive than the cheapest industrial SLS machines, available for reservation on June 5 with a deposit of $1,000; shipping estimated mid-2018.
• Complete package along with the printer will include a post-processing station with material recovery, an extra build piston for continuous usage, and initial material load.
• Available materials include Nylon PA 12 and PA 11 materials, the industry standards for strong and durable functional prototyping and end-use parts. Fuse 1-sintered parts meet or exceed the material properties published by their industrial counterparts.
• SLS produces the least expensive per-part cost in 3D printing and enables the production of large, geometrically complex prints without any supports.

Form Cell

Introducing Form Cell—Formlabs’ solution for 3D printing automation to achieve the lowest cost per part. Form Cell parallelizes and automates repetitive 3D printing processes with:

• Complete automation work cell from file to finished part: A row of Form 2 3D printers, Form Wash, a curing unit and an industrial robotic gantry system automates the manual parts of 3D printing. Optimized for the lowest cost per part, businesses can prove ROI for Form Cell in months instead of years. Form Cell eliminates repetitive manual processes to finally bring 3D printing into the lights-out, 24-hour digital factory.
• Proven track record: Scale production with the Form 2, the best-selling professional 3D print engine that’s already stood the test of printing more than 10 million parts.
• Reduced labor through smarter software: Print job scheduling and error detection, remote monitoring, and part and serial number printing. Reduce labor and downtime with reliable, stable printing—no check-ins required.
• Factory ready: API endpoints for integration with industry-standard business systems (CRM, ERP, MES) or homegrown systems that make Form Cell part of your existing workflow.

About Formlabs
Formlabs designs and manufactures powerful and accessible 3D printing systems. Headquartered in Boston with offices in Germany, Japan and China, the company was founded in 2011 by a team of engineers and designers from the MIT Media Lab and Center for Bits and Atoms. Formlabs is establishing the industry benchmark for professional 3D printing for engineers, designers and manufacturers around the globe, and accelerating innovation in a variety of industries, including education, dentistry, healthcare, jewelry and research. Formlabs products include the Form 2 SLA 3D printer, Fuse 1 SLS 3D printer, Form Cell manufacturing solution and Pinshape marketplace of 3D designs. Formlabs also develops its own suite of high-performance materials for 3D printing, as well as best-in-class 3D printing software.

*Statements based on users’ complimentary early access to beta machines