Formlabs Redefines Additive Manufacturing with Revolutionary Form 4 and New Resins at RAPID + TCT 2024

With the 2024 edition of RAPID + TCT fast approaching, the additive manufacturing industry is buzzing with anticipation. Companies worldwide are diligently preparing to showcase their latest innovations, forge new partnerships, and connect with a diverse audience of industry professionals, customers, and enthusiasts. This premier event offers an unparalleled platform for unveiling cutting-edge technologies and shaping the future of 3D printing. Among the most prominent and eagerly awaited exhibitors is Formlabs, the U.S. powerhouse renowned for its comprehensive resin and powder additive manufacturing solutions. Formlabs is set to make a significant impact at RAPID + TCT, which will be held from June 25-27 in the vibrant city of Los Angeles, California. They plan to unveil a suite of groundbreaking developments, including major product launches and strategic advancements that promise to push the boundaries of what’s possible in 3D printing. To gain deeper insights into Formlabs’ strategic approach for RAPID + TCT and to understand the profound importance of such an event for both the company and its end-users, we had the exclusive opportunity to speak with Brian Nies, a key figure at Formlabs. His perspectives shed light on the exciting innovations attendees can expect and the broader vision Formlabs holds for the additive manufacturing landscape.

3DN: Could you introduce yourself and Formlabs?

My name is Brian Nies, and I proudly serve as the Head of Americas Sales at Formlabs. In this role, I have the privilege of empowering organizations across various sectors with the essential tools and technologies that transform their innovative ideas into tangible realities. My passion lies in connecting visionary professionals with solutions that drive creativity and efficiency. Before joining Formlabs, I honed my leadership skills by managing successful sales teams at leading technology companies like Datalogic and Keyence, gaining extensive experience in delivering advanced technological solutions to diverse industrial markets.

Formlabs stands at the forefront of the additive manufacturing revolution, dedicated to building accessible and professional tools that enable anyone, from individual innovators to large enterprises, to bring their concepts to life. We are committed to making professional 3D printing an indispensable asset for a broad spectrum of users, including engineers pushing the limits of product design, designers crafting intricate prototypes, healthcare providers delivering personalized medical solutions, manufacturers optimizing their production workflows, and decision-makers seeking agile and cost-effective production methods. Our comprehensive product ecosystem encompasses state-of-the-art SLA (Stereolithography) and SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) 3D printers, renowned for their precision, reliability, and ease of use. Complementing our printers, we offer advanced post-processing solutions that streamline the finishing stages, ensuring optimal part quality. Furthermore, our innovative Form Auto manufacturing solution significantly enhances productivity by enabling automatic part removal, paving the way for truly automated 24/7 production. Beyond hardware, Formlabs excels in material science, developing its own extensive portfolio of industry-leading, high-performance resins and powders. These materials are engineered to meet diverse application requirements, from robust engineering plastics to biocompatible resins. Our commitment to innovation is further solidified by our best-in-class 3D printing software, which provides intuitive control, efficient print preparation, and seamless integration into existing design workflows, ensuring a cohesive and powerful additive manufacturing experience for all our users.

3DN: Why is it important to be at RAPID + TCT? What are the benefits of attending?

For Formlabs, RAPID + TCT represents much more than just an exhibition; it’s a pivotal annual event, a cornerstone of our engagement with the global additive manufacturing community. Every year, it provides an invaluable and unparalleled opportunity for us to not only showcase our very latest products and technological advancements but also to foster meaningful connections with the industry’s most important leaders, visionary customers, and groundbreaking innovators. The dynamic environment of RAPID + TCT allows us to directly demonstrate the capabilities of our professional 3D printers and materials, offering hands-on experiences that truly convey their impact.

Beyond product showcasing, RAPID + TCT serves as a critical forum for direct interaction and feedback. It’s an exceptional time to meet face-to-face with our diverse customer base, from engineers in major corporations to individual designers and small businesses. These conversations are incredibly insightful, allowing us to hear firsthand the unique and ingenious ways they are leveraging Formlabs printers in their daily operations. Understanding their challenges, successes, and evolving requirements is fundamental to our continuous improvement. This direct feedback loop is instrumental in helping us evolve our product offerings, refine our technologies, and develop new solutions that are perfectly tailored to best suit the ever-changing needs of all our users. Moreover, the event facilitates essential networking opportunities, enabling us to engage with key stakeholders, identify emerging industry trends, and explore potential collaborations that can further accelerate the adoption and advancement of additive manufacturing across various sectors. It’s a holistic experience that strengthens our position as an industry leader and ensures we remain at the cutting edge of innovation.

3DN: What is Formlabs showcasing this year?

This year, Formlabs is particularly excited to highlight a monumental stride in resin 3D printing technology: the newly announced Form 4. This groundbreaking machine is our newest flagship resin 3D printer, and RAPID + TCT will be one of the very first public venues where attendees can witness its revolutionary capabilities firsthand. The Form 4 sets a new benchmark in the industry, engineered to be Formlabs’ fastest printer to date, marking a significant leap forward in production efficiency and speed.

Attendees at our booth will have the exclusive opportunity to see the Form 4 in action, observing its unprecedented print speeds, which are up to five times faster than previous generations. This dramatic increase in speed is paired with unmatched reliability, ensuring consistent and high-quality outputs even at accelerated production rates. Furthermore, the Form 4 delivers exceptional print quality, capturing intricate details and smooth surface finishes that were once thought impossible at such speeds. Its design emphasizes unparalleled ease of use, making advanced additive manufacturing more accessible to a broader range of professionals. From its intuitive interface to simplified material handling, every aspect of the Form 4 has been meticulously designed to optimize the user experience and streamline workflows. This combination of speed, reliability, quality, and user-friendliness makes the Form 4 a true game-changer, poised to transform how product designers, engineers, and manufacturers approach prototyping and production.

3DN: What do you expect from the show? What are you most looking forward to?

Formlabs harbors immense excitement for RAPID + TCT this year, primarily centered around the official debut of the Form 4 on such a prominent stage. We are eager to introduce the Form 4 to the global additive manufacturing world, allowing attendees to fully experience its revolutionary features. We anticipate enthusiastic responses to its blazing-fast print speeds, which are set to redefine expectations for resin 3D printing. We’re also confident that the unmatched print quality, consistently delivering precise and detailed parts, will impress even the most discerning professionals. Beyond the technical specifications, we are particularly looking forward to demonstrating the Form 4’s intuitive operation, highlighting how its user-friendly design makes advanced additive manufacturing more accessible and efficient for everyone.

Our expectations extend beyond simply showcasing technology; we are deeply invested in the interactions and dialogues that RAPID + TCT fosters. We look forward to engaging with our customers, partners, and industry peers to gather their invaluable feedback and understand how these new advancements can integrate into their existing workflows and inspire future innovations. Witnessing the creative applications and discussions sparked by the Form 4 will be incredibly rewarding. Ultimately, we anticipate that the show will serve as a catalyst for new opportunities, strengthening Formlabs’ position as a leader in professional 3D printing and helping to shape the strategic direction of the entire additive manufacturing ecosystem for years to come.

3DN: Any last words for our readers?

To our valued readers and the wider additive manufacturing community, I want to emphasize the transformative potential that the Form 4 brings to the table. With its groundbreaking combination of blazing-fast speeds, unparalleled reliability, and exceptional print quality, the Form 4 represents a significant paradigm shift. It empowers additive manufacturing to finally compete head-to-head with traditional manufacturing processes, offering an agility and efficiency that even outperforms established methods like injection molding in numerous applications. This isn’t just an incremental improvement; it’s a fundamental change that democratizes access to high-volume, high-quality production, making complex parts more accessible and cost-effective than ever before.

The Form 4 unlocks unprecedented levels of productivity and innovation across various professional fields. For product designers, it enables rapid iteration and complex geometries, drastically accelerating the prototyping phase. Engineers can push design boundaries with confidence, knowing that precise and functional parts can be produced quickly. Manufacturers gain the ability to create jigs, fixtures, and even end-use parts with remarkable speed and consistency, optimizing their production lines. Healthcare professionals can now develop personalized medical devices, prosthetics, and dental models with greater precision and on-demand efficiency. Ultimately, the Form 4 empowers innovators in every sector to take bolder design risks, experiment more freely, and significantly accelerate their time to market, turning groundbreaking ideas into commercial realities faster than ever before.

In addition to the revolutionary Form 4 hardware, Formlabs is immensely proud to expand its extensive library of industry-leading resins with the introduction of six new, high-performance materials. These new resins are meticulously engineered to complement the Form 4 ecosystem, enhancing its capabilities and opening up new application possibilities. Among these exciting additions are new General Purpose Resins, specifically optimized to enable the Form 4 to print even faster while simultaneously offering improved toughness and a broader range of vibrant colors for versatile prototyping and functional parts. The new Fast Model Resin is a game-changer for rapid prototyping and the efficient production of orthodontic models, allowing for incredibly quick turnarounds without compromising accuracy. Furthermore, the Precision Model Resin is engineered to deliver highly accurate dental models, ensuring a perfect fit every single time for various dental applications, from restorative dentistry to orthodontics. These material innovations underscore Formlabs’ commitment to providing a complete, integrated solution that addresses the diverse and evolving needs of professionals across industries, pushing the boundaries of what is achievable with additive manufacturing.

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear more from Brian Nies, Head of Americas Sales at Formlabs, as he will be a featured panelist on the insightful Executive Perspectives Keynote Series! This session promises to offer invaluable insights into the future of additive manufacturing and Formlabs’ strategic vision within it. We encourage all our readers to experience these innovations firsthand. Secure your complimentary Expo Pass for RAPID + TCT for free by registering HERE. This free pass grants you access to the exhibition floor, where you can explore Formlabs’ booth and interact with the latest 3D printing technologies.

We’re eager to hear your thoughts! Will you be visiting Formlabs at RAPID + TCT 2024? Let us know your plans and expectations in a comment below, or engage with our vibrant community on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages! For those who want to stay continually updated on all the latest developments in the world of 3D printing, don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly newsletter here. It’s delivered straight to your inbox, ensuring you never miss a beat in this rapidly evolving industry. Additionally, you can find a wealth of informative and engaging videos on our YouTube channel, offering deeper dives into additive manufacturing technologies and applications. We look forward to connecting with you!

*All photo credits: Formlabs