Formlabs: Difference between revisions
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* Formlabs charges a per-printer license fee ranging from $875 (Form 4) to $11,899 (Fuse 1 series) for the permission to use third-party materials on hardware the customer already owns.<ref name="formlabs-omm-store" /> | * Formlabs charges a per-printer license fee ranging from $875 (Form 4) to $11,899 (Fuse 1 series) for the permission to use third-party materials on hardware the customer already owns.<ref name="formlabs-omm-store" /> | ||
* The company acquired Micronics in July 2024 & canceled the Micron, a $2,999 SLS 3D printer that had raised over £1 million from 431 Kickstarter backers.<ref name="3dprint-micronics" /><ref name="develop3d-micronics" /> Formlabs' own SLS printer, the Fuse 1+ 30W, starts at $28,989.<ref name="formlabs-sls-pricing" /> | * The company acquired Micronics in July 2024 & canceled the Micron, a $2,999 SLS 3D printer that had raised over £1 million from 431 Kickstarter backers.<ref name="3dprint-micronics" /><ref name="develop3d-micronics" /> Formlabs' own SLS printer, the Fuse 1+ 30W, starts at $28,989.<ref name="formlabs-sls-pricing" /> | ||
* The Form 2 uses proprietary DRM-chipped resin cartridges. Formlabs committed to supplying consumables through 2023, then left the end date ambiguous; by September 2024 consumables were still available but with no guaranteed supply timeline.<ref name="formlabs-forum-form2-support">{{Cite web |title=Ongoing Support for the Form 2 |url=https://forum.formlabs.com/t/ongoing-support-for-the-form-2/22871 |website=Formlabs Community Forum |date=2019-04}}</ref><ref name="formlabs-forum-form2-consumables">{{Cite web |title=Form 2 availability of consumables |url=https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form-2-availability-of-consumables/39108 |website=Formlabs Community Forum |date=2024-09}}</ref> | * The Form 2 uses proprietary DRM-chipped resin cartridges. Formlabs committed to supplying consumables through 2023, then left the end date ambiguous; by September 2024 consumables were still available but with no guaranteed supply timeline.<ref name="formlabs-forum-form2-support">{{Cite web |title=Ongoing Support for the Form 2 |url=https://forum.formlabs.com/t/ongoing-support-for-the-form-2/22871 |website=Formlabs Community Forum |date=2019-04-02}}</ref><ref name="formlabs-forum-form2-consumables">{{Cite web |title=Form 2 availability of consumables |url=https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form-2-availability-of-consumables/39108 |website=Formlabs Community Forum |date=2024-09-17}}</ref> | ||
== Incidents == | == Incidents == | ||
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On the Formlabs community forum in September 2023, Form 3 pre-order customer rkagerer stated that paying "$6k (per printer!) for the capability" might "expose them to litigation risk given the original marketing and sales assurances" that Open Mode on the Form 3 had been promised pre-release. Another user, Reine, asked "Is Formlabs idea to charge me three times the cost of a printer to use 3rd party resins?!" Other commenters wrote that "no normal person is going to buy a 6k add on" and questioned who would buy the $6k option.<ref name="formlabs-forum-oml-6k">{{Cite web |title=Open Material License $6k per printer |url=https://forum.formlabs.com/t/open-material-license-6k-per-printer/36905 |website=Formlabs Community Forum |date=2023-09-12 |access-date=2026-04-08}}</ref> Formlabs' current tiered pricing on its store lists $1,999 for the Form 3 series and $875 for the Form 4.<ref name="formlabs-omm-store" /> | On the Formlabs community forum in September 2023, Form 3 pre-order customer rkagerer stated that paying "$6k (per printer!) for the capability" might "expose them to litigation risk given the original marketing and sales assurances" that Open Mode on the Form 3 had been promised pre-release. Another user, Reine, asked "Is Formlabs idea to charge me three times the cost of a printer to use 3rd party resins?!" Other commenters wrote that "no normal person is going to buy a 6k add on" and questioned who would buy the $6k option.<ref name="formlabs-forum-oml-6k">{{Cite web |title=Open Material License $6k per printer |url=https://forum.formlabs.com/t/open-material-license-6k-per-printer/36905 |website=Formlabs Community Forum |date=2023-09-12 |access-date=2026-04-08}}</ref> Formlabs' current tiered pricing on its store lists $1,999 for the Form 3 series and $875 for the Form 4.<ref name="formlabs-omm-store" /> | ||
The license is free for accredited educational institutions.<ref name="formlabs-omm-store" /> As of January 2026, Open Material Mode is included with new Form 4B & 4BL purchases, but owners who bought the same printers before that date must pay the full license fee.<ref name="formlabs-forum-4b-omm">{{Cite web |title=PSA to All form Form 4B & 4BL owners (Open material mode) |url=https://forum.formlabs.com/t/psa-to-all-form-form-4b-4bl-owners-open-material-mode/46199 |website=Formlabs Community Forum |date=2026- | The license is free for accredited educational institutions.<ref name="formlabs-omm-store" /> As of January 2026, Open Material Mode is included with new Form 4B & 4BL purchases, but owners who bought the same printers before that date must pay the full license fee.<ref name="formlabs-forum-4b-omm">{{Cite web |title=PSA to All form Form 4B & 4BL owners (Open material mode) |url=https://forum.formlabs.com/t/psa-to-all-form-form-4b-4bl-owners-open-material-mode/46199 |website=Formlabs Community Forum |date=2026-03-27}}</ref> Formlabs' warranty terms state that failure modes caused by third-party materials are excluded from standard warranty coverage, adding financial risk on top of the license cost.<ref name="formlabs-omm-store" /> | ||
=== Form 2 deprecation === | === Form 2 deprecation === | ||
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By September 2024, nine months past the stated deadline, Form 2 consumables were still available but Formlabs hadn't provided a firm end date. Users requested concrete timelines to plan investment decisions; Formlabs didn't respond in the thread.<ref name="formlabs-forum-form2-consumables" /> Once Formlabs stops selling Form 2-compatible cartridges, owners of the $3,500 printer will have no official consumable supply. The printer becomes unusable even though the hardware itself still works.<ref name="formlabs-forum-form2-support" /> | By September 2024, nine months past the stated deadline, Form 2 consumables were still available but Formlabs hadn't provided a firm end date. Users requested concrete timelines to plan investment decisions; Formlabs didn't respond in the thread.<ref name="formlabs-forum-form2-consumables" /> Once Formlabs stops selling Form 2-compatible cartridges, owners of the $3,500 printer will have no official consumable supply. The printer becomes unusable even though the hardware itself still works.<ref name="formlabs-forum-form2-support" /> | ||
Third-party developers attempted workarounds. ProtoART produced a Universal Cartridge, a DIY modification kit installed into an existing cartridge that allowed third-party resin use with heater & wiper functions enabled.<ref name="protoart-cartridge">{{Cite web |title=A Universal Cartridge For Form 2 3D Printers, But Should You Use It? |url=https://www.fabbaloo.com/2019/09/a-universal-cartridge-for-form-2-3d-printers-but-should-you-use-it |website=Fabbaloo |date=2019-09}}</ref> The Universal Cartridge is compatible only with Formlabs firmware versions through 2.2.0; the product reached end of life & is available only while supplies last.<ref name="protoart-site">{{Cite web |title=Universal Cartridge Module for Formlabs |url=https://www.lectronz.com/products/universal-cartridge-for-formlabs-form-2-form-3 |website=Lectronz |access-date=2026-04-04}}</ref> | Third-party developers attempted workarounds. ProtoART produced a Universal Cartridge, a DIY modification kit installed into an existing cartridge that allowed third-party resin use with heater & wiper functions enabled.<ref name="protoart-cartridge">{{Cite web |title=A Universal Cartridge For Form 2 3D Printers, But Should You Use It? |url=https://www.fabbaloo.com/2019/09/a-universal-cartridge-for-form-2-3d-printers-but-should-you-use-it |website=Fabbaloo |date=2019-09-12}}</ref> The Universal Cartridge is compatible only with Formlabs firmware versions through 2.2.0; the product reached end of life & is available only while supplies last.<ref name="protoart-site">{{Cite web |title=Universal Cartridge Module for Formlabs |url=https://www.lectronz.com/products/universal-cartridge-for-formlabs-form-2-form-3 |website=Lectronz |access-date=2026-04-04}}</ref> | ||
== Products == | == Products == | ||
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[[Category:3D printing]] | [[Category:3D printing]] | ||
[[Category:Planned obsolescence]] | [[Category:Planned obsolescence]] | ||