Formlabs: Difference between revisions
Comprehensive revision: expand Micronics acquisition section with killer acquisition framing, rewrite Open Material Mode & Form 2 deprecation sections, replace all bare URLs with cited sources, populate CompanyCargo fields, remove stub placeholders |
Fix citation-claim mismatches: add 3dprint cite for $2999, fix $250M->$230M to match Wikipedia source, fix duplicate ref definition |
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'''Formlabs''' is a 3D printing company that charges its customers $875 to $11,899 per printer for the permission to use third-party materials on hardware they already own.<ref name="formlabs-omm-store">{{Cite web |title=Open Material Mode |url=https://formlabs.com/store/materials/open-material-mode/ |website=Formlabs |access-date=2026-04-04 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260116171208/https://formlabs.com/store/materials/open-material-mode/ |archive-date=2026-01-16}}</ref> In July 2024, Formlabs acquired Micronics, a startup building a $2,999 desktop SLS printer funded on Kickstarter, & immediately canceled the product.<ref name="formlabs-acquires-micronics">{{Cite web |title=Formlabs Acquires Micronics to Develop the Next Generation of Accessible SLS |url=https://formlabs.com/blog/formlabs-acquires-micronics/ |website=Formlabs |date=2024-07-11}}</ref> The cheapest SLS printer Formlabs sells starts at $28,989; the Micron would have cost roughly 1/10th that price.<ref name="formlabs-sls-pricing">{{Cite web |title=How to Compare SLS 3D Printer Prices |url=https://formlabs.com/blog/selective-laser-sintering-sls-3d-printer-price/ |website=Formlabs |access-date=2026-04-04}}</ref><ref name="3dprint-micronics" | '''Formlabs''' is a 3D printing company that charges its customers $875 to $11,899 per printer for the permission to use third-party materials on hardware they already own.<ref name="formlabs-omm-store">{{Cite web |title=Open Material Mode |url=https://formlabs.com/store/materials/open-material-mode/ |website=Formlabs |access-date=2026-04-04 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260116171208/https://formlabs.com/store/materials/open-material-mode/ |archive-date=2026-01-16}}</ref> In July 2024, Formlabs acquired Micronics, a startup building a $2,999 desktop SLS printer funded on Kickstarter, & immediately canceled the product.<ref name="formlabs-acquires-micronics">{{Cite web |title=Formlabs Acquires Micronics to Develop the Next Generation of Accessible SLS |url=https://formlabs.com/blog/formlabs-acquires-micronics/ |website=Formlabs |date=2024-07-11}}</ref><ref name="3dprint-micronics">{{Cite web |title=Formlabs Buys Nascent SLS 3D Printer Competitor Micronics |url=https://3dprint.com/311327/formlabs-buys-nascent-sls-3d-printer-competitor-micronics/ |website=3DPrint.com |date=2024-07-11}}</ref> The cheapest SLS printer Formlabs sells starts at $28,989; the Micron would have cost roughly 1/10th that price.<ref name="formlabs-sls-pricing">{{Cite web |title=How to Compare SLS 3D Printer Prices |url=https://formlabs.com/blog/selective-laser-sintering-sls-3d-printer-price/ |website=Formlabs |access-date=2026-04-04}}</ref><ref name="3dprint-micronics" /> Founded in 2011 by MIT Media Lab students Maxim Lobovsky, David Cranor, & Natan Linder, the company raised $2.95 million on Kickstarter for its first printer & has since raised over $230 million in venture funding.<ref name="wikipedia-formlabs">{{Cite web |title=Formlabs |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formlabs |website=Wikipedia |access-date=2026-04-04}}</ref> | ||
== Consumer-impact summary == | == Consumer-impact summary == | ||
* 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=" | * 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}}</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> | ||