At its Digital Factory conference, Formlabs, designer and manufacturer of powerful, 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.
Small manufacturers will be able to locally print parts for pounds that would cost hundreds and take days or weeks to outsource through a large manufacturer. With a simpler extension of the work process manufacturers and creators can focus on creation, and designing the next generation of incredible products. This is a technology that puts mass customisation at rapid pace within reach of thousands of manufacturers and engineering companies for the first time.
“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 hitherto been unavailable,” said Max Lobovsky, CEO of Formlabs. “With Fuse 1, we have taken 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*. 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 these developments, Formlabs is powering next-generation digital manufacturing and enabling mass customization through industrial 3D printing.
