FormLabs Kickstarter Form 1 High Resolution 3D Printer Project

FormLabs set itself the ambitious goal of making a breakthrough in 3D printers and making a high-resolution printer (well above the existing ones) at an affordable price.
Almost all 3d printers work on a “layer by layer” basis, only the technology for creating layers, from powder to cutting from paper sheets, is different. Part resolution problems are associated with the smallest possible layer thickness.

This printer works according to the principle of laser stereolithography , when a laser with the desired wavelength "draws" the necessary detail in liquid plastic layer by layer. The part of the plastic that the laser beam illuminates hardens.

On the project page on Kickstarter, the company provides exciting comparative photographs - the products of some “standard”FDM printers and their offspring products. Really impressive.



The printer has the following features:
- maximum part size: 125 x 125 x 165 mm
- layer thickness: 25 microns
- detail on a layer: 300 microns

The layer thickness is 4 times less than that of the Replicator 2 recently written about .

Of course, complete with a printer promise a simple and convenient software for creating, editing and preparing models. And who will promise inconvenient software, right? ..

Together with the first printers, the creators promise to sell neutral gray plastic for models. In the future, they plan to add materials of different colors, different transparency and flexibility.



The developers promise the printers from the first batch to those who donate at least $ 2,300 to the project - apparently, this amount can be considered the cost of the printer, since they do not write about it directly in the text. By the way, this offer on kickstarter is already completely exhausted.

Being on kickstarter for two days, the project received donations already at $ 700'000, which is 7 times more than the original goal of $ 100'000. I suppose the developers are already drinking champagne and expect to raise a few million. Let's see what they get as a result.