SOMERVILLE, MA, 31 Mar 2025 – Formlabs has announced two additions to its SLA ecosystem – a blazing fast curing solution and a 10x tougher functional resin. The Form Cure post-cures parts in 60 seconds, and the Tough 1500 Resin rivals the mechanical properties of injection molded plastics like polypropylene, making it easier to use 3D printing for production use cases.
Tough 1500 Resin Takes Big Step Toward Closing the Toughness Gap With Injection Molding
Last year, Formlabs introduced the Form 4 and Form 4L, which improved speed and lowered costs to match injection molding. However, there remains a noticeable difference in the strength and durability of parts made with 3D printing compared to those made through injection molding.
Formlabs has introduced Tough 1500 Resin to address gaps in material toughness. Tough 1500 Resin V2 provides 10x higher fracture toughness, 3x higher Gardner impact strength, and over 150% elongation at break. With the improvements, it matches the mechanical properties of polypropylene, making it a reliable choice for durable parts that resist cracking, breaking, or shattering and retain their properties over time.
“For 3D printing to compete with injection molding it needs to take a massive step in terms of material properties,” said Formlabs CEO and co-founder Max Lobovsky. “With our new Tough 1500 Resin, we have made a massive step change that brings us significantly closer to having 3D printed parts compete with injection molded parts in terms of toughness and longevity, but with much more design freedom and production flexibility.”
Blazing Fast Post-Curing With Form Cure (2nd Generation)
Parts printed with SLA 3D printing need to be post-cured in order to reach their final properties. Formlabs is accelerating this process with a curing solution for their SLA ecosystem, the new Form Cure, enabling the 3D printing workflows when combined with Form 4 Series 3D printers. The new Form Cure saves 2x-8x the time versus curing with Form Cure (1st Generation). Form Cure (2nd Generation) heats to 60 °C in just 60 seconds. With Form Cure (2nd Generation), it’s possible to cure general-purpose resins in just 60 seconds or engineering resins in less than 15 minutes.
This streamlined post-processing workflow has already helped customers iterate in less time and dramatically increase throughput.
“Pairing the new Cure with Form 4, we can do so much more with fewer units. The speed that we can do things now changes the way that we are handling projects,” said Robert Mackowiak, associate rapid prototyping engineer at Hasbro.
“We need to cure 600 parts per day,” said Matthias Krabel, managing director, MAKRA PRO. “If we do this with our old Cure, we need more Cures to cure all those parts, meaning more time for us and more hours we need to pay, so the Cure (2nd Generation) process is better for us – cheaper and more efficient.”
New, Powerful Printer Fleet Management Tools for Free With Dashboard
New features in Dashboard, Formlabs’ free, online print management software, give users access to tools for streamlining collaboration. These include Group Queues for automated print assignment and Cloud Slicing for faster processing, all in one easy-to-use platform.
New PreForm Features Streamline Workflows
Formlabs also continued updating PreForm software with user-requested features, including:
- Seven language options: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese
- Add to a running job” for SLS 3D printers, enabling the addition of parts to an in-progress print job for maximum efficiency
- Model grouping to simplify the management of multiple parts
- Bulk model Import improves organization and efficiency for dental labs, service bureaus, and others handling high volumes of models
Source: Formlabs
About Formlabs
Formlabs is a 3D printing technology company specializing in high-resolution, affordable stereolithography (SLA), and selective laser sintering (SLS) printers. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Somerville, MA, Formlabs revolutionized desktop 3D printing by making industrial-quality machines accessible to professionals across various industries. The company serves the healthcare, dental, engineering, education, product design, and manufacturing sectors. Its product lineup includes the Form series of SLA printers, the Fuse series SLS printers, and a wide range of proprietary resins and printing materials. With a focus on innovation and user-friendly design, Formlabs empowers businesses to prototype and produce end-use parts with precision. The company has grown significantly since its inception, employing over 800 people globally. As of recent estimates, Formlabs generates an annual revenue exceeding $100 million, positioning itself as a major player in the additive manufacturing space and continuing to push the boundaries of digital fabrication.