Introduction:
Formlabs has always been a staple in the 3D printing industry. Known for their consistency and reliability, they are regarded as a top choice in engineering and industry. However, how does their latest unit, the Form 4B, stack up in our very specific (and increasingly saturated) dental market, especially after ditching the SLA technology that made it a household name and going with LCD?
Figure 1: The Form 4B – all form and all function
Disclaimer:
This is a personal and individual opinion on the Formlabs Form 4B. Formlabs nor any of its global distributors have not been involved in the writing or editing of this piece and have not restricted any conclusions made by myself of this product.
Notable features:
- Straightforward physical set up
- Loud during operation
- Previously closed resin library which has now opened up
- Paired vat and mixer
- Convenient cartridge dispensing system
- No mini kit available
- Optional flexible build plate makes bulk model production a breeze
- Reliable and consistent slicer
Basics:
| Printer size | 39.8 x 36.7 x 55.4cm |
| Weight | 122 bananas* |
| Technology | LCD (LFD) |
| Print volume | Std plate: 20 x 12.5 x 21cm |
| Slicer | Formware |
| XY resolution | 50 µm |
| Price guide | US$8,000 |
* 1 banana = 0.15kg
Figure 2: Formlabs resins are surprisingly affordable, considering the strength of the brand
Set up:
Setting up the Form 4B was easy-peasy. It came well-packaged and easily to unbox.
The unit comes factory-levelled but if you ever need to relevel the printer, everything you need (hex keys, paper cards, etc.) is stored in a dedicated compartment which is housed on the printer itself – pretty neat! I was a little surprised levelling wasn’t more automated as a process but that being said, it’s not something you need to do right out of the box.
The printer UI displays a printer and part checklist which makes it pretty user-friendly and relatively fool-proof. It’s relatively easy to navigate through but there are a LOT of menu options in there and I can see it being pretty confusing for the novice user if you really needed to scroll through. Fortunately, I doubt it’s something most users would ever need to experience.
The Form 4B utilizes a simple latch system to engage and disengage the build plate. Vats are secured by two clips on the side – a traditional touch. No fancy electromagnets or sliding mechanisms here. The printer itself will detect which Formlabs resin cartridge you have installed automatically – a nice quality-of-life touch.
Wi-Fi connection was straightforward and occurred without any drama.
Figure 3: The word “workhorse” comes to mind when thinking about the Form 4B
Software:
The Form 4B uses PreForm which is well know to be easy to use and reliable.
Just choose the right Formlabs resin and all your support settings will be automatically modified and optimised. There really isn’t too much guesswork. The slicer will detect “cups”, holes in your mesh and potential under-supported areas as well – once again showing how mature it is as a slicer.
Automatic orientation tends to orientate most applications as horizontally as possible – the most accurate way of printing any appliance. It would however be nice to see if this is improved and optimised for dental-specific applications though. For instance, automatic orientation of posterior crowns won’t orientate them with the occlusal surface towards the build plate.
There are a couple of very basic CAD functions in Pre-Form – namely labelling and hole creation. Nothing extravagant but it’s still better than nothing.
Figure 4: PreForm – a nice slicer but some improved automation functionality would be nice
Resin library:
Formlabs printers are traditionally closed and the Form 4B is no different. However, having seen where the market is heading, Formlabs has created an open license which allows you to print any resin in the market. A bold move, as I feel the system actually works very well and optimally as a closed network. Their resin library is robust and covers all bases for the general-purpose user and Formlabs resins are cheaper than those manufactured by many of the high-end brands out there! There is also a concern that by using the open license, users will expose themselves to a degree of unpredictability and inconsistency as one would have full control over certain settings (with great power comes great responsibility). I think inexperienced users should stick with native Formlabs resins for now – they work and print great and don’t cost the Earth.
Figure 5: Bego TriniQ motivational mockup – printed on the Form 4B
The printing experience:
Honestly, I enjoyed the Formlabs experience more than I expected. It’s such a consistent and reliable printer and the overall workflow is smooth and easy to delegate.
Thanks to the adoption of LCD technology, print times are faster than its SLA predecessors. It’s not a super fast printer but it can hold its own with 25-minute model printing with its Fast Model resin (100 micron layers). If you don’t need the detail, you can print at 170 or even 200 micron layers, cutting print times substantially. I mean, have you ever seen a 9 minute print for models?!
Printed results were accurate and honestly, I can’t really fault them. My printed splints and surgical guides fitted well clinically. I would recommend keeping the printer away from patients as it can be quite loud during print operation.
The optional flex plate accessory is a game-changer honestly. For anyone printing models for in-house aligner production, it makes it so easy to remove printed models from the build platform. The flex plate itself is detachable and can be chucked into the Form Wash for easy cleaning. Definitely worth the price, and I highly recommend this accessory for any prospective user. The resin cartridge system is super easy to use and it will make your staff members’ experience so much easier than other systems out there.
I also like how vat mixers can be purchased and stored with each resin vat – there’s no need to clean the mixer when swapping out resin vats as you’d have a different mixer per vat. Having a dedicated mixer also means users no longer need to manually stir the resin before use – this is an automated process. A fantastic quality-of-life perk Form 4B users will get to enjoy.
Figure 6: The flex plate gets a big tick from me – the Form 4B was build for bulk model printing
For the ambitious users and those interested in pushing the boundaries, the Form 4B is probably not the printer for you. While its native resin library is robust, it’s not really geared towards printing same-appointment restorations. Due to its relatively large build platform size, you’re looking at 25-30 minute prints for restorations (Bego TriniQ at 100 micron layers). There is no dedicated mini build plate and vat system and the build plate is not surface-treated to prevent reaction with highly ceramic-filled resins.
Figure 7: Some nice prints using Formlabs resins on the Form 4B
Conclusion:
Overall, the Form 4B is a great jack-of-all trades in the premium section of the dental 3D printer market, without breaking the bank. It is one of the true end-to-end systems out there when you combine it with the Form Wash and Form Cure. Its strength lies in its consistency and reliability.
3 points why you should get it:
- Great native resins that don’t break the bank
- Overall smooth digital and physical workflow that is easy to delegate
- Flex plate makes it one of the best printers for bulk model production
3 points why you shouldn’t get it:
- Noisy during operation
- No mini kit so the system is not optimised for same-appointment printing of restorations
- Open mode is still quite new and may theoretically break validated workflow