Formlabs Launches 3D Printing Materials and Resin Pumping System
The company is launching new PP powder and dental resins today at CES 2024
Somerville, Mass.-based Formlabs on Jan. 9 launched two new 3D printing materials and a new accessory for use with some of its printers and will enable increased production with less hassle, lower resin costs, and reduced waste.
The company, which has sold 130,000 printers worldwide, says these new products “aim to bolster in-house 3D printing for consumer goods, dental appliances, industrial and automotive parts, manufacturing prototypes, and more.”
Exhibiting at the Jan. 9-12 CES trade show in Las Vegas (Booth #54221), Formlabs described the accessory as a Resin Pumping System and the newly launched materials as Polypropylene Powder and Premium Teeth Resin.
Polypropylene powder can be used with Formlabs’ SLS printers to produce a wide variety of parts.
Designed for the firm’s Form 3 and Form 3L printers, the Resin Pumping System is a plug-and-play replacement for the standard one-liter cartridges. It delivers five liters of resin directly to the printer’s resin tank for continuous printing for five times longer. It operates with five-liter containers of select materials with an initial discount of at least 10 percent compared to one-liter cartridges. Formlabs’ Resin Pumping System costs $199 and is currently available.
Eric Weinhoffer, a senior hardware development specialist with drone maker Skydio Inc., said: “Skydio is constantly 3D printing to iterate using Form 3+ printers, which provides a huge advantage in hardware development. Resin Pumping System benefitted me and my team because I don’t have to check on the one-liter cartridge, which ran out once and caused us to place a frantic, last-minute order. Now, Resin Pumping System and the five-liter container reduce the mental burden on me and ensure our printers keep running.”
Polypropylene powder
The two new materials, meanwhile, complement Formlabs’ existing ecosystem, which includes more than 45 materials as well as stereolithography (SLA) and selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printers that are used in-house for prototyping and product design.
The Polypropylene Powder expands the company’s SLS portfolio. It enables users to print products commonly made of polypropylene, such as home appliances, electronics, sports equipment, custom lab equipment, prototypes, manufacturing tools, and more, efficiently and at a low cost with Fuse 1+ 30W 3D printers.
Nano-ceramic-filled dental resin
A leading player in the fast-growing dental 3D printing industry, Formlabs says its ecosystem supports more than 15 million printed dental parts. Premium Teeth Resin will support 3D-printed denture teeth and temporary full-arch, implant-supported restorations with “life-like aesthetics and simplified workflows without compromising on intraoral mechanics.”
The firm’s new nano-ceramic-filled Premium Teeth Resin can be used to make 3D-printed denture teeth and temporary full-arch, implant-supported restorations.
Premium Teeth Resin is nano-ceramic-filled, FDA-registered, Class II biocompatible material with validated longevity. Formlabs claims it guarantees optimal clinical performance while balancing natural-looking aesthetics.
The material can be customized to each patient’s anatomy, mimicking natural teeth translucency and opalescence. Premium Teeth Resin is said to feature “industry-leading aesthetics, optimal intraoral mechanical properties, accuracy, and simple workflow to enable affordable yet personal dental care for diverse patient needs.”
Both new materials are currently available.
Read more about 3D printing developments at PlasticsEngineering.org.