Formlabs has announced a new suite of stereolithography (SLA) materials designed to bring 3D printing closer to mainstream manufacturing, introducing resins that the company says now rival widely used industrial thermoplastics.
In a news release, Formlabs said its newly released Tough 1000 Resin and updated Tough 2000 Resin will join Tough 1500 Resin to form a refreshed Tough Resin family, engineered for end-use part production in demanding environments.
The company said the materials deliver durability, impact resistance and a matte finish with detailed surface quality when printed on the Form 4 Series.
According to Formlabs, each resin corresponds to a tensile modulus and aligns with properties of established thermoplastics used in manufacturing.
Tough 1000 Resin is described as the most ductile of the three, comparable to HDPE; Tough 1500 Resin offers a balance of stiffness and flexibility similar to polypropylene; and Tough 2000 Resin is positioned as the strongest and stiffest, with performance characteristics comparable to ABS.
“Formlabs’ goal has always been to deliver any part at the push of a button,” Formlabs co-founder and CEO Max Lobovsky said.
“But that mission depends on more than just speed and ease. We need parts that are as tough and resilient as the products we rely on every day. With the new Tough Resin family, SLA printing now delivers the strength and durability of the world’s most trusted thermoplastics.”
Formlabs said early adopters have already tested the materials in end-use manufacturing settings. Adam Warren, Draftsman and Mechanical Designer at Cool Machines, said the company requires components that withstand low-temperature stress during testing.
“These parts need to be able to take abuse, and Tough 1000 holds up,” Warren said.
The company also introduced Form Cure L V2, a large-format curing system designed to speed up post-processing for parts printed on machines such as the Form 4L.
Formlabs said the system can post-cure most parts in under 60 seconds, enabling faster handling and higher throughput.
“We were shocked by how fast the cure times were across all materials, even the engineering resins, which allowed us to work faster and get finished parts to our engineers in less time,” said Agostino Lobello, Product Development Engineer at Radio Flyer.
Accompanying the material and hardware updates, Formlabs released PreForm 3.54, which the company said introduces workflow improvements across its Form Series and Fuse Series printers.
The software update includes new supports, measurement tools, CAD assembly import enhancements, upgraded build packing, and improved navigation.
Formlabs said the combined developments are intended to help users focus more on designing and solving manufacturing problems, while reducing the time spent on preparation and processing.
