A drawback to 3D printing has always been the manual labor involved in scraping off the completed part and setting up the new print job, which included adding material. 3D printer and material maker Formlabs just launched a new hardware and software solution that enables your printers to print parts around the clock without your help.
The new Formlabs Automation Ecosystem promises to enable high-volume 3D printing, reduce cost per part, and drastically reduce manual labor. Operators can ensure the smooth running of their printer fleet without having to be there in person.
The first piece in the system is called Form Auto ($3,399 each). It’s a hardware extension for the Form 3, Form 3B, and Form 3+ model printers that automatically removes finished parts from the build platform and deposits them in a holding bin, ready for the Form Wash, then starts the next print. The releasing action is recorded by an onboard camera, so that users can continuously monitor their production from the next room, a different building, or from another location entirely.
The software enabling the systems is Fleet Control, which is a suite of software features in the company’s existing PreForm and Dashboard apps that manages multiple 3D printers with centralized print queue and automatic printer assignment.
Fleet Control simplifies management and oversight of your fleet of Form 3 Generation printers by identifying which printer is most suitable for each print job and by creating a continuously moving queue across all printers.
These features can be accessed from anywhere, so queue management can happen after working hours, from home, or from anywhere in the world. “Potentially hours of each day in manual oversight are now eliminated by automating print-to-printer assignments and queue management, enabling operators to spend more time on important tasks like design and planning,” says Formlabs.
Solving the problem of filling the resin tank is the High Volume Resin System, a 5-liter Resin Bag and Resin Pump that expands the standard resin capacity of a Formlabs SLA printer, reduces waste, and minimizes cartridge handling tasks. Fleet Control and Dashboard features alert operators when consumables are close to needing a refill, so that changing resins can always be taken care of before leaving for the night.
For many printers or for singular units, these products can be used together as the Automation Ecosystem or as separate products for a specialized workflow.
Form Auto, Fleet Control, and the High Volume Resin System are aimed at small and mid-size businesses looking to boost their productivity and minimize the headaches that come with higher throughput through a series of features meant to make users’ lives easier and products even better, the company says.
Formlabs has been testing and tweaking the system since 2020 at its own print farm with more than 180 SLA and SLS printers running around the clock. Of those 3D printers, the 140 Form 3 Series printers are run by a single operator and produce about 440 parts each day, while another operator runs all the Form Washes and Form Cures. Print Farm manager Chris Pauwels says, “They are a huge help — it sort of replaces five printers because you don’t have to clean anything, scrape the parts off, or wash one platform at a time because we’re washing in large batches.”
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