Formlabs - A New 3d Printer

Pugsley

Western Thunderer
Having been to an additive manufacturing exhibition at the NEC yesterday, and seeing what this little device can achieve:
http://miicraft.com/products/
I was on the verge of placing an order (they were thoroughly nice blokes as well).

The standard parts have a fantastic finish at the current resolution of 50 microns, but talking to one of the guys, he reckons it can go down to 35 microns, but 50 is the lowest they'll guarantee.

That said, the one linked to above has a greater build envelope and higher resolution, I guess the downside is that it isn't going to be available for some time yet. I may now have to hold out and see what happens with this one instead.

Interestingly, it is in the same resolution and size league of the smallest Envisiontec machine, the price of which was quoted to me as 'under £15K' - the Form 1 is going to be pretty serious competition for them, even the method of generating supports looks similar.

There seems to be a few different machines of this nature appearing at the moment, this is another one that seems to have promise, but I haven't done a comparison with the others I've been looking at so far.

Fascinating stuff! (for me at least).
 

28ten

Guv'nor
I have been watching Formlabs for a while and the budget is in place ;) I would like to get detailed running costs before doing anything else. Mind you if young Pugsley is going to get one it might be easier to send the files down the motorway, and buy the CNC router I have been after :)
 

Pugsley

Western Thunderer
Mind you if young Pugsley is going to get one it might be easier to send the files down the motorway, and buy the CNC router I have been after :)
Sounds good to me - I can think of a few uses for a CNC router too :D Are you going for a 5 axis one?
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Do not worry, there will be a WT-meet outside your door, waiting with expectation, someone will help you unpack the new toy.
And that, in itself, is an interesting thought. Combined with the proprietary casting technology I'm developing concurrently it's a no-brainer, if only really relevant to rapid prototyping or very short production runs.

I await expressions of interest, with interest.

Steph
 

28ten

Guv'nor
Sounds good to me - I can think of a few uses for a CNC router too :D Are you going for a 5 axis one?
3 axis. It's really to do profile milling type jobs, things like valve gear and to replace etching for limited run parts - if/when I screw up its just a quick edit in solidworks, not £50 quid down the drain!
 

djparkins

Western Thunderer
3 axis. It's really to do profile milling type jobs, things like valve gear and to replace etching for limited run parts - if/when I screw up its just a quick edit in solidworks, not £50 quid down the drain!

You are paying £50 for a photo tool??? Thats expensive!
 

marsa69

Western Thunderer
Well I can see the Colonel wanting cabs doing for 310/312 EMUs and cabs for Class 82 - 84 ac electric locos. I'm sure he'll confirm that himself when he finally gets away from his tiffin :p
 

marsa69

Western Thunderer
Ah ha! But the Colonel is cunning and has the 3d thingymajiggy well in his hamfisted hands. The Blue force is strong in that one :D
 

Pugsley

Western Thunderer
3 axis. It's really to do profile milling type jobs, things like valve gear and to replace etching for limited run parts - if/when I screw up its just a quick edit in solidworks, not £50 quid down the drain!
Cool.

There was a tasty 5 axis Roland machine at the same show, but I know that is way out of my price range! I've considered laser cutting, instead of etching, as a possible alternative to etching. Only thing is, the people I was speaking to said they couldn't do the half etch equivalent. However, there are companies that do laser marking, which I guess is the equivalent, so a two stage process might do the job. That may make etching the cheaper option though.

More thought and investigation required, methinks.
 

28ten

Guv'nor
3 axis routing is cheap ( under £2k) and very flexible. From a production POV it is slower than a laser, but Im not worried about speed as long as I can cut non ferrous metal with accuracy.and eliminate the etching process.
I noticed some questions on the running cost of resin for the formlabs which are worth investigating.
 

djparkins

Western Thunderer
I am including postage and a couple sheets of brass in that, but i certainly dont get the economies of scale that a kit manufacturer gets ;)

Well thats not so bad then - especially if they are 18x12" sheets. The only drawback and a rule I made right back when starting in the 1970s was to have all my photo-tool work done by a separate company from the etching firm. That way you own your photo-tools outright and can move them from etcher to etcher. If they make the tools this is not so easy. This has proved a valuable tool in the armoury down the years, as it enable you to play one against the other for pricing. Important for tools that are being used several times a year.
 
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