Formlabs enters consumer printing market with $699 resin printer

Formlabs announced its first consumer-oriented 3D printer, the Form Studio 1, now on sale for $699, WIRED reported. Its previous affordable printer cost $2,300. The new device uses ultraviolet light to harden liquid resin into plastic and accepts both Formlabs and third-party materials; resin bottles start at $29. The lower printer price comes with space and equipment requirements. A separate wash unit costs $199 and has a footprint similar to the printer, which occupies roughly the space of a minifridge. Formlabs reports a roughly 2 percent print failure rate in internal testing using its own resins. WIRED's early testing covered only a couple of prints.