Formlabs Form Studio 1 Review: Professional Status, Consumer Price Tag

Formlabs has entered the consumer resin printer market with the Form Studio 1, its first machine aimed squarely at users who want to press print and walk away. Priced from $699, the printer borrows professional grade features from Formlabs' pricier pro lineup and wraps them in a simplified, guided experience built around the company's own resins, slicer, and accessories.

Hardware and Design

The Form Studio 1 uses a high speed conduction resin heating system together with the company's Low Force Display system for full layer curing. A 28 LED backlight delivers 6 mW/cm2 at the print plane with a 35 micron pixel pitch. Build volume is 200 x 125 x 235 mm, and the machine measures 342 x 315 x 502 mm while weighing 14.5 kg, with Ethernet and WiFi connectivity. The reviewed Flex Package, priced at $749, adds an optional flexible build plate that the review calls a nice upgrade for the extra $50.

Styling echoes the larger professional machines with orange and grey coloring and see through side panels. A 7 inch touchscreen (1024 x 600) is the largest screen on a printer of this size, and a camera in the lower left provides live views and time lapses. The hood feels somewhat flimsy where it mounts to the arms, though the arms are solid; Formlabs stated it is working on improving that part of the design. A small front pocket holds the included hex keys and leveling tools.

Setup, Slicer, and Safety

The printer arrives nearly fully assembled. Users remove packing material, insert the build plate, and can adjust it with the included shims and a 4 mm hex key. Setup screens walk through the process and even prompt leveling the physical printer to balance the automatic resin feed system. The PreForm Form Studio 1 slicer is proprietary, which the review lists as a downside, though it becomes usable after a short learning curve. Open Material Mode allows third party resins, but the review notes that print reliability is best with Formlabs materials.

Formlabs Alpha resins are described as the first 3D printing resins certified UL GREENGUARD Gold when used with the Form Studio 1 and the optional $179 VOC extractor. They are low odor and passed long term skin safety tests, though gloves and safety glasses are still recommended. An optional Wash + Cure Station retails for $199.

Print Results

Test prints were run at 0.05 mm layer height. A Diablo 3 Johanna bust printed in Alpha V1 Grey used 264 ml of resin in 10 hours 56 minutes. The Headless Horseman model used 224 ml in 7 hours 58 minutes. Two flexible models, a soccer style stress ball and an airless tennis ball in Flexible 80A V2 Black, printed together in 7 hours 53 minutes using 153 ml. The review reports no print failures during testing and highlights reliability with Formlabs resin as a key strength.

Bottom Line

At $699 to start, the Form Studio 1 costs more than comparable resin printers such as the HeyGears Reflex RS at $499 and the Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra at $426.99, and testing showed slow printing times, though Formlabs Fast Resin is available for quicker output. Other drawbacks include no resin reclaim system, the proprietary slicer, and a build plate that is small relative to the price. The review concludes the price feels right for the premium package, with build quality and the Formlabs name adding appeal, and names the machine's consistent, trouble free printing as its strongest selling point for new users.

Sources: Tom's Hardware