Formlabs Just Made One Of The Best 3D Printers Better

The Formlabs Form 1 just got better. The new model, called the Form 1+ (note that this isn’t the Form 2 because then it would be called the Form 1++ (heh, nerd humor)), is a tweaked Form 1 with a faster build time, nicer styling, and a better control system to ensure smoother prints.

The new system has a laser four times more powerful than the original unit as well as a galvanometer that moves the mirrors inside the unit with more accuracy. The entire system works by shining laser light at a layer of photo-sensitive resin. The light hardens the resent at specific points, essentially building an object out of liquid. It’s a unique and very accurate process that creates smoother, more cohesive prints than the traditional filament deposition model popular with RepRap machines and Makerbots.

The new printers come with a 1-year warranty and are the first upgrades to the Form 1 since their launch two years ago. I reviewed the first model a year ago.

Current Form One owners can pay just $749 for an upgrade. A new unit costs $3,299. It is available now and we should have a review unit this summer.