Formlabs has introduced the Automation Ecosystem to improve 3D printing productivity with the Form Auto, Fleet Control software, and High Volume Resin System. Formlabs Automation Ecosystem was designed to help users scale production with 3D printer fleets to address the growing demand for mass customization, rapid prototyping, and product innovation.
3D printing production has generally been limited by operator intervention, requiring users to remove complete printed parts, change resin cartridges, and set new printing jobs manually. The intention of the new tools it to streamline the process with greater automation.
Formlabs Automation Ecosystem was created to help make 3D printing automatic, removing labor needs, and enabling users to scale up production from one Form 3+, Form 3B+, Form 3L, or Form 3BL to a fleet of 3D printers. “With the Automation Ecosystem, our users are now empowered to easily scale their 3D printing production for mass customization, rapid prototyping, and product innovation,” Dávid Lakatos, chief product officer of Formlabs, told Design News. “Formlabs users can save up to 80% on labor, lower their cost per part by 40%, and reduce packaging waste by 96% without any additional training time or labor.”
Formlabs has aimed the new tools for industrial sectors that include automotive, medical, dental, jewelry, and others. The goal is to create more prototypes, custom products, tools, medical devices, and much more, while saving up to 80% on labor, lowering cost per part by 40%, and reducing packaging waste by 96%.
Here are the features Formlabs includes in its Automation Ecosystem:
- The Automation Ecosystem provides these benefits without increasing training time or labor.
- Automatic Part Removal: With the Form Auto, users no longer have to wait until a job is done to start printing another. The Form Auto enables 24/7 printing by seamlessly removing finished prints from the Build Platform 2 and starting the next print.
- Centralized Management: Users can manage a fleet of 3D printers even while off-site with Fleet Control, a software extension that provides a centralized print queue and can automatically assign out prints.
- Increased Capacity: With the High Volume Resin System, users can print continuously with fewer interruptions to replace the resin cartridge.