So we received our form 3 about a week ago, It was a dissaster the prints were more than terrible. Short story we are getting a replacement machine on monday.
However we noticed that parts are a lot more heavier than the ones from the form 2. The new printer using latest firmware and latest preform version, calculates much less material than the real thing.
Here you have the evidence… The material consumption has increased about 36% which is a LOT considering we usually do short production run parts. It will mean to increase costs by material by 36% jus for using the form 3 despite the fact software is LIYING about material consumption.
When will formlabs have a solution for this? Or is this something that we will have to live with? For us is unnaceptable to have lower quality prints and more material consumption. There is not a single improvment, and if this is not solved somehow we will return the printer. I’ts nonsense to spend more material just because you got a new machine.
The support structure makes the difference. The Form 3 supports use more material than the Form 2 ones - something we aren’t happy with either. Formlabs could at least give the option in PreForm to have less heavy supports, as the only real difference I see is that the structure is joined together at some distance from the model, probably to realize the advertised (but not yet delivered) “peel-off supports”.
Formlabs’ support settings are very conservative. ‘Peel-off supports’ are available if the touchpoint size id set to 0.3mm or less*. The volume of resin used in the print can be reduced by maybe 20% by reducing the touchpoint density and the slope multiplier.
Whether any of this will work for a particular model will depend on the model’s geometry. It’s really need a degree of experimentation to optimise the support for a particular model.
*0.3mm touchpoints give me peel off supports on my Form2 as well.
If something is advertised, it should work out of the box, not require you to tweak settings, and especially not be half-baked resulting in wasted resin. As you said, one can have peel-off supports with the Form 2 as well…
