It was bound to happen, so let’s just get right into it.
First and foremost, I am incredibly excited about the recent FL announcement! These guys never stop innovating - well done!
Now that FL has released it’s specs on it’s own Curing Box, I am curious to see what others think regarding the comparison between the FormCure and the CureBox from Wicked Engineering (https://wickedengineering.com/).
DISCLAIMER: I own a CureBox, and might be biased slightly - just trying to be honest.
The main differences I see between the two are:
FormCure goes up to 80 C, while CureBox only goes to 60 C.
My first thought is, why do we need 80 C since all the specs for the current resins indicate 60 C temp while post curing. Secondly, the guys at Wicked Engineering said they can release a firmware update to match the 80 C.
The CureBox is firmware upgradable, the FormCure is not (to my knowledge). Maybe a minor difference, but it is interesting to know that firmware upgrades can be released to reflect the newer resins.
The FormCure has a rotating turntable, the CureBox does not.
The CureBox has mirrors on the underside to help cure the bottom, the FormCure does not.
CureBox is $599, FormCure is $699.
Other than supporting FormLabs (which is very important to me), what benefits does the FormCure have over it’s current competitors?
Temperature - FormCure and CureBox both capable of 80 C
Firmware - FormCure and CureBox both firmware upgradable
UV Curing all aspects of geometry - FormCure and CureBox both have 360 degree light sources
One additional thing I noticed:
LED Wavelength - FormCure is 405 nm and CureBox is both 405 nm and 365 nm
In my extremely humble opinion, both machines look pretty comparable to me. Thank you for responding @MaximLobovsky
@MaximLobovsky Thanks for that info. Can you provide more detail on the layout of the LED’s? How many shine down from the top, how many are under the perforated turntable, and are there any that run up the side pillars of the box?
Also why only 13 LED’s? Seems a bit low compared to custom-built cure boxes I’ve read about. How powerful is each one, and how even is the light distribution? How close did you get to the optimal 1.25mW/cm³ target outlined in your UV Curing whitepaper?
Do you rely on radiant heating in the chamber or is there a low RPM fan?
There is a fan to circulate the warm air for even heating
We should have more data on these parameters before we ship. In any case, the studies that went into that whitepaper are the same studies that we used to develop the Form Cure.
On the Formlabs FAQ https://support.formlabs.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000024604. you recommended 365mm light and the Dental section you talking about NextDent chamber, that has 300-500 nm light spectrum. So then this chamber can not use the high temp and the Dental resins???
Hi @planetvision - that originally recommended post-curing specification for Dental SG was based on the cure box that we initially tested the resin with. As you might imagine, there are a lot of tests that need to be done on a biocompatible resin. So, it’s a specification of one way to post-cure Dental SG, but not the only way.
We’re currently doing extensive testing with Dental SG parts cured in Form Cure, so that when it ships in September it will be the recommended cure box for the resin. Not all test results are done yet, so this is still pending additional testing. That said, all tests we’ve done so far have been positive – so signs point to this all being in place by the time the units ship.
I think it is appropriate to say congratulations to @MaximLobovsky and the Formlabs team on two much needed additions to their product line. If these two new products are anything like the Form 2, they are sure to be successes. Eleven long months ago, had these products existed, things would have been much different for the CUREbox team. In fact, there wouldn’t even be a team. But, they didn’t exist and here we are. Just the fact that CUREbox is being compared (quite respectfully I should add) to a Formlabs product makes me grin from ear to ear. So, while I am not thrilled to hear about our new competition, I welcome it. Competition drives innovation, and innovation is good for the community.
I’ve subscribed to this topic and will try to provide clarification from our perspective if/when questions arise. As always you can learn more about CUREbox’s specifications at https://wickedengineering.com/curebox-vs-form-cure. This announcement serves to further motivate our team to bring excellence to the products and updates we deliver, as well as the services we provide our customers.
As soon as payment situation is claryfied, we at ThyssenKrupp will purchase a CUREbox. I’m convinced that your system is working well, the setup is what we need for our used resins, the price is lower and finally it’s available RIGHT NOW.
In my opinion no need to compare to different products.
What is the current lead time on the curebox? I need a pro level solution asap, and cannot wait for the form cure to be released. Your product looks great!
My Curebox arrived on the same day that Formlabs released their new Form Cure. I was starting to question if I made the right choice. I have to say that I am very impressed with the quality of the product. I can immediate see a huge difference in the rigidity and strength of my Dental SG surgical guides. If your are looking for a curing solution right now, I personally think the Curebox is the best solution. I was also very impressed with their customer service and follow through on their 3-4 week delivery time.
Note- I have no affiliation with Wicked engineering. I am just a dentist.
I just wanted to jump in and vouch for the quality of the Curebox. I purchased one as a complement to our Form 2 to complete the SLA process for industrial design projects. It works, it’s solid, and support has been very helpful and very quick to respond. The quality of my prints have improved significantly.
Lastly, I am not affiliated with wicked engineering in any way.
The FormCure looks fantastic (and is a very nice piece of industrial design) but if you need a solution now I’d say the Curebox is worth it.
