Hello!
I am new to resin printing and I’m currently in the process of purchasing a Form 4. While this forum has already provided many useful information, I’m hoping to get some additional insights.
I’ve come across numerous sponsored reviews praising the Form 4 as an outstanding machine, as well as some genuine user feedback (like this one: My experience with the Form 4(B) so far/ Semi-Review from a Semi-Industrial User Perspective). However, I’d really appreciate hearing from users who might be mostly happy with their Form 4.
What has your experience been like with the printer? The switch in technology from the previous Form 1/2/3/3+, reliability, print success rates, etc.
So far, my experience with Formlabs’ sales team has been a bit frustrating. Although the representative I’ve been working with is knowledgeable and very friendly, I’ve been in contact with him for about three weeks now, and I’m still waiting on a promised updated offer that was supposed to arrive over a week ago. Since then, he hasn’t responded to my emails or phone calls, and this is the second time I’ve been left hanging.
I don’t mind a bit of a wait, but I do take issue with promises that aren’t followed through. Additionally, I’ve had to repeatedly request the samples I needed and their offer is missing items I specifically requested—even though I provided a detailed list via email.
This situation has me wondering: Is the Form 4 really worth it, or should I consider other competitors that might actually want to sell me a printer?
Thank you in advance for your help and insights.
Best regards,
Ed
I can chime in on the samples and promises thing and let you know it’s not great.
I had an issue where they invited me to a webinar and promised a free sample of the item they were showcasing in the talk because it showed off the finishing results one could get using Cerakote, which you need to see and feel in person to properly get an understanding. They held the webinar talked about how nice it was and the type of finish you could get, but told us there were no more samples to give out… It was the first webinar and they knew about this for weeks, but still decided to go ahead with the webinar anyway. They also told me they were not going to make any more and could not provide me with anything. So, how the hell am I supposed to know what it actually looked like and how it felt without me wasting time and money on my end? Needless to say Formlabs has its customer relation issues or at least for people or businesses that do not fall on the Fortune 500 list.
They also have been partaking in very anti-consumer practices over the last few years.
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Hi Ed - my name is Nick Graham. I lead sales and service globally for Formlabs.
I’m so sorry you’re having a bad experience working with our team. You should never feel like you have to chase us down for anything. Our job is to be proactive and to help you to get to the right decision (even if that means not purchasing from us).
I’ve flagged this issue to our team in Europe and we will treat it as a top priority. I see in our system that Jeremie (the sales rep you’ve been working with) called you today, which is a good start. We’ll follow through to get all of your questions answered.
If you get stalled again, please feel free to contact me directly at nick.graham@formlabs.com.
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Thank you for your feedback. I’ve read about the Open Material license, which is indeed surprising.
What has your experience with the printer been like? Are you happy with it?
Thank you Nick for your quick response. I’ll send you an email.
Quick update: Formlabs has been very reactive following my message and everything has been sorted out regarding the sales process today. Thanks Nick, Gregory, and Jérémie for your help!
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@Edouardh I am a Form 2 owner who is exploring options for a new printer, including the Form 4. There is one thing stopping me. The Open Materials License, as you mention below.
It is true that they lowered the OML for the Form 4 from $5,999 to $2,499 (I never actually saw the price for the Form 4 because it said “coming soon,” but the Form 3 was $5,999 and Form 3L was $8,999), so I guess that’s a positive. And it probably won’t affect someone who likes the convenience of the Formlabs cartridges. But with the Form 2, there was an Open Mode that required NO Open Materials License, and we could use any third-party resin for free. That was important for me because as a jewelry artist and CAD trainer, I needed to use third-party castable resins. Formlabs has never offered great castable resins, and our only option was to go third-party.
It was a little more inconvenient—for example, the heater didn’t work in Open Mode and you had to pre-warm resin in a baby bottle warmer. But we had to strain our resins anyway and put them back in the cartridge because castable resin wreaked havoc on the acrylic tanks and cracked them.
I have no problem spending more for a Formlabs printer because I’ve appreciated the turnkey solution, but this Open Materials License puts a Form 4 out of my reach, as much as I would prefer to stay within the Formlabs ecosystem. As far as I understand it, nobody else in the industry does this. I’ve waited almost six months for an update, but I don’t think they will change this policy. If that’s the case, I’m afraid my next printer will be another brand.
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Hi @katkramer -
As a complete newbie to SLA printing and Formlabs I am reluctant to say too much on this topic as much of what I am experiencing might have to do with the fact that I am maybe doing things wrong. Having said that, I feel the learning curve to get into FDM was a much easier one for me personally.
My advice here would be similar to what I offered someone else - ask your local agent to print you one od your parts in a resin you would use and then make the call.
Hope this helps!!
Regards, Friedl.
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