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Meet Form Wash and Form Cure: Professional Post-Processing for Cleaner, Stronger Parts

#1

Today we’re excited to announce Form Wash and Form Cure; new systems for automated washing and powerful post-curing. Built to complete the SLA engine, Form Wash and Form Cure streamline the entire 3D printing process to consistently produce high-quality results, with less time and effort.

Form Wash
The first step in post-processing SLA prints is to remove them from the build platform, then place them in a bath of IPA to clean off excess resin. Form Wash automates this process. Parts can be transferred to Form Wash directly from the printer, still on the build platform, or removed and placed in the basket. Set the time for as long as you’d like and an impeller inside Form Wash will agitate the IPA to more effectively clean your part. After the time is up, the basket and platform will automatically rise out of IPA.

Form Wash includes a storage area to keep your finishing tool plus a hydrometer to let you know when the IPA needs to be changed.

Form Cure
Post-curing maximizes material properties for SLA prints, improving parts’ strength and performance. Using settings unique to each material, Form Cure combines the power of 405 nm light with precise temperature control to perfectly post-cure every part.

Post-curing improves the properties of our standard and engineering materials and is required for biocompatibility with Dental Resins and successful burnout with castable prints. Form Wash and Form Cure to complete the Form 2 experience. Visit the product page to learn more about how each unit works and sign up for our webinar to see them in action.

Offering a product with a false shipping date is wrong and illegal
#2
#3

Very nice addition to the printer!

Question:
We used to use two baths/soaks, one for dirty parts and one for the final clean.
Do you need just one bath now?

Can you use all materials in the same bath? No risk of contaminating the surface of the printed parts with other resins?

Is there a lid that automatically closes on the form wash? I can’t see this clearly in the pictures. I’m asking this for placement of the machine. Does it need to be under an exhaust hood?

#4

Switching buckets won’t be necessary with Form Wash. Currently, having two wash buckets allows for a more saturated bucket for removing the bulk of the resin and then a cleaner bucket for the final wash. This allows you to use a bit less IPA. With Form Wash, the difference in efficiency is nominal and only one bucket is necessary.

Some users might opt to use different buckets for different types of material. For example, soaking a white part in a bucket used for Castable Resin could stain your part. For this, we’ll be offering swappable buckets with Form Wash. You can opt to purchase additional buckets that can be used in Form Wash for different materials.

#5

The wash station is awesome! Thank you Formlabs! Thank you! I love you!

#6

Order placed!

#7

order placed!!

#8

given Archimedes, how do you prevent the buckets from overflowing for various print sizes??

#9

Will the Form Wash work with the Form1+ build platform?

#10

The maximum fill line of Form Wash is such that most all print volumes will not be able to overflow the unit. There are some edge cases like full build volume prints that might require reducing the fill line a bit.

#11

Form Wash won’t accommodate a Form 1+ build platform natively, but it should be relatively easy to make an adapter plate.

#12

I’m sure that fill line was placed based using historical print data from all the machines being online 100% of the time. Smart.

#13

Very nice, looks like FormLabs did a nice job.

One thing I noticed in the video is that the user put a few prints in the curing station which still had the supports attached. I though the general wisdom is to remove the supports before fully curing the model (while it’s still semi-flexible).

Anyway, these machines look nice, my only complaint, is the price. Once again, the prices don’t take in consideration the average user. I’m sure a business can expense those, but for the average hobbyist, $1200 is a bit hard to swallow.

#14

Have to agree with Dudemeister on price point.

#15

Dumb question: Does Formlabs charge the full cost of Wash/Cure at preorder or right before the product ships?

#16

There are quite a few materials that are prone to the parts warping if supports are removed before completing the curing process. That’s the reason for leaving supports attached during post-cure.

#17

In my experience removing post curing is easier and less prone to causing surface damage. I was quite surprised to see a model in there without supports.

Price is steep, but it’s cheap compared to the only market alternative. There’s an italian company with a cure chamber that costs as much as both of these products combined! Business wise these products are a bargain compared to what we used to spend. Hobbyist wise, I don’t think Formlabs was ever in the hobbyist market pricing segment. SLA in general has only recently started coming down in price enough to say that it’s entering the hobbyist price segment.

#18

Sweet! I’ve made sure that I’ll get one as long as the swedish distributor receives one! :smiley:

#19

The alternative you already have, 2 buckets of IPA and the sun, the best curing chamber in the world. If you want an indoor curing chamber then you can make one out of a plastic tub or a large can, and a string of UV LEDs for about $20.00. You can even add a digital timer for another $6-7.

Granted it will not be sleek looking, or have a turntable, but it will do the job. If fully enclosed, the LED’s will warm up the interior to about 50°-55°C (600 LED will do that for you). Depending on the material you’re curing, and the size of the model, it takes anywhere from 1/2 to 2 hours to fully cure a model.

#20

I agree these two items are expensive and may be outside the price point for hobbists. However, this is a fairly costly hobby. . 3d laser printing.
With the resins and trays, if you do a lot of printing you can be spending $400-600 a month or more.

So given the price of a washer and cur-er it’s really within the range I’d expect of appliances designed to be used with a $3500 printer by the engineers that created the printer.