Resin compatibility between Form 3 & Form 4

I hadn’t realized some resins underwent a version/formulation change when moving to the 4 ecosystem. I naively thought it was just a container change - oops :sweat_smile:

Can anyone comment on whether these are cross compatible? For example, can I fill my 4L tank with V1 resin? And can I run V1.1 resin on my Form 3B? :thinking:

I’ve done “unofficial” things like this previously with Elastic V1 and V2 successfully…but just want to know whether this is in the territory of “it might work” or “it will be a disaster” :slightly_smiling_face:

Ideally I could use up my existing stock of resin effectively as I transition over to Form 4.

Thanks in advance! :pray:

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Take it from me - no.
I DID get some product to print from my old resins on the 4, but mostly it was a massive waste of time…
and it eventually f’d up one of my trays…
the resins are different. Save yourself the cost… maybe you can find somebody who’ll buy your resins at discount…

Officially, Formlabs would not recommend mixing resins across different versions and print settings, as they’ve been tuned specifically for each printer platform. But (with the Formlabs hat off), if you’re open to experimenting, the previous versions of these seven resins should technically still print reliably on Form 4/4L, but you may notice less sharpness and dimensional accuracy on the supported surfaces. If you manually fill a Form 4L tank with an older version of the resin and select the updated print setting, it should still print, though results may vary, and we wouldn’t be able to guarantee the same level of print quality or material properties.

The new versions of these resins, however, will not print reliably on Form 3 generation printers due to the formulation adjustments we made to optimize surface finish and performance on Form 4.

For reference, these are the resins with minor formulation updates, denoted with a VX.1 version bump:

  • BioMed Durable V1.1
  • Dental LT Comfort V1.1
  • Durable V2.1
  • Flexible 80A V1.1
  • Tough 1500 V1.1
  • Tough 2000 V1.1
  • Rigid 10K V1.1

I’ve personally mixed the remainder of a Tough 2000 V1 tank to transition to Tough 2000 V1.1 and have not encountered any major issues that caused print failures. But your results may vary, like @Davidwedge mentioned. *Formlabs hat back on* If you’re experimenting with manually transferring resin, just keep in mind that the material properties may be slightly less predictable, and dialing in settings might be necessary for best results. Let us know how it goes!

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Exactly what I was looking for - thanks @henryqiu!

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As a follow up - is this info true for standard resins as well?

ie. previous versions can be printed successfully on the 4 but not new versions on the 3?

Anecdotally, I have a friend who says he has been printing Clear V5 on the Form 3 perfectly fine (and actually prefers it apparently).

From our testing of Tough 2k v1 vs v1.1:
V1.1 is more brittle than v1.
For a few of our parts, we have to do a drop test for certain UL Approvals (drop a steel ball, from a specific height and specific weight)…the ball must not break through the part.
with v1 of the resin, the ball bounces off without breaking the part. with v1.1, the ball bounces off the part, but also breaks the part.

Hi @Lantech50,

The changes between Tough 2000 V1 and V1.1 are minimal. The core polymer itself has not changed, and the mechanical properties remain the same. The updates in V1.1 were made purely to adjust how the material absorbs and reacts to light so it could work better with the Form 4’s print engine, but it wasn’t made thinner or more brittle.

If you’re seeing differences in part performance, there may be another factor at play, whether it’s print settings, post-processing, or something else. I’ve also personally printed a lot with Tough 2000 V1 on Form 4 and recently switched to V1.1, and have not noticed any change in brittleness tradeoffs. I have also further confirmed with our Materials Lead that our testing has not indicated any changes in brittleness with Tough 2000 V1.1.

@leonhart88 I will look into whether we have any resources or advice about GPV5 Resins on the Form 3 generation printers. My best guess for now is “it’ll technically still form a part, but not well and probably not worth the hassle since it wasn’t what it was designed for”. It would be like putting low-octane fuel into a high-performance race car, it’ll technically still combust in the cylinder, but you won’t get the same power, efficiency, or performance because engine was not designed for it. For this reason, the General Purpose V4.1 Resins were made to bring some of the better aesthetics of the General Purpose V5 Resins to Form 3/3L users. Sadly, the improved material properties were only possible with the upgraded hardware on Form 4. You can find more details here about our ongoing support for the Form 3 ecosystem.

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from Formlabs support from other thread…
"The resin for the two generations has a different formula and therefore unfortunately cannot be used with the current printers. The Form 3 resins are even thicker than those for the Form 4. Furthermore, the cartridges are blocked after about 1.5 liters of resin have been used so that we can prevent third-party products from being used with the printer.“

Hi @Lantech50, I’ve double-checked with both our Materials Lead and the support team, and that information isn’t accurate. The core polymer in Tough 2000 V1 and V1.1 has not changed, and the mechanical properties remain the same. I’m not sure where that specific messaging came from, but I’ll follow up internally to clarify and adjust our messaging if that was said in error. If you’re seeing differences in performance, it’s likely due to another factor like print settings, post-processing, or testing conditions rather than a fundamental change in material formulation.