Hey!
I didnt get a 3d printer yet but im familiar with 3d programs both modelling and sculpting, I know i want to get a 3d printer becouse i can do some work with it ( I do archviz stuff) but question is if i buy a form 1/+1 or form 2 maybe i could also chase another dream that has been the dream of many tabletop gamers, printing your own tabletop armies. So question is do you think the form 3d printers are good enough to print for example 28mm tabletop game miniatures like say example warhammer or warmachine. Im not looking too copy the ones that already exists but to make my own versions. Quality does not need to be 100% as good as games workshop but details good enough to make a human face on a 28 model.
Some other things ive wondered about is:
I am interested in knowing how much resin it takes to print a miniature similar to what im talking about, or just something else to compare with.
Is it much more expenssive than PLA ?
Ive been offered too buy a form +1 for about £1500 plus shipping, is this a good offer and would the form 2 do a much better job at what im going to use it for?
Sorry for the wall of text and maybe som bad spelling 
Thanks in advance for any help with this.
I will to answer as best I can.
the answer to your first question is not straight forward. Yes, I can vouch that a form1 or form 1+ (they are basically the same machine) at 25um can deliver a detail resolution near perfect to what you would expect from a 28/30mm miniature. I have created quite a few for several companies so far and conducted test prints on my Form 1+. Even at the 50um settings, I think you would be happy. I will admit, that there is a steep learning curve to any 3d printing and it took me quite a few attempts to really get a feel for it and I’m still learning. The form1 is not perfect but it is a fantastic machine. 3d printers of higher resolution start at $10k USD or so and go up from there well into the $100’s K USD. Formlabs is to my knowledge, the best high resolution desktop printer you can get for the money. There are a few others around the same price but, by all reviews I’ve read, they are not as reliable or are just plane bad.
As for a typical FDM 3d printer using a PLA filament, NO, it will not provide detail results anywhere near what a stereolithography or digital light projection unit can do. At best a filament based machine would provide results about the equivalent to the lowest resolution of a Form 1 and usually the build layers are not as clean and have heavy, visible stepping. I use FDM based machines for large, low detail, coarse prototypes. Nothing more. .
Your second question is a bit easier. You can expect to use approximately 15 to 20 ml of resin for a typical warhammer size miniature including build supports. The Form 1 is surprisingly efficient. Not sure about the Form 2 but I would anticipate about the same. The resin works out to $0.15 USD per ml so a typical mini should be around $2 to $3 USD in resin. However, at 25um the build job will likely take 8 - 12 hr. I forget how much power the printer takes but it is about the same as running a typical computer.
Your third question. I’m unsure about the current exchange rate but 1500 sounds like it may be a little high for just a base unit assuming no resin, extra trays or extra tanks. It is really going to depend on what else comes with it. You can purchase a Form 1+ referb direct from formlabs with a 1 year warranty for $2499 USD.
More than anything, and this is VERY IMPORTANT, it is very easy to damage the mirrors of the form 1 and form 1+ and there are a lot of people selling damaged units. I strongly recommend just saving up an buying a NEW unit with a full warranty.
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Yeah, you can definitely get good results for small figures, it’s one of the things it excels at. It’s also one of the easiest printers to use, since it’s been tested much more than other printers usually are.
If you want to save some money Form1+ is great, otherwise if you can the Form2 is looking to be a really great improvement. I’m not sure about the market in the UK but here you could get a used Form1+ for less than what £1500 is in U.S. dollars
Hi
I’m the one selling the form1+ for £1500. They aren’t really available to buy used in the UK (not that i can find anyway) so I thought that was an ok price. What sort of price do they go for in the US?
Ive looked around and there are quite a few selling it, the prize varies from 1000 -1800 depending alot of what is included.
Thanks alot fot the info, have any pictures of the 28mm you guys have printed ?