A Tom's Hardware review of the Formlabs Form Studio 1, the company's first consumer-level resin printer, praises its walk-away printing, large touchscreen and cartridge-based resin handling. The printer starts at 699 US dollars and is built around Formlabs' own Alpha resins, though an open material mode allows third-party resins with extra calibration. The reviewer notes a somewhat flimsy hood mount as the main hardware weakness.
Key facts
Packages start at 699 US dollars including shipping; the Flex package costs 749
Build volume is 200 x 125 x 235 mm with 35 micron pixel pitch
Alpha Resins are UL GREENGUARD Gold certified when used with the printer and the 179 dollar VOC extractor
Sample print: 264 ml of resin, 10 hours 56 minutes at 0.05 mm layers
What does the Form Studio 1 offer and what does it cost?
The Form Studio 1 uses an LCD with a low force display, a 28-LED backlight and a 35 micron pixel pitch. The build volume is 200 x 125 x 235 mm, the footprint 342 x 315 x 502 mm and the weight 14.5 kg. It has a 7-inch touchscreen, Ethernet and Wi-Fi, and a camera for live view and time-lapse. The Basic package costs 699 US dollars, the Flex package that was tested 749 dollars, and a Founders Edition at the same price adds colour options and extras. An optional VOC extractor costs 179 dollars.
How does it handle resin and setup?
The printer arrives almost fully assembled and pre-leveled. Setup asks the user to level the whole printer so the automatic resin feed works without overfilling the vat. Resin comes in cartridges that slide in and out. Formlabs says its Alpha Resins are the first resins to be UL GREENGUARD Gold certified when used with this printer and the VOC extractor. Open Material Mode allows third-party resins, but they must be calibrated in the slicer and print reliability may suffer. Formlabs states a respirator is not required, while the review still advises good ventilation, gloves and eye protection.
What were the review findings?
The reviewer praises the design, the large screen, the clamp-locked vat and build plate, and the 3D printed tool pocket. The hood and its mounting were described as somewhat flimsy, and Formlabs said it is working on improving it. The PreForm slicer takes a few prints to learn for users coming from Lychee or Chitubox. A solid figure printed with Alpha Grey V1 used 264 ml of resin and took 10 hours 56 minutes at 0.05 mm layer height.
What it means
For industrial users the Form Studio 1 is mainly a signal of where Formlabs sees the low end of resin printing: a sub-700 dollar machine tied to its own resin ecosystem. It is unlikely to replace production equipment, but small companies in Europe could use such a printer for visual models and fit checks. Open material mode does not carry the same reliability, so cost per part depends on resin choice, and no qualification data for functional parts is given in the review.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Formlabs Form Studio 1 cost?
The Basic package costs 699 US dollars and the Flex package 749 dollars, both including shipping. The Founders Edition is also 749 dollars.
Can the Form Studio 1 use third-party resins?
Yes, through Open Material Mode, but the resins must be calibrated in the slicer and the review notes that print reliability may suffer.
