Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W: Small SLS Printer, Huge Impression – 3DPrint.com

Disclosure: With Formlabs permission I used to be capable of promote my 4L and use that to assist with the acquisition of the Fuse 1+ and Fuse Sift. Other than permitting me the chance to promote the 4L, I’ve not acquired any compensation, all opinions expressed are my very own, and Formlabs has had no affect on the content material of this overview. Presently, I wouldn’t have the Fuse Blast system, and so am not reviewing that specific piece of tech. All assessments have been executed with default settings on Formlabs normal PA12. Featured Picture Courtesy of Formlabs.

Security precaution: SLS printing makes use of extremely advantageous polymer powders. The inhalation of those powders may cause hostile respiratory results. PLEASE put on correct PPE and comply with all producer directions for the setting and use of the printer.

Unboxing

The Fuse and the Sift come on their very own pallets. That is by far the most important printer that I’ve personally acquired. Very like the 4L I reviewed final yr, the Fuse 1+ and Sift got here packed extraordinarily properly! Once more I’m greeted with among the finest packaging I’ve seen. Each single a part of the printer is cradled greater than adequately. Formlabs has made the unboxing quite simple and fast.

Meeting/Construct High quality

Similar to the 4L, that is an especially strong printer. All the pieces is thick sheet metallic, wrapped round a thick body, and quite a lot of insulation. The Fuse 1+ may be very sturdy and has a construct high quality that rivals and even exceeds many different SLS printers, even these 10 instances the price of the Fuse!

First Print and Impressions

Formlabs makes the person expertise one thing particular. With no data, you possibly can simply get totally useful SLS elements out of the Fuse 1+ with little to no effort. After all, all of the superior print settings can be found for customized tuning, however the true magic of Formlabs is the standard of the supplied profiles for his or her supplies. It’s nearly a 100% assure for fulfillment.

{Hardware} and Specs

Formlabs offers a full technical information sheet for the Fuse 1+. Right here, you possibly can see an entire comparability of each Fuse 1 and Fuse 1+. The 1+ which I’ve has a 30w ytterbium fiber laser. Each Fuses have a 165x165x300mm construct quantity. Each can attain a staggering 200°C inner temperature utilizing quartz heating tubes and different heaters within the construct chamber. Each have a really useful powder refresh fee between 30 and 50%. Each weigh over 100kg with out the construct unit or powder. There’s additionally a ten″ touchscreen and inner digicam on each.

Software program and UI

The Fuse 1+ makes use of a customized firmware and the proprietary Preform slicer. An intuitive and easy UI on the Fuse 1+ makes utilizing the printer daily simple and simple. Preform is understood for its ease of use and highly effective characteristic set. Equally, Formlabs is understood for its fixed enchancment of Preform and have additions. Since I final coated Preform, a number of main updates have taken place, with monumental leaps in high quality enhancements.

Check Prints and Efficiency

Time-lapses and Digital camera

The Fuse 1+ comes with a built-in digicam, used for exhibiting the present print on the house display, AI failure detection, and timelapses. It’s not a typical follow to get to those timelapses, as the photographs are recorded for the failure detection. There’s a picture taken earlier than and after each layer.

Print Examples

Precise Print Velocity

The Fuse 1+ is quick. With current updates rising the effectivity of the laser sintering pathing, I’ve not been capable of create a construct that took longer than 18 hours. I’ve created full quantity builds with over 1,000 elements in them and nonetheless have solely reached 17 hours and 55 minutes. After all, this doesn’t embrace the cool-down time exterior of the machine, however even with that factored in, you possibly can have full construct quantity elements from begin to end in lower than 24 hours simply.

Precise Materials Capabilities

Out of the field, you’re restricted to the powders that Formlabs presents. Nonetheless, you possibly can 100% create customized profiles, and even purchase open materials mode, which lets you have complete management over the Fuse’s ecosystem of settings. I wouldn’t have this mode enabled on my Fuse 1+. With that being stated, so long as your powder might be softened within the 200°C chamber and might take in the fiber laser’s power, you’re seemingly capable of print it. I wouldn’t go fairly as far as to say it will possibly print PEEK powder, however specialty Nylons, crammed Nylons, TPUs, and even metals are utterly advantageous within the Fuse. For metallic printing on the Fuse 1+, you’re looking at a chilly metallic fusion course of just like the one specified right here from CADmoremetal.

Together with many supplies being supplied, the precise elements that you may print within the Fuse 1+ are unimaginable. Most SLS printers usually want thinner partitions, extra uniform in quantity elements; not dissimilar to injection molding, however with extra geometric flexibility. Basically, SLS doesn’t produce the highest quality with tremendous thick, giant quantity areas. With the Fuse 1+, that’s not the case. With a 165x165x300mm print quantity, I’m able to create elements which might be 150mm+ thick which have spanned the close to 300mm top. The flexibility to print such thick elements taking on over 50% of the construct quantity reveals us that the Fuse 1+ has wonderful thermal management over the construct chamber, one thing that even the bigger SLS printers wrestle with. That is very true for applied sciences like HP’s MJF, which is rather more delicate to thicker elements. I can steadily print 100% stable elements on the Fuse 1+ for which I must hole and create a gyroid infill on different SLS machines.

I do wish to word that the tremendous thick elements are solely nearly as good as they’re should you let the construct cool within the Fuse 1+ and never within the Fuse Sift. The detachable construct chamber has comparatively skinny partitions, leaving little insulation to assist preserve the warmth in. My solely gripe with this machine is that the construct chamber wasn’t wrapped in one thing like fiberglass or rock-wool insulation. However I’ve solely had one half warp in PA12 due to this, so it isn’t frequent.

Velocity vs High quality

As I discussed earlier than, you possibly can customise the velocity of your Fuse 1+. There are a litany of settings obtainable to do that. You may change the layer top from the default 0.110mm as much as 0.200mm. You can even enhance the laser scan spacing/velocity. After all, this may change the standard and last properties of your elements. The Fuse 1+ has a terrific velocity to high quality ratio. As beforehand talked about, the longest builds I can give you, even at work, are lower than 18 hours. This lets you run a full construct in lower than a day, and go away the chamber within the Fuse 1+ for an additional couple of hours, permitting it to chill extra slowly than when the chamber is taken out proper after completion. The 0.110mm layer top is an incredible center floor for high quality and velocity. It’s nonetheless doable to see the layer strains up shut, however it doesn’t take as lengthy to print.

Noise Degree

With solely a galvo system shifting and a few cooling followers, the Fuse 1+ isn’t my quietest printer, however for the standard, velocity, and capabilities it presents, it’s really extraordinarily quiet. Uniquely, I can examine this to the commercial machines I’ve at my day job, and confidently say that the Fuse is impressively quiet and 100% drowned out by the opposite SLS methods on the market. The Fuse 1+ averaged 69db and peaks at 72db when homing the construct chamber earlier than beginning a print.

Reliability and Upkeep

That is the place I can share quite a lot of attention-grabbing information. The Fuse 1+ is likely one of the most dependable printers I’ve come throughout! I’ve put a whole bunch of hours on my private Fuse 1+, and 1000’s of hours on different Fuse 1+ methods. With all that point and correct cleansing/preventative upkeep, there was zero elements changed, zero down time, and nil high quality points. These machines have carried out at an elite degree of 24/7 manufacturing throughout some very inconsistent elements with no points. Formlabs shares substitute elements when they’re wanted, and are fast to get them into the arms of anybody who wants them. I can confidently say that even in comparison with industrial SLS printers like 3D Programs, Formlabs’ reliability, consistency, and high quality far surpass the competitors!

With the Fuse 1+, Formlabs recommends a powder refresh fee of not less than 30%. Which means that the powder utilized in each construct is 30% recent unused powder, and the remaining 70% is recycled from what isn’t used on earlier builds. I’ve elevated this proportion as a result of the Fuse can completely deal with a lot denser builds. I steadily run builds which might be over 75% dense. Which means out of all complete quantity within the Fuse, I’ve over 75% of it full of elements.

Value and Worth

At roughly 1/tenth the price of the commercial competitors, the Fuse 1+ is an absolute steal, costing lower than $25,000 for the printer and fewer than $55,000 for your complete ecosystem! Sure, the construct quantity isn’t as giant as some, however in my expertise, 90% of all elements which might be SLS printed can match within the Fuse 1+ simply. With 1000’s of constant hours and a whole bunch of days printing numerous elements, the Fuse 1+ is the head worth SLS 3D printer.

Manufacturing Value on the Fuse 1+

The beneath half is one I designed for my dad’s enterprise, Wright Consulting. That is particularly designed to be 3D printed on an SLS machine, however it may be executed utilizing FDM with soluble helps, or on a resin printer just like the 4L, however it’ll want helps eliminated and closely post-processed. All costs are quoted utilizing MakerPrice, my new all-in-one app that makers and customers of automated applied sciences can use to cite their work.

I can match over 120 of those elements in a single SLS construct. It takes roughly 16 hours to print, leaving the opposite 8 hours for correct cool-down. This results in an ideal manufacturing cycle, the place each 24 hours I can have 120 of those circumstances. At a manufacturing value of <$2 per half, paired with its complexity, the Fuse has enabled reasonably priced manufacturing of the circumstances. No different system may compete with the method, high quality, velocity, or worth. The Fuse permits for mid- to high-volume manufacturing of ~50,000+ elements per yr.

Over 120 elements in the identical construct!

Comparability:

All supplies are comparatively comparable in desired properties.

FDM (PA6-CF):

Value per half: $1.11
Professionals: Fast for prototyping and validation, colourful, low cost
Cons: Weaker, sluggish, low quantity

SLA (Formlabs Robust 2000):

Value per half: $3.95
Professionals: Correct, robust, quick
Cons: Put up-Processing, low HDT, low quantity

SLS PA12:

Value per half: $1.15
Professionals: Robust, excessive HDT
Cons: Costly startup, powder processing

So, who is that this for?

I don’t assume this printer is usually for the house person and even fanatic. There’s a steep worth to pay to get every thing working precisely the way it ought to and to maximise the potential of your Fuse 1+. That is for anybody, or any enterprise, like me and mine. If you happen to’re seeking to reinvest in your organization’s capabilities, have strict prototyping wants, or need extra correct and sturdy elements than what you’re already printing with FDM and SLA, the Fuse 1+ is for you. From storage startups to giant companies seeking to broaden capabilities, this can be a high tier selection. My firm Titan3D is a first-rate instance. I’ve spent years within the additive manufacturing business, and now with the assistance of the Fuse 1+, it’s lastly doable to get top quality, end-use elements which might be extra sturdy, correct, and stronger than FDM presents, with out paying large premiums that come from the businesses that home these industrial SLS printers.

Professionals

• Small footprint
• 110v single-phase energy requirement
• Assist-free printing
• Powder recycling at as much as 70% recycled powder
• <24 hour prints normally
• High quality
• Reliability
• Sound quantity
• Ease of use
• Half Armor

Cons

• Small construct quantity
• Powder course of is inherently messy
• Powder security, gloves, masks, filtration, ESD explosion-proof vacuums, and so on. are wanted
• Beginning to really feel a bit dated when evaluating to approaching machines like Raise3d RMS2200
• Construct chamber missing insulation

Abstract

The Formlabs Fuse 1+ SLS printer, paired with the Fuse Sift, presents distinctive construct high quality, straightforward unboxing, and beginner-friendly operation, delivering dependable, high-quality PA12 elements utilizing default settings. It contains a 165×165×300mm construct quantity, 30W laser, 200°C chamber, intuitive PreForm software program, built-in digicam with AI failure detection, and quick prints beneath 18 hours—even for dense, full-volume builds. Excellent thermal management allows thick, stable elements, with as much as 70% powder recycling, quiet operation (69–72dB), and near-perfect reliability throughout 1000’s of hours. Priced beneath $25,000 (full ecosystem ~$55,000), it offers unbeatable worth—about 1/tenth the price of industrial SLS methods—enabling mid- to high-volume manufacturing (e.g., 120 complicated elements in 24 hours at ~$1.15 every) with superior power and sturdiness over FDM or SLA. Drawbacks embrace a smaller construct quantity, messy powder dealing with requiring PPE, and skinny construct chamber partitions that profit from in-printer cooling. Preferrred for companies and professionals looking for sturdy end-use elements with out large funding, the Fuse 1+ excels in ease, consistency, and efficiency.

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