B9Creator vs. Form 1
WHAT IS THE RESOLUTION OF THE PRINTER?
As stated on Formlabs website..."Different 3D printer manufacturers use different metrics to define “resolution," but layer thickness is one commonly cited standard. The Form1+ can create layers as thin as 25 microns, which is much finer than other desktop
machines. Minimum feature size refers to the thinnest wall or finest point, which can be as small as 300 microns on the Form 1+. The Form 1+’s laser beam can move in steps of fewer than 10 microns, creating extremely precise movements and an impressively smooth surface finish that FDM machines cannot match." What Formlabs does not mention is the resolution in the XY (horizontal) plane. Our x,y- axis resolution is user-selectable from 30 microns up to 70 microns versus the Form 1+ which has a 300 micron x,y- axis resolution due to their laser which is 300 microns-wide. They claim they can move the laser in steps as small as 10 microns but they are still curing with a laser that is 300 microns wide. All machines which are considered “jewelry quality” have a x,y-axis resolution around 25-200 microns. See the chart below comparing the B9 against the Form 1+.
When you look at jewelry-capable machines, it is evident that Formlabs 300 micron laser-based technology doesn’t match up to the B9Creator.
When it comes to speed, they are extremely limited in the jewelry application as their laser must make multiple passes on the object to complete each layer. DLP technology however, prints multiple objects as fast as it prints one due to it curing one complete layer for all objects on each pass.
-From Formlabs website on Speed:
"HOW FAST DOES THE FORM 1+ PRINT? "
"The build speed is comparable to FDM machines when comparing layer thickness and density. As a general rule, the build speed is 1-3 cm/hour along the Z axis when printing at 100 microns. As an example, one of our models takes around 2 hours to print at 100 micron layer-height. Recently, we added a 200 micron layer-height setting that works with our Clear resin to reduce print times. The same model at 200 microns takes 45 minutes to print."
The times they’re quoting are to print one model at very thick layers – 100 or 200 microns. If you took their 200 micron printing time and sliced at a “jewelry-appropriate” layer thickness of 25 microns as they mentioned earlier, it would take about 8x as long = 6 hours. That’s for just one object! So, if you printed 5 of those objects, your print time goes to 30 hours! The B9Creator prints 8 rings in castable resin at a 25 micron layer thickness in approximately 4 hours total due to our DLP technology.
In addition, Formlabs castable resin is $149/500ml or $300 per liter! (see below from their website) Our castable resins are $127 and $139 per liter. Over the longevity of your printer the cost of consumables will accumulate dependent on how much you print.
Form 1+ website on cost of consumables:
