Formlabs was one of the early Kickstarter success stories, and its laser-blasting 3D printers are now used by model makers, prototypers, dentists, and maybe even action figure companies around the globe. But its newest printers are ditching those resin-blasting lasers because they’re comparatively slow.
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Business
Pakistan's economy improving after Standby Agreement: IMF
Officials added that Pakistan will be helped to overcome severe economic imbalances.
Islamabad: The officials of International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that Pakistan's economy is on the way to improvement after the Standby Arrangement (SBA) Agreement.
IMF officials stated in a press conference on the economic situation in the Middle East and Central Asia that the final review of the SBA has been completed and will now be presented to the board for approval.
Officials added that Pakistan will be helped to overcome severe economic imbalances. The IMF program will help to maintain the country's economic stability, macroeconomic stability and reduce the level of budget deficit.
He continued to say that the work should continue to strengthen the fiscal situation by improving the revenue situation, the increase in revenue will allow the government to deal with the debt situation.
Officials further said that while the IMF's social assistance program could be improved, more work was needed to reform the energy sector.
He further stated that the IMF is ready to provide assistance to Pakistan whenever Pakistan demands. Pakistan's bilateral partners are also looking forward to the program to provide additional financial assistance to Pakistan.
Pakistan
DC Rawalpindi rejects plea of PTI
However, PTI is challenging the DC Rawalpindi’s verdict in high court.
Rawalpindi: The deputy commissioner (DC) Rawalpindi has rejected the plea of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) rally in Liaqatabad.
According to the details, DC rejected the plea of PTI regarding to hold a rally in Liaqatabad because of the prediction related to spoil law and order situation.
On this the PTI’s provincial president Seemabia Tahir stated that the government is afraid of PTI’s rally that is why it is not allowing the party to hold a rally.
However, PTI is challenging the DC Rawalpindi’s verdict in high court.
Technology
Formlabs’ new pro 3D printers claim 2–5x speed by ditching lasers for an LCD screen
With the new Form 4, Formlabs says you can print two to five times faster than its predecessor, the Form 3 Plus — with an LCD screen that cures resin one layer at a time.
With the new Form 4, Formlabs says you can print two to five times faster than its predecessor, the Form 3 Plus — by switching to an LCD screen and a bright backlight that can cure an entire layer of resin at a time.
That’s a common technique in prosumer resin printers already, one called masked stereolithography (mSLA), but Formlabs claims it’s managed to build a printer to do it at a higher quality than ever before. Even so, it may not have quite the same resolution as previous Formlabs printers, with a horizontal pixel size of 50 microns, down from 25 microns. (Both printers go down to 25 microns vertically.)
But between the company’s new “Low Force Display” light engine for curing resin and a series of new faster curing resins, speed is greatly increased up to 100mm per hour vertically. The company says most prints should take under two hours, and small items like dental arches could be completed in just minutes. “It’s not overnight fast, it’s while I grab a coffee fast,” boasts CEO Maxim Lobovsky.
Formlabs claims you could beat an injection molding machine with four of its $4,500 printers, if you’re printing batches of small parts like these:
(Mind you, 3D printed resin parts have to be washed afterward, but injection molded ones need their excess plastic cut away; Formlabs third-party spokesperson Meredith Chiricosta tells me post-processing time is roughly the same.)
It doesn’t hurt that the Form 4 can spit out more and larger parts than its predecessor, too, with 30 percent more build volume and 19 percent more build area — parts can be 10.7 inches long, compared to 8.8 inches previously. You also get an integrated 5-megapixel camera to monitor prints and generate timelapse videos, a larger seven-inch touchscreen, and Wi-Fi 5 (up from Wi-Fi 4 previously), as well as USB-C (instead of USB-B) and Gigabit ethernet.
Reviews of Formlabs’ printers sometimes criticize the high price of the consumable resin, and that’s something the company’s improving today, too — four of the new “General Purpose Resins” that offer “improved toughness and color” will start at $99 per liter, down from the $149 you pay for the company’s entry-level resins today. The company says its resin tanks will cost less and last longer, too. It does consume over twice the electricity at 480W versus 220W, but electricity is comparatively cheap.
Formlabs will also sell a Form 4B version of the printer for medical and dental use. It’s $6,299, and both are available today.
If you’re interested, the company is hosting a keynote today at 9AM ET to discuss the finer points of the new printers:
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