Thanks to Formlabs for providing the Form Studio 1 for this project. More info: https://formlabs.com/3d-printers/form-studio-1/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=jeffgeerling-fs1-2026-07-26-global (Note: The above link is a campaign tracking link, NOT an affiliate link. I do not participate in any manufacturer affiliate programs, only Amazon Affiliates, as part of my YouTube sponsorship policy.) Other things I mentioned in this video: - GutBomb's MacPicoModem: https://jcm-1.com/product/macpicomodem/ - T-Rex model: https://www.printables.com/model/428782-t-rex-skull - Apple ADB Mouse Shell: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4545460/comments - Formtest model: https://formlabs.com/blog/measuring-3d-printer-reliability-formtest/ Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geerlingguy Sponsor me on GitHub: https://github.com/sponsors/geerlingguy Merch: https://www.redshirtjeff.com 2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GeerlingEngineering 3rd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Level2Jeff Contents: 00:00 - Formlabs Form Studio 1 01:43 - Accessories and Tanks 02:54 - No cloud account required 03:49 - First resin print 05:36 - Power usage 05:59 - Dripping, drying, washing, curing 08:07 - POING! 08:56 - Changing resins 10:36 - A Pi case in Alpha Black 11:23 - Alpha Black to Alpha Clear 12:13 - A clear case for GutBomb's MacPicoModem 14:49 - T-Rex is clearly better 15:31 - Clear ADB Mouse 16:26 - The oozable Flexible 80A 17:35 - A rubber bumper emerges 13:34 - Total resin noob experience 20:24 - Value engineering, to cut the cost 22:31 - Finally in the hobbyist realm
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Formlabs engineer here! We’re working on making the mobile app work without a cloud login, as well as open-sourcing the underlying API it runs on. It should be ready soon, which will give a lot more options for control and tinkering.
To anyone reading this if you get one of these resin printers; YOU MUST HAVE FAN VENTILATION, A MASK AND GLOVES + DEDICATED SPACE. Never let any of the resin get on your skin ever Ahem. The reason is organ damage.
That seems like so much work 💀I don't know if I'd want to roleplay Walter White every time I want to print something
Maybe its time for me to get a resin printer. THAT WAS 70$ WORTH OF ISO? HOLY MOLY
Thank you for being a vocal advocate for local only access & open source solutions! We need more folks like you speaking up (preferably loudly).
good job showing all the fiddling, mess, and such that comes with this...
Hot take: resin printers do not need nfc detection of resin type. Each resin change is a long, messy, smelly and very deliberate process, and I just can't see any point in saving 15 seconds if it requires increasing the price of the printer and making it depend on the cloud.
Warning, without some gloss coat those clear prints will likely yellow over time.
Fun note about your IPA. It's usually recommended to do two washes with resin. One rinse in your "dirty" used IPA and one full run in clean IPA in the wash station. This helps get the majority of the loose resin in your dirty batch and extends the life of your cleaner resin in your wash station. This is because you can actually recycle the "dirty" IPA by running it in a cure station in a transparent container to have it solidify the suspended resin and clean it up. So this way you get way more life out of your IPA. I just use a pickle jar and my cure-and-wash station and run it for a few minutes before agitating the sides to encourage more to the edge. After a good while, it'll solidify enough that it'll precipitate and you can decant the dirty but usable IPA from the top. Also, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend still using a respirator mask when handing the print after the initial print and the wash. Both IPA and the resin off-gas and in the case of the resin, are not detectable by human smell. So even if the print doesn't stink, you'll want filtration. In-enclosure filtering is nice but it's not a guarantee and resin sensitivity is a stochastic risk. As in exposure increases your risk of developing it, not the severity and it will render you unable to handle resin AT ALL.
I love the results of resin printing but dealing with the contaminated IPA and resin storage long term is just too much for me.
My first 3D printer was a resin one, chosen exactly for the reason of higher print quality. I severely underestimated how much extra work all the cleaning and curing is compared to a standard FDM. Never again.
preform needs a linux version, even better if it's a flatpak
One thing that I don't think you touched on is used IPA disposal. You can't just pour that stuff down the drain, and it is flammable so you need a safe space to store it.
WARNING, you need to ventilate a room with a resin printer. Liquid resin releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and toxic fumes during printing, washing, AND curing. the industry does NOT warn people
for clear resin prints if you can find the right clearcoat spray, one that closely matches the refractive index of the resin itself, you could get very glossy and clear prints that almost look like glass. I remember seeing a video by alphapheonix about 3d printing telescope mirrors, where he printed the shape of the mirror on a regular FDM printer, then sanded and spin coated the print with two-part epoxy, and he ended up with some decently accurate mirrors.
I’ve been using Formlabs since the original Form 1 for prototyping before product releases, and I still use their printers today to create transparent parts like prototypes of perfume bottles. Way cheaper than making them in glass, lol! 😄 FDM is great for early-stage prototyping to keep costs down, but when it comes to fine details and high-quality parts, like that apple retro modem enclosure you showed, Formlabs is hard to beat. Great to see them making their printers more affordable. Thanks for the detailed review, Jeff!
Top tip for resin storage: red 27 gallon Husky totes with the air seal. Home depot sells them. Keeps all the fumes sealed away 🙂
Very good video for every hobbyist! That t-rex was very cool!
0:20 well the only obvious conclusion here is that the new one doesnt have a raspberrypi in it so its cheaper because of that.
I had the opportunity to tour Formlabs’ North Carolina office before it closed, and it was an incredible. The space was essentially a maker lab with an endless supply of tools and materials for prototyping. It’s been exciting to follow their work and see how the technology continues to evolve.