Formlabs Form 4 · the part grows upside down from the platform, 100 µm per layer
Step 1 of 4
Expose
LCD mask · layer 1
Lit pixels (50 µm each) let the 405 nm light through and cure the resin above them.
Sources
What the animation is based on. Printer geometry follows the published Form 4 specs, simplified. Motions and timings are illustrative, scaled to Formlabs’ published print speeds.
Formlabs (2024). Explore the next-generation technology powering the Form 4. formlabs.comLow Force Display: a backlit LCD exposes the whole layer at once through a flexible, dual-layer film that peels from the edges of the cured layer; a Z-axis force sensor watches each separation.
Formlabs. Understanding print speed (Form 4 generation). formlabs.comThe four steps that happen on every layer: expose, peel, mix, squish. Median speeds (e.g. 41 mm/h for Grey V5 at 100 µm, about 9 s per layer) set the timing here.
Formlabs. Form 4 technical specifications. formlabs.com405 nm light, 50 µm pixels, 200 × 125 × 210 mm build volume, 25–200 µm layers (100 µm used here).
C. W. Hull (1986). Apparatus for production of three-dimensional objects by stereolithography. US Patent 4,575,330. Google PatentsThe original stereolithography patent: build a part one cured cross-section at a time.
ISO/ASTM 52900:2021. Additive manufacturing — General principles — Fundamentals and vocabulary. iso.orgSLA belongs to the process category “vat photopolymerization”.
I. Gibson, D. Rosen, B. Stucker, M. Khorasani (2021). Additive Manufacturing Technologies, 3rd ed. Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-56127-7Textbook chapter on vat photopolymerization, including mask-projection (LCD/DLP) printers.
M. Livesu, S. Ellero, J. Martínez, S. Lefebvre, M. Attene (2017). From 3D models to 3D prints: an overview of the processing pipeline. Computer Graphics Forum 36(2), 537–564. doi:10.1111/cgf.13147How a mesh becomes slices, masks and toolpaths: the computational side of every process on these pages.
X. Wu, C. Xu, Z. Zhang (2021). Flexible film separation analysis of LCD based mask stereolithography. Journal of Materials Processing Technology 288, 116916. doi:10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2020.116916Why the film peels from the edges inward, and what sets the peel force.
The parts are printed directly on the platform, without supports, to keep the picture simple.