The Form 4B Ecosystem
Complete Your 3D Printing Experience
A Side-by-side Comparison
Formlabs Form 4B vs. Asiga Ultra
See why the Formlabs Form 4B is the leading 3D printing solution for dental labs, practices, and orthodontics.
Formlabs Form 4B
Complete Cost
$7,899
The $6,299 starting price includes all the essential tools required to start printing, software, plus one year of Dental Service Plan. The Form 4B Complete Package for $7,899 adds automated post-processing tools for a turnkey solution. Buy from Formlabs via sales or the online store, or purchase through one of our distribution partners.
Cost of Ownership
Resin
$79/L
Fast Model Resin for dental models costs $79/L in cartridges, $65/L in 5L containers, and prices can go as low as $35 for bulk orders. Resins for all other applications are also comparable or more cost-effective.
Resin Tanks
~$4/L
Tank cost: $99
Tank Lifetime
75,000+ layers with any Formlabs material. For example, print approximately 340 prints of clear aligner models (22 mm tall), in any resin, at 100 µm layer height. Conservatively, tank cost per liter printed is less than $4/L.
Service
Included
Service and warranty are part of the complete package and include superior benefits, such as personalized onboarding, phone and email support, and hot swap expedited replacement in the event your printer needs service. Formlabs provides direct support to customers.
Ease of Use
Software
Advanced and optimized for dental
Formlabs’ free PreForm Dental software is the golden standard when it comes to ease of use. Intuitive functionalities and presets for key indications such as models, splints, and surgical guides help users set up prints automatically, taking care of the orientation, support generation, and material selection in one click.
Resin Dispensing
Automatic Resin Handling
- No Mess: Automatic resin dispensing eliminates the need for manual intervention, resulting in reliable prints and a clean workspace.
- Streamlined Workflow: Resin level sensing and automatic resin dispensing ensure optimal resin levels are maintained with 3x fewer interactions.
- Reliable: Consistent, precise, and automated resin dispensing for reliable completion of prints.
Resin Identification
Automated resin identification when a cartridge is inserted
Part Removal
Quick, easy, and tool-free with Build Platform Flex
Prevents part breakage and potential injuries while removing parts.
Post-Processing
Automated
Our post-processing solutions simplify and automate post-processing so you can consistently produce quality results and maintain a tidy workspace with less time and effort.
Resin Mixing
Automated, with debris detection
Monitoring
Integrated camera for remote monitoring and traceability
Technology
Print Technology
MSLA
Low Force Display™ (LFD)
A new generation of stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing where reduced peel forces lead to incredible surface finish and unmatched accuracy.
Print Speed
11 aligner models in 9 min
8 splints in 54 min
10 surgical guides in 48 min
10 restorative models in 1h 52 min
On average Form 4B is more than 2x faster than the Asiga Ultra across all indications when comparing print time estimates for equivalent resins and layer thicknesses.
Read this article for a full list of print speed by indication.
Productivity
27% larger build surface, higher productivity
Print up to 11 clear aligner models or 8 splints in one build thanks to the 27% larger 20 x 12.5 x 21 cm build volume.
Supported Dental Applications & Materials
15+ validated indications
A wide range of indications on a single printer, validated, tested, and directly supported by Formlabs.
Open System
Open material mode available enabling third-party resins.
Restorative Model Surface Accuracy
Accurate, repeatable prints with a smooth surface finish
The 50 μm XY resolution with pre-tuned anti-aliasing for subpixel resolution results in superior fine and sharp feature performance, and helps deliver an unrivaled accuracy of final parts.
On average, Form 4B and Precision Model Resin produce dental models with:
- 99.7% of surfaces within 100 μm of CAD model**
- 95% of surfaces within 50 μm of CAD model**
- 69% of surfaces within 25 μm of CAD model**
** Using Precision Model Resin and 50 µm layer height. Tested using a full arch restorative model with dies. Four models were printed per print job on three different printers and post-processed according to the recommended settings.
Wavelength Light
405 nm
Asiga Ultra
Complete Cost
$18,000
The Asiga Ultra printer starts at $14,990, which includes the printer and a basic Asiga Flash curing chamber. Users have to purchase an additional washing solution and a more expensive and advanced curing unit to cure resins for biocompatible applications; the total cost of the system would exceed $18,000.
Cost of Ownership
Resin
$125/kg
Asiga's DentaFORM resin costs $125/kg (around 0.8-0.9L), with no discount available for higher volumes.
Resin Tanks
$42.5/L
Tank cost: $85
Tank Lifetime
Users are forced to replace the tank after only 2L of printing. This means for every liter of resin printed there is an additional cost of $42.5 for the tank and more than 10x waste generated from resin tanks compared to the Form 4B.
Service
Additional cost
Service is available through resellers, and there’s no hot swap option available.
Ease of Use
Software
Outdated and with fewer features
Asiga’s free Composer software doesn’t have any presets and has a complicated and outdated interface resulting in a frustrating and poor user experience.
“Asiga’s Software Composer is quite outdated and feels clunky compared to others.” - Institute of Digital Dentistry
Resin Dispensing
Manual
- Messy and Inconvenient: Manual resin dispensing can be messy, with a higher risk of spills.
- Additional Workflow Steps: Requires manual monitoring and adjustment of resin levels, adding time and effort to the printing process.
- Inconsistent Reliability: Greater chance of human error with manual resin pouring contributes to frustrating print failures.
Resin Identification
No system to verify if the correct resin is inside the resin tank before a print
Part Removal
Manual one-at-a-time part removal with tools
Risk of part breakage or injury while removing parts.
Post-Processing
Manual
Asiga’s Flash post-curing chamber is a basic On/Off nail cure unit. Users have to purchase a third-party wash unit and upgrade to a more advanced and expensive curing unit to cure resins for biocompatible applications.
Resin Mixing
Manual mixing is required periodically, no debris detection
Monitoring
No camera
Technology
Print Technology
DLP
Digital Light Processing
DLP is a resin 3D printing process that uses a light projector to cure liquid resin one layer at a time.
Print Speed
8 aligner models in 29 min
6 splints in 2 h 18 min
8 surgical guides in 1 h 30 min
8 restorative models in 2 h 5 min
Print times are based on Asiga Composer print time estimates using the same parts and equivalent resins and layer thicknesses for a fair comparison.
Productivity
Smaller build surface, smaller batches, more manual labor
The Ultra (50) offers 19.2 x 10.8 x 14.7 cm build volume and the Ultra (32) is even smaller at 12.1 x 6.8 x 14.7 cm, allowing you to print fewer parts in one batch.
Supported Dental Applications & Materials
15+ indications
A wide range of indications with hundreds of materials to choose from. Resin validation is done by the resin manufacturer, users have to manually download and upload the settings to the Asiga Composer software.
Open System
Choose from a vast library of third party materials with no additional license required but for the additional cost of $42.5/L due to the requirement of changing a tank after every two liters printed.
Restorative Model Surface Accuracy
Accurate, repeatable prints with a smooth surface finish.
93% of surfaces within 50 μm of CAD model (official Asiga claim). As a reference, and based on Formlabs’ internal testing, the same restorative models printed on the Form 4B yielded a better surface accuracy compared to the Asiga Max UV* (both printed at 50 μm layer thickness).
Results:
- Form 4B: 97.4% of surfaces within 50 μm of CAD model
- Asiga Max UV: 91.3% of surfaces within 50 μm of CAD model
*Results of Asiga Ultra will be published once available.
Wavelength Light
385 nm (365 nm and 405 nm available on request)
Do you have more questions about the differences between these solutions?
WebinarWatch the Webinar Now
Form 4B: Product Demo
Join Formlabs Product Managers Georgio Haddad and Kerry Xie for an immersive webinar that will introduce you to the comprehensive Form 4B ecosystem, including a hands-on demo of the new products.
Meet Form 4B
Unprecedented print speeds. Print 11 dental models in 9 minutes.
9m
Form 4B44m
Benchmark DLP*1h16m
Benchmark LCD*1h32m
Form 3B+*11 Clear Aligner Models at 160 μm
49m
Form 4B2h18m
Benchmark DLP*3h30m
Benchmark LCD*9h30m
Form 3B+*8 Occlusal Splints at 100 μm
1h50m
Form 4B2h42m
Benchmark DLP*3h6m
Benchmark LCD*8h50m
Form 3B+*10 Restorative Models at 50 μm
48m
Form 4B1h48m
Benchmark DLP*2h38m
Benchmark LCD*7h12m
Form 3B+*12 Surgical Guides at 100 μm
37m
Form 4B1h46m
Benchmark DLP*3h42m
Benchmark LCD*5h37m
Form 3B+*9 All-on-X at 100 μm
25m
Form 4B44m
Benchmark DLP*54m
Benchmark LCD*1h13m
Form 3B+*5 Restorations at 100 μm
Unrivaled accuracy that matches your commitment to a perfect fit, every time.
Expanded Capacity for the Same Price
Thanks to the lower cost of the printer, accessories, and included service plan, you can buy a fleet of three Form 4B printers for the price of one SprintRay Pro 2 printer to scale your throughput, be able to print different materials simultaneously, and have peace of mind to avoid downtime.
Request a Free Sample 3D Print
See and feel Formlabs quality firsthand. We’ll ship a free sample part to your lab or practice.
3D Printer Buyer’s Guide for Dental Practices
If you are managing a dental practice, look no further—this is your ultimate guide to digital dentistry.
With 75+ support and service staff and 150+ engineers, Formlabs backs its products with the strongest team in 3D printing.
