2025
We’re developing a fully automated resin part production workflow - from build platform swapping to part post-processing. And we’re just getting started.
3D Printing
Automation
Overview
Stereolithography is ready for automation, and we’re laying the foundation to make it practical, scalable, and production-ready.
Over the past 10 months, we’ve spoken with industry experts, researchers, and manufacturers using SLA printing for end-use parts. A clear pattern emerged: while resin printing delivers unmatched surface quality and dimensional accuracy, the manual post-processing steps remain a bottleneck. This led us to prototype an automated solution using the Formlabs Form 4 and Form Wash V2 as our platform.
This project marks the beginning of our journey into resin printing automation. While this initial setup focused on the Form 4, the architecture we developed here laid the foundation for creating ascalable, automated production cell around the Formlabs Form 4L line.
Problem
SLA Delivers Quality but Depends on Manual Labor
SLA printing is widely recognized as one of the most mature additive manufacturing technologies for functional, end-use parts. But for all its advantages, its reliance on human operators, especially during post-processing, limits throughput, consistency, and scalability. Platform removal, washing, curing, and resin handling all introduce points of friction that make it hard to build a 24/7 continious printing workflow.
Solution
A Proof of Concept for Automated Resin Printing & Washing
We developed a compact automated resin printing setup around the Formlabs Form 4. The current system achieves resin printer automation by automatically:
Swapping the build platform after each print
Transferring the printed part to an automated resin washing station
Preparing the machine for the next job
To interact reliably with the Form 4 build platform, we designed custom gripper jaws. We produced these functional parts in our in-house Bambu Lab print farm. Using FDM allowed us to print durable TPU contact surfaces, ensuring a secure grip on the build platform without damaging the hardware.
Next on our roadmap is automated curing and scaling this logic to Formlabs Form 4L automation. All mechanical and software systems are built to integrate seamlessly with existing print farms.
Conclusion
Scaling to Formlabs Form 4L Automation
With this proof of concept running successfully, we proved that automated resin part production is viable. We have since taken these learnings to develop larger systems, applying this same logic to Formlabs Form 4L automation with full Wash L and Cure L integration, part storage and even internal logistics.
Looking to implement automated resin part production in your facility? We turn resin 3D printing into a continuous, 24/7 manufacturing process. Reach out to see how we can automate your fleet.
If you're facing throughput challenges or planning your next production ramp — let’s talk. We work with hardware teams who build things that matter, and need their automation to move fast and perform flawlessly.