Formlabs’ new Fuse 1+ 30W industrial selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printer and carbon-filled Nylon 11 CF Powder are the latest additions to the company’s game-changing SLS portfolio.

Introduced today, July 13, the new printer and material are the latest step in what Formlabs calls its “single-handed” expansion of the SLS market. The company reportedly accounts for more than 50% of SLS printer sales since launching the Fuse 1 in January 2021.

“With the Fuse 1+ 30W, we’re pushing SLS 3D printing to new heights — delivering truly rapid, high-throughput SLS printing at a price point that companies can afford,” said Max Lobovsky, CEO and co-founder of Formlabs. “In total, Formlabs has sold over 100,000 professional SLA printers — more than any other 3D printer manufacturer — and the Fuse 1+ 30W sets us up to similarly dominate the SLS market.”

The Fuse1+ 30W offers twice the printing speed of its predecessor for same-day printing of industrial-grade materials and nitrogen purge compatibility for in-house carbon-fiber printing, according to the company’s launch video. The 30-watt laser sinters parts in hours, not days, the video explains, enabled by an upgraded galvanometer system and rapid scanning up to 12.5 meters per second.

The printer also makes a significant stride toward sustainability with new low-waste printing functionality. High packing density and powder recyclability lower per-part cost and achieve ROI faster.

To meet growing demand for parts that can withstand repeated impacts, the printer’s accompanying new material, Nylon 11 CF Powder, can produce light, rigid parts that can replace metal components. The thermally stable material features high stiffness and dimensional stability to resist vibration.

The Fuse series “created the fastest-growing community of SLS users in the world,” the video narrator declares. “But lately, the world demands we iterate faster than ever.” The printer’s laser power and speed are geared to turning parts around in under 24 hours. Formlabs said its printers have been used to print more than 100 million parts, including rapid tooling and personalized medical devices.

Most-Googled 3D-printing innovations

The announcement came as Google revealed its 15 most-searched 3D-printing innovations. The “3D printed house” was the overwhelming leader with 76,000 monthly global searches. The other 14 most-Googled innovations in descending order are: food (9,800 monthly searches); car (6,800); shoes (5,500); organs (5,500); jewelry (5,300); boat (4,300); drone (3,000); prosthetics (2,700); rocket (2,400); furniture (2,200); plane (1,500); robots (1,400); dentures (1,200); and dress (1,000).

Such searches are likely to grow in volume as Hubs, a manufacturing platform that was acquired by Protolabs in January 2021, predicts 24% growth in the 3D-printing market to reach a value of $44.5 billion by 2026.

The Fuse 1+ 30W, starting at $27,499, is available to order now and will begin shipping in late August.