Lulzbot, the open-source brand of the FDM 3D printers from Colorado-based manufacturer Aleph Objects, has hinted the development of an stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer in its latest newsletter.
The newsletter heading states: “Wash Away Your 3D Printing Preconceptions: We’ve got the cure for the common printer—our newest solution will be released this September! We’re laser focused on the fine details, get on our wavelength to get the info first.”
FDM to SLA
Lulzbot 3D printers have been used within the maker community for crafts and prototypes as well as tooling within military operations.
According to new research from London-based firm CONTEXT, “Shipments of Personal/Desktop 3D printers saw their first ever year-on-year drop in Q1 2018 with 3% fewer printers shipping globally than in Q1 2017.” With this downturn, companies could be encouraged to diversify from their standard 3D printing technologies.
One recent demonstration of this is Formlabs’ Fuse SLS 3D printer. Demonstrated at CES 2018 in January, the Fuse departs from Formlab’s typical line of SLA 3D printers.
Nevertheless, contesting CONTEXT’s findings, Ben Malouf, Director of Marketing Aleph Objects stated, “There was year-over-year growth in Q1 [2018] for LulzBot 3D Printers. This growth shows there is continued strong demand for versatile, reliable desktop solutions in professional and educational environments.”
Forum speculation
The 3D printing community is both skeptical and excited about the upcoming Lulzbot hardware. Following the recent launch of the LulzBot Mini 2 desktop FDM 3D printer and the LulzBot Aerostruder v2 Micro, which offers higher-resolution 3D prints, many have attributed the SLA rumors to new high resolutions FDM hardware. Others however, maintain that the keywords in this teaser from Lulzbot, i.e. “wash” “cure” “laser” “wavelength”, are all too telling.
An official announcement from the company is expected in the coming months.
Stay up to date with this announcement by following 3D Printing Industry on Twitter, liking us on Facebook and subscribing to our newsletter. Pursuing a career in additive manufacturing or looking for skilled individuals in the field? Search and post 3D Printing Jobs for opportunities and new talent across engineering, marketing, sales and more.
Featured image shows the Lulzbot monthly newsletter which displays a high-resolution 3D printed rook model in front of a blurred machine. Image via Lulzbot.
