Ryan Smith ⋅ Form 4

Introduction

Formlabs' Form 4 represents the next evolution in resin 3D printing technology, built upon years of groundbreaking hardware, user experience, and materials science innovations. With unprecedented speed and ease of use, Form 4 delivers most parts in under two hours, without compromising print quality or reliability.

My Contributions

Concept Development, Ideation, Physical Prototyping, CMF Design, Cosmetic Specification Documentation, Product Visualization, Production CAD, Design for Manufacturing

My Role

I collaborated with Dan Chu and Elena Huang during the concept phase of Form 4 to establish the overall product vision. I further collaborated with Elena on the resin cartridge. I then led the design of the front shell, rear shell, build platform and resin tank, including prototyping, user testing, production CAD, and DFM. I worked directly with multiple engineering, product and manufacturing teams, and hosted weekly update meetings with company stakeholders.

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A machine that celebrates the user's part.

My goal when designing the Form 4 was not just to make a 3D printer that fits on a user's desk, but to create a tool so reliable, so well made, so easy to use, that the user wants to keep it nearby. To do so, I took my five years of experience designing Formlabs products and asked myself: how can we push ourselves further? What materials, construction methods, and improvements to user experience can I bring together to make the ultimate tool for our users?

The result of that journey is the Form 4, a bold new vision for Formlabs' hardware design language. Inspired by traditional toolmaking, the die cast front shell eliminates seams, simplifying the front face of the machine and massively reducing assembly complexity. The interior emerges vertically from the aluminum base, providing a nest for the resin tank and extending into the tower to support the build platform and cartridge. The minimal forms and reserved CMF palette communicate reliability and approachability, while also acting as a stage for what the user truly cares about: their part.

Marketing teaser | made in Blender

Completely redesigned accessories.

I designed the build platform, resin tank, and collaborated with Elena Huang on the cartridge. This was an unprecedented opportunity to improve Formlabs' entire resin ecosystem, making it the easiest, most reliable system in 3D printing. I kept the UX consistent - everything is based on simple, foolproof mechanical latching, with clear blue touchpoints to guide the user's hand. Additionally, we've reduced part counts and plastic use throughout the ecosystem, making the Form 4 the most sustainable printer Formlabs has ever shipped.

Working on Formlabs' flagship product.

When I joined Formlabs in 2018, my first project was the Form 3L. Four years later, having the opportunity to not just work on the Form 4 but to lead various parts of the design, has shown me how much I have grown in those years. The Form 4 combines everything I learned about aesthetics, brand language, user experience and manufacturing into a cohesive product that our users love. I would like to thank these users, some of whom are listed below, for their feedback over two years of development.

During the development of the Form 4, I was chosen to lead the industrial design of its large format variant, the Form 4L. You should check it out!

View Design Process