Formlabs Unveils Advanced 3D Packing for Fuse 1, Cutting Print Costs by Up to 46%

The Fuse 1 launch brings high‑quality, cost‑effective selective laser sintering (SLS) to a wider audience. To further streamline production, Formlabs now offers an enhanced 3D packing tool that lets users create production‑ready parts and advanced prototypes in‑house with maximum efficiency.

Achieving a high packing density—maximizing the amount of material that can be printed in each build—is essential for throughput and cost efficiency. Traditionally, this requires hours of manual layout or expensive third‑party tools.

Demonstrating its software‑first philosophy, Formlabs has embedded a brand‑new, fully optimized 3D packing algorithm into the free PreForm 3.20.0 update, engineered to maximize packing density on the Fuse 1.

Reducing Print Costs and Manual Preparation Time

Internal trials over the past month show that PreForm’s updated packing engine cuts print costs by roughly 29%. The algorithm was benchmarked against thousands of simulated jobs and rivals top commercial packing solutions.

Example Builds

Form Cure Turntable Coupling

108 arrayed Form Cure turntable couplings, illustrating packing’s impact in a production scenario.

Print time before: 32h 14m
Density before: 13%
Print time after: 26h 35m
Density after: 24%

Materials saving: 5.07 kg – 2.73 kg = 2.34 kg (46%)

Spotlight Control Assemblies

Assembly for an internal project, showcasing a use case where packing delivers optimal layout instantly.

Print time before: 33h 34m
Density before: 17%
Print time after: 24h 12m
Density after: 29%

Materials saving: 5.30 kg – 3.05 kg = 2.25 kg (42%)

Engineering Parts and Assorted Test Models

Batch of engineering parts and assorted test models for various internal clients.

Manual setup time: ~30 min
Print time before: 31h 41m
Density before: 19%
Packing time: 50 s
Print time after: 28h 7m
Density after: 24%

Materials saving: 4.11 kg – 3.23 kg = 0.88 kg (21%)

Curta Mechanical Calculator Assembly

138 components of a mechanical calculator, manually packed before the improvement.

Manual layout time: ~2 h
Print time before: 28h 56m
Density before: 16%
Packing time: 55 s
Print time after: 26h 34m
Density after: 20%

Materials saving: 3.94 kg – 3.17 kg = 0.77 kg (20%)

In internal usage, the new packing algorithm has also reduced the average preparation time for Fuse 1 jobs by 73% and saved our Berlin print farm three hours of working time each day.

When setting up print jobs, you can grant the packing engine full control of model orientations, lock orientations before packing, or pack only selected models while keeping others fixed.

Try the New 3D Packing Function Now

Download PreForm 3.20.0 today to experience these updates firsthand and discover how the advanced packing feature can maximize your SLS production. Contact our sales team to learn how Fuse 1 can meet your in‑house printing needs.