3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Formlabs Form 4 vs Snapmaker J1s
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Formlabs Form 4 comparisonsMore Snapmaker J1s comparisons
| Property | Formlabs Form 4RESIN | Snapmaker J1sIDEX |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Formlabs | Snapmaker |
| Class | RESIN | IDEX |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Formlabs Form 4 3D Printer[1][2] | Snapmaker J1S High Speed IDEX 3D Printer[3][4] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | Starting at $2,625.00 at GoEngineer, in stock, checked Aug 2026. Formlabs sells the printer as part of packages (Form 4 Complete Package etc.), so package prices are much higher than the printer-only figure[2] | $1,399.00 at MatterHackers, listed as currently unavailable with a pre-order option quoting roughly 5 weeks, checked Aug 2026[3] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Three machines share this platform and are constantly conflated. Form 4: 200 x 125 x 210 mm, 50 um pixels, 18.3 kg, 480 W, one resin cartridge, NOT biocompatible. Form 4B: identical hardware but validated for 38 Formlabs materials including 15 biocompatible. Form 4L: 353 x 196 x 350 mm, 46 um pixels, 58.5 kg, 900 W, two cartridges[1] | The J1s differs from the original J1 by an additional part-cooling fan. Usable volume depends on the print mode: 300 x 200 x 200 mm in default and backup modes, 160 x 200 x 200 in copy mode, 150 x 200 x 200 in mirror mode[3][4] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 200 x 125 x 210 mm (Formlabs quotes 5.25 litres)[1][2] | 300 x 200 x 200 mm in default and backup modes[3] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 398 x 367 x 554 mm[1][2] | 539 x 401 x 464 mm[3] |
| Net weight (kg) | 18.3 kg[1][2] | 25 kg net[3] |
| Frame construction & material | Not documented | Aluminium-alloy frame with one-piece die casting and linear rails; Snapmaker quotes rail repeatability of +/-0.03 mm in X/Y and +/-0.02 mm in Z[4] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Enclosed cabinet with a hinged UV-blocking cover. Operating temperature 18-28 C[1] | Not documented |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | Masked stereolithography (MSLA). Formlabs brands the engine Low Force Display; straight-lift peel[1][2] | IDEX — two independently driven extruders[3][4] |
| X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size) | Not documented | Linear rails[4] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | Not documented | 350 mm/s maximum (manufacturer claim)[4] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | Not documented | 10,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[4] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | 300 °C maximum (manufacturer claim)[3][4] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | Not documented | 100 °C maximum (manufacturer claim)[3] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Not documented | Custom dual-sided PEI glass plate: glossy glass on one face, PEI coating on the other[3][4] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Not documented | 3-point bed levelling, which Snapmaker contrasts with 9-16 point systems; assisted calibration quoted at about 10 minutes[4] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Host computer (SoC, RAM, storage) if firmware runs on embedded Linux | Not documented | 1 GB RAM, 8 GB eMMC; the 5-inch display runs Android[3] |
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | 100-240 VAC, 4.8 A, 50/60 Hz, 480 W[1] | AC 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 4.4 A max input; DC 24 V, 400 W max output[3] |
| Total rated power draw | 480 W[1] | 400 W maximum output[3] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Proprietary. Print preparation is PreForm; fleet management is Formlabs Dashboard[2] | Not named by Snapmaker; the supplied slicer is Luban, with third-party software supported[3] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 7-inch interactive touchscreen, 1280 x 800 (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[1] | 5-inch Android display, 1280 x 720[3] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Dual-band Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbit), USB-C 2.0[1][2] | Wi-Fi, USB cable, USB flash drive[3] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Formlabs resins across rigid, tough, general purpose, flame retardant, silicone, elastic, ceramic and castable families. Biocompatible resins require the Form 4B, not the Form 4[1] | PLA, ABS, HIPS, PC, TPU, TPE, PETG, ASA, PP, PVA, PA, PA-GF, PA-CF[3] |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | Not documented | Less than 50 dBA claimed by the manufacturer. No independent measurement; distance and method not stated[3] |
| Independently Measured Performance | ||
| Dimensional accuracy measurements (third-party, with numbers) | XY dimensional tolerance +/-0.15% — a manufacturer specification, not an independent measurement[1][2] | Not documented |
| Resin & MSLA | ||
| Masking LCD | Low Force Display masking LCD with a 50 um pixel size and pre-tuned anti-aliasing. Formlabs does not publish the screen diagonal or pixel count[1][2] | Not documented |
| Light source | Backlight unit with 60 uniform-wavelength high-power LEDs behind collimating lenses, with integrated cooling[1][2] | Not documented |
| Vertical print speedmm/h | Maximum 100 mm/h; average 40 mm/h at a 100 um layer height (manufacturer figures — GoEngineer publishes both, which is unusually explicit about the basis). Formlabs separately claims most prints finish in under 2 hours[2][1] | Not documented |
| Layer height range | 25-200 um per Formlabs' own tech-spec page; GoEngineer's listing for the same machine says 25-300 um. Unresolved[1][2] | Not documented |
| Resin vat & feeding | Single next-generation resin cartridge; Formlabs claims 5-10x faster filling and 63% less waste. Resin tank rated for 75,000+ layers with any Formlabs material. No vat capacity published[1][2] | Not documented |
Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- Formlabs resin printer technical specifications (Form 4 / 4B / 4L) formlabs.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Formlabs Form 4 3D printer listing store.goengineer.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Snapmaker J1S High Speed IDEX 3D Printer listing matterhackers.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Snapmaker J1s product page snapmaker.com · 2026-08 · vendor