3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Formlabs Form 4 vs Sovol SV08 Max

Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.

2 selected · all documented properties

Formlabs Form 4 vs Sovol SV08 Max — documented properties and sources
PropertyFormlabs Form 4RESINSovol SV08 MaxCOREXY
Identity
BrandFormlabsSovol
ClassRESINCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Formlabs Form 4 3D Printer[1][2]Sovol SV08 Max 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]$1,099.00 on sovol3d.com against a $1,299.00 compare-at price (15% off), in stock, checked Aug 2026[3][4]
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]Much larger sibling of the SV08. Differences that matter in a spec box: 500x500x500 vs 350x350x345, 50 vs 30 mm3/s, TMC5160 XY drivers vs TMC2209, CAN bus, HDMI output, dual 0.4 mm nozzles in the box, and a separately sold chamber-heating module. A chamber heating module for the SV08 Max is listed at $69[3][5][6][4]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable200 x 125 x 210 mm (Formlabs quotes 5.25 litres)[1][2]500 x 500 x 500 mm advertised[3][5]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)398 x 367 x 554 mm[1][2]700 x 710 x 750 mm excluding the spool holder. Shipping cartons: 810 x 820 x 360 mm plus a 775 x 728 x 155 mm enclosure-kit box[3][5]
Net weight (kg)18.3 kg[1][2]Not documented
Frame construction & materialNot documentedAluminium-extrusion CoreXY frame supplied as a kit; Sovol ships it in two cartons, one of which is an enclosure kit[3]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidEnclosed cabinet with a hinged UV-blocking cover. Operating temperature 18-28 C[1]Enclosure kit shipped with the machine (separate carton). A chamber-heating module is sold separately at $69[3][4]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)Masked stereolithography (MSLA). Formlabs brands the engine Low Force Display; straight-lift peel[1][2]CoreXY[3][5]
Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?)Not documentedZ axis 4 x TMC2209; A axis 1 x TMC5160; B axis 1 x TMC5160. Toolhead communication over CAN bus[3][5]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)Not documented700 mm/s maximum (manufacturer claim)[3][5]
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)Not documented40,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[3][5]
Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s)Not documented50 mm3/s maximum (manufacturer claim)[3][5]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameNot documentedDirect drive with auxiliary (assisted) filament feeding[3][5]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Not documentedCeramic heater. Two 0.4 mm nozzles supplied as standard; 0.4/0.6/0.8 mm optional[3][5]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)Not documented<=300 °C claimed[3][5]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limitNot documented<=100 °C claimed[3][5]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)Not documentedNot stated on the SV08 Max page; the SV08 family uses an inductive sensor plus pressure sensor[3]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Not documentedFilament runout detection plus filament tangle/clog detection. Sovol does not describe the tangle or clog mechanism[3][5]
Electronics & Power
Host computer (SoC, RAM, storage) if firmware runs on embedded LinuxNot documented1 GB RAM (512 MB + 512 MB), 8 GB eMMC[3][5]
Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto)100-240 VAC, 4.8 A, 50/60 Hz, 480 W[1]Not documented
Total rated power draw480 W[1]Not documented
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Proprietary. Print preparation is PreForm; fleet management is Formlabs Dashboard[2]Klipper (3DJake's table renders it as "Clipper"). OrcaSlicer is the supported slicer[3][5]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?7-inch interactive touchscreen, 1280 x 800 (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[1]Not documented
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveDual-band Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbit), USB-C 2.0[1][2]USB, Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, HDMI, Ethernet[3][5]
Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery
Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?)Not documentedPower-loss resume printing supported; mechanism not published[3][5]
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listFormlabs 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]1.75 mm filament; Sovol does not publish a per-material list on this page[3][5]
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 LCDLow 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 sourceBacklight unit with 60 uniform-wavelength high-power LEDs behind collimating lenses, with integrated cooling[1][2]Not documented
Vertical print speedmm/hMaximum 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 range25-200 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 & feedingSingle 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

  1. Formlabs resin printer technical specifications (Form 4 / 4B / 4L) formlabs.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. Formlabs Form 4 3D printer listing store.goengineer.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Sovol SV08 Max 3D Printer product page sovol3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Sovol 3D-printer collection product feed (live prices and stock) sovol3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Sovol SV08 Max technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Sovol SV08 3D Printer product page sovol3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor