3D Printer Wars, 3D Systems Vs. Formlabs Patent Lawsuit Dismissed
3D Systems v. Formlabs Patent Lawsuit Dismissed
by John Biggs
The lawsuit between Formlabs and 3D Systems relating to stereolithography has been dismissed with prejudice, a move that frees Formlabs to make their printers without fear of further patent problems.
3D Systems first sued Formlabs back in 2012 for patent infringement related to their laser-based stereolithography techniques. In the interim, the company has grown to 100 people and has released two printers, the Form 1 and the Form 1+. The printers shot lasers through a UV curable resin that hardened into a solid, cohesive object. Unlike filament-based printers like Makerbot, the Form 1 produces objects that are sold without lines of filament.
The patents related to 3D Systems strong back catalog of stereolithography IP. The battle between 3D Systems and Form Labs was a key point in the movie Print The Legend.
“It’s a big deal for us,” said Colin Raney of Formlabs. The terms of the settlement are undisclosed.
