I am strongly considering putting in a pre-order for a Form 1 printer. I am impressed by the strength, quality, and economy of your product's capabilities, and it appears to be well-received by all who have written about it. I am somewhat dismayed by the decision to develop the Form 1 around proprietary software and polymer material, but I understand the need to protect patents and trade secrets by doing so. Hopefully, once your enterprise achieves success and financial stability in the marketplace, Formlabs will consider allowing open development so users may improve upon its innovations.
Before I make my decision to patronize Formlabs, I had a few questions I hope can be easily addressed:
-Is the vendor that manufactures the proprietary polymer recommended for use in the Form 1 large enough to satisfy demand should the platform become popular quickly?
-Are the Form 1 units themselves (or the polymer) being manufactured in the United States? Is the software being developed domestically?
-Do the laser-emitters or other components in the Form 1 have a known life-expectancy (as do the fusers in FDM machines)?
-Does Formlabs have an opinion regarding their products' use for printing legally-manufactured components for firearms?
Thank you for answering my questions. I am very impressed by the product Formlabs is offering, and I hope to do business with you all shortly.