I really do not think that a formlab printer would be one of the most accurate printers no matter how well maintained and clean it is kept. it has a XY accuracy of 140µ which only allows for vacuum formed models and not even close to the accuracy needed to do removable die or crown and bridge. What type of X/Y accuracy does the new form 3 have ?
Thanks for bringing this point up. This is a common misconception about SLA, the laser size (140 um on a Form 2 and 80 um on a Form 3) has nothing to do with accuracy. The laser is used to draw the edge of the part and again just like writing with a pencil you can make edges and features smaller than the tip size. I've added a simple clip that illustrates this concept.
The lasers movement (or X and Y resolution) is less than 15 microns in precision.
The only thing the laser size DOES affect is minimum features. If something, say a margin, is less than 140 um (for the Form 2) it will not be able to create accurately. In milling restorations margins offsets (if someone doesn't know what im talking about please let me know, I can share a few visuals) are typically 0.15 to 0.2 depending on the material and the machine. Our 3Shape and ExoCAD settings have a margin offset of 0.15 which is on par or better than milling. Again, this is the only way the laser size will have an impact on a dental user.
Further more on DLP or LED type printers edges are created with pixels, typically 60 to 100 um in length and width, no matter what you will have unsmooth surfaces and finishes. SLA draws smooth lines which is one of the many reasons why the Form 2 and Form 3 will always have better looking parts and be as accurate if not better than these other printer types.
I'd be happy to take a print from any printer, take that same file print it, scan both and compare to show the results. I did it recently for a customer vs a Carbon printer and our part was more accurate, not by much, but it was better. Keep in mind we are comparing a 150k printer vs one that is 5k.
Lets keep debunking these theories. Thanks for asking the question.