A presentation I gave at HWSW conference in Budapest, detailing how software updates can continue enhancing a hardware product experience even after shipping. Conference: https://rendezveny.hwsw.hu/mobile/9

1. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
How software helps
deliver a better hardware
user experience
Grant Thomas-Lepore
Head of Product Management, Software

2. Head of Software Product Management
Studied mechanical engineering. Worked as
a software engineer. Now a product
manager.
Companies:

3. Formlabs SLA Product Workflow
Prepare your model
in PreForm
Orient your model and
create support structures.
Print your model
Upload your model to
your 3D printer.
Post-processing with
Form Wash + Form Cure
Wash model in IPA and cure it to
unleash optimal material properties.
Choose a material
Decide which 3D printing
material will give you the right
properties for your application.

4. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
Some examples

5. V1
V2
V3
Form 2 Touch UI Evolution

6. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
Intelligent pre-heat
brought majority of user
heating waiting times
from ~15 min > ~2 min
Intelligent Pre-Heat

7. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
Improve adherence issues

8. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
1. Adjust start temperatures
Improve adherence issues

9. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
1. Adjust start temperatures
Improve adherence issues
2. Change raft geometry

10. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
Support structures are critical to keep the part in the right place
Improve supports to
ease removal, lower cost

11. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
That said, sometime things go
wrong...

12. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
“For PreForm 2.14, our software team
spent some time optimizing the
movements of the build platform,
wiper, and other parts of the printing
process to increase printing speeds
anywhere from 5 to 30 percent!”
Dec. 14th, 2017

13. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
“The faster print speeds previously enabled in
PreForm 2.14 have unexpectedly contributed
to lower print success than the high standard
we hold for our products. As such, we have
reverted these changes in version 2.15 in favor
of restoring the same level of reliability you've
come to expect from the Form 2.”
Feb. 20th, 2018

14. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
Some lessons learned

15. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
Make software
updates easy
Make automatic
updates the default
Don’t update at
annoying times

16. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
Log everything
Encourage users to
opt into hardware log
collection

17. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
Keep at least 1-2 old
versions of each
machine that’s ever
been shipped, even as
you improve them

18. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
Establish a good test
matrix across
hardware versions,
different materials,
operating systems, etc.

19. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.
Get a great group of
active beta testers who
will give feedback

20. Proprietary & Confidential. Copyright © 2016 Formlabs.