[2] Formlabs was founded by Maxim Lobovsky, Natan Linder, and David Cranor, who met as students at the MIT Media Lab while taking a class called "How to Make (almost) Anything".

Formlabs received early seed funding from investors including Mitch Kapor, Joi Ito, and Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors.

In November 2012, Formlabs was sued by the industrial 3D printing giant 3D Systems that claimed rights to the stereolithography technology that the Form 1 uses.

[4] In October 2013, Formlabs closed an additional $19 million Series A round of financing led by DFJ Growth, joined by Pitango Venture Capital, Innovation Endeavors, and returning angel investors.

[6] In August 2015, Michael Sorkin, former co-founder of iGo3D, joined Formlabs to serve as the managing director of their European headquarters.

[8] In April 2018, Formlabs raised $30 million in series C funding led by Tyche Partners, with investors including the municipally-owned Shenzhen Capital Group.

[9] The company said it would use the funding to expand its product portfolio and scale operations to meet increasing customer demand, particularly from Asia.

[12] In September of 2024, Ford Motor Company utilized Formlabs 3D printers to prototype various components for its upcoming Electric Explorer SUV.

[15][16] The Form 1 used a 3D printing process known as stereolithography, wherein liquid resin is cured, or hardened, into a solid material by the application of laser light.

Although previously available in larger, more expensive machines, the Form 1 offered stereolithography in a smaller, more affordable desktop-class device.

[26] The only exception is Form 3 printers designated "Early 2019" which retain the dental material capabilities from its initial release.

[31] As the COVID-19 pandemic took off in March 2020, Formlabs, working with, Northwell Health and the University of South Florida developed a 3D printed nasopharyngeal swab made from biocompatible resins.

[37] Formlabs is featured in Print the Legend,[2] a documentary that tells the stories of several leading companies in the desktop 3D printer industry.