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Formlabs Open Material Mode: can you really use third-party powder on a Fuse?

Jun 1, 2026 · 8 min read

Last updated: Nov 3, 2026

Formlabs · Open Material Mode · PA12 · Warranty

Formlabs Open Material Mode, Third-Party Powder & Warranty Explained

Formlabs Open Material Mode lets Fuse 1 / Fuse 1+ owners run third-party SLS powder officially. What OMM costs, how the warranty actually works, and how to switch to cheaper PA12 safely.

Formlabs Open Material Mode: Does Third-Party Powder Void Your Fuse Warranty?

A clear, honest guide to Formlabs Open Material Mode, what it costs, what it actually does to your warranty, and how to safely run cheaper third-party PA12 on a Fuse 1 or Fuse 1+ 30W.

For Formlabs Fuse 1, Fuse 1+ & Fuse X1 owners

Formlabs Open Material Mode: can you really use third-party powder on a Fuse?

Official Formlabs feature

One-time, per-printer license

Fuse 1 · Fuse 1+ 30W · Fuse X1

Request a free PA12 sample + print profile

See Fuse-compatible materials

The basics

What Open Material Mode actually is

Open Material Mode (OMM) is an official Formlabs feature. It's a one-time, per-printer license that unlocks your Fuse to run any 1064 nm SLS powder, not just Formlabs' own, and gives you full control over print parameters inside PreForm (exposure, layer thickness, correction factors, and so on).

In other words, Formlabs themselves built the door. You're not hacking your machine, voiding firmware, or doing anything unsupported. You're using a feature they sell.

A one-time purchase per printer that lasts the lifetime of that machine, no recurring fee.

Once it's on, you can switch freely between Formlabs powder and third-party powder whenever you like.

Current price (verify before purchase)

Roughly €6,000 – €11,400 per printer

One-time, lifetime license. Formlabs sets the OMM fee and adjusts it occasionally, always confirm the live figure on the Formlabs store or with your reseller before budgeting. Free for accredited educational institutions.

Warranty

The warranty question, the honest version

Here's the part everyone gets wrong. People assume "third-party powder = warranty instantly void." That's not how Formlabs actually wrote it.

When you enable Open Material Mode, Formlabs excludes a specific, limited set of failure modes from the standard warranty, the ones that a foreign material could plausibly cause (think powder-handling and contamination-related issues). The rest of your warranty coverage stays intact.

So it's not "use other powder and you're on your own." It's "Formlabs won't cover the handful of problems that a non-Formlabs powder could realistically be responsible for." That's a reasonable, narrow carve-out, and for a well-formulated PA12 designed to run on these machines, those failure modes are exactly what good material and a validated print profile are meant to prevent.

Two practical takeaways

Read Formlabs' current Terms of Service for the exact OMM exclusion language, it's short, and it's worth knowing precisely what is and isn't covered.

Use powder from a supplier who gives you a tested print profile for your specific machine. That's how you stay inside the safe zone.

Why people switch

The cost gap, build after build

SLS powder is a consumable, you buy it every month, build after build, so the per-kilogram price compounds fast.

Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder

~€90 / kg

OEM powder pricing at normal quantities.

IM3D PA12 Balance Black

€45 / kg

Roughly half. Same PA12 chemistry, 10 kg boxes, see PA12 Balance Black.

On a printer that goes through powder regularly, that difference doesn't show up once; it shows up every single build, all year. For a lot of shops, that's the gap between SLS being an occasional tool and SLS being something you can run on everything.

Because PA12 is a well-understood material, "cheaper" here doesn't mean "lower grade." It means a different supply chain and a different cost structure, not a different polymer family.

Print quality

"But will it actually print well on my machine?"

Fair question, and the right one to ask. The risk with any third-party powder isn't usually the material, it's spending a weekend guessing at print settings.

That's why the switch should never start with a full powder order. It should start with a sample and a validated print profile for your exact machine. Print a real part, on your own Fuse, with settings someone has already dialed in. If the result is what you need, you switch with confidence. If it isn't, you've lost an afternoon, not a build chamber full of powder.

That's the entire point of buying from a materials specialist rather than a generic reseller: you get the powder and the know-how to run it.

How to switch

Five steps from OEM-only to mixed materials

Step

Confirm Open Material Mode is available for your Fuse and check the current license price with Formlabs or your reseller.

Read the OMM warranty exclusion in Formlabs' Terms of Service so you know exactly where you stand.

Request a powder sample plus the validated print profile for your specific machine (Fuse 1, Fuse 1+ 30W or Fuse X1).

Print a test part using the supplied profile and compare it to your usual Nylon 12 results.

Switch when the part proves itself, and start saving on every build after that.

FAQ

Open Material Mode, answered

Does Formlabs Open Material Mode void my Fuse warranty?

No, not wholesale. Open Material Mode (OMM) is an official Formlabs feature. When you enable it, Formlabs excludes a narrow set of failure modes that a foreign powder could plausibly cause (powder-handling and contamination-related issues). The rest of your printer warranty stays intact. Always read the current Formlabs Terms of Service for the exact OMM exclusion language.

How much does Formlabs Open Material Mode cost?

Formlabs sets the OMM license fee per printer and adjusts it occasionally. As of recent quotes it lands roughly in the €6,000–€11,400 range per printer (one-time, lifetime). It is also offered free with the printer for accredited educational institutions. Confirm the current figure on the Formlabs store or with your reseller before budgeting.

Is Open Material Mode a subscription?

No. OMM is a one-time purchase per printer that lasts the lifetime of that machine, there is no recurring fee.

Can I switch back to Formlabs powder after enabling OMM?

Yes. Once OMM is enabled you can freely switch between Formlabs Nylon 12 and third-party SLS powders whenever you like. Enabling OMM does not lock you out of OEM materials.

Is OMM available on the Fuse 1 and Fuse 1+ 30W?

Yes, Open Material Mode is available for the Formlabs Fuse 1 and Fuse 1+ 30W. Confirm availability for your specific serial number with Formlabs or your reseller.

Is OMM available on the Fuse X1?

Yes. Formlabs lists "any 1064 nm powder with Open Material Mode" in the Fuse X1 specifications. Confirm current X1 OMM pricing with Formlabs or your reseller. For the X1, we work with you on the print profile.

Is third-party PA12 lower quality than Formlabs Nylon 12?

Not inherently. PA12 is a well-understood polymer family. "Cheaper" third-party PA12 typically means a different supply chain and cost structure, not a different polymer. The risk with any third-party powder is print settings, which is why you should buy from a supplier that ships a validated print profile for your exact machine.

Do I need OMM to use IM3D powder on a Fuse?

Yes, Open Material Mode is the official, supported way to run third-party SLS powder on a Formlabs Fuse 1 or Fuse 1+. With OMM enabled you also get full control over print parameters (exposure, layer thickness, correction factors) inside PreForm.

The bottom line

Open Material Mode exists because Formlabs knows people want material choice. Using it is official, supported, and doesn't void your warranty wholesale, it carves out a narrow, sensible set of exclusions. Pair it with industrial-grade PA12 at about half the OEM price and a print profile tuned for your machine, and "switching powder" stops being a gamble and becomes a straightforward cost decision.

If you run a Fuse and want to see it for yourself, the lowest-risk first step is a sample. Print a part, check the result, decide from there.

Request a free PA12 sample + your machine's print profile

Tell us whether you run a Fuse 1, Fuse 1+ 30W or Fuse X1 and we'll send a sample plus a validated print profile so you can test before you switch.

Request sample

Fuse materials

Talk to an engineer

Inframotion 3D B.V. is fully independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Formlabs or EOS GmbH. All referenced trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. Always check the current Formlabs Terms of Service and Open Material Mode pricing directly, as these may change.