Comparing Liqcreate Bio-Med Clear and Formlabs BioMed Clear

Comparing Liqcreate Bio-Med Clear and Formlabs BioMed Clear

In the table below you can find a 1-on-1 comparison of properties, sterilization tests validated and biocompatibility tests executed for each material anno November 2025.

Liqcreate Bio-Med Clear: The Open-Source Advantage

The primary strength of Liqcreate Bio-Med Clear is its open compatibility, which offers significant advantages for certain users:

• – Flexibility and Cost: Being an open material, it is compatible with a wide range of SLA, DLP, and LCD 3D printers, including lower-cost desktop models. This provides cost-saving opportunities and flexibility for organizations that do not rely exclusively on the Formlabs ecosystem.

• – Customization: Users with open-source printers have the ability to fine-tune printer parameters (exposure time, lift speed, etc.) to optimize the material’s performance for specific geometries or printing conditions.

• – Biocompatibility: It meets the fundamental biocompatibility requirements (Cytotoxicity, Sensitization, and Irritation), making it suitable for a broad array of medical devices, R&D, and custom components.

• – Autoclavable: The material is designed to withstand steam sterilization, a critical feature for surgical tools and devices used in sterile environments.

• – Price: With a material price of only €90,90 / kg it is much cheaper then any other biocompatibility material in the market.

Formlabs BioMed Clear: The Certified Ecosystem

Formlabs BioMed Clear leverages the strength of a fully integrated hardware/software/material ecosystem:

• – Premium Certification: The resin holds a USP Class VI certification, a more stringent standard that tests materials for biological reactivity. This is often required for pharmaceutical and drug delivery applications.

• – Integrated Quality Assurance: It is manufactured in an FDA-registered, ISO 13485-certified facility, providing a higher level of documentation for regulated medical device manufacturers.

• – Extended Contact Claims: Formlabs provides specific claims for long-term contact with skin and mucosal membranes, which is essential for wearables, long-term monitoring devices, and permanent airway components.

• – Reliability and Consistency: As a closed system material, Formlabs provides validated print settings on their printers to ensure consistent, reliable results, which is highly valued in regulated medical environments.

Potential Drawbacks

Liqcreate Bio-Med Clear Drawbacks

• – Validation Responsibility: While Liqcreate provides printing parameters, users must validate the other part of the workflow when using non-validated hardware (print settings, washing, and curing) on their specific open-source printer to ensure the final part meets all standards.

• – Lower Barrier to Entry: Because it is used on a variety of machines, the final part quality and mechanical properties can vary significantly if the user does not follow the post-processing instructions precisely.

Formlabs BioMed Clear Drawbacks

• – System Lock-In: The resin is proprietary and primarily restricted to Formlabs printers. This higher barrier to entry requires significant initial investment in the Formlabs ecosystem (printer, automated post-processing units, specific tanks).

• – Higher Cost per Kilogram: This resin generally command a higher price than third-party alternatives, increasing the material cost per part.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Biocompatible Resin

The choice between Liqcreate Bio-Med Clear and Formlabs BioMed Clear depends entirely on your application and your existing 3D printing infrastructure:

• – Choose Formlabs BioMed Clear when your application requires USP Class VI certification, long-term contact claims, or if you operate within a highly regulated environment (like a hospital or FDA-registered manufacturing facility) where the simplicity and consistency of a closed, validated ecosystem are critical.

• – Choose Liqcreate Bio-Med Clear if: You own an open-source DLP/LCD/SLA printer (and need to print biocompatible parts), you require steam sterilization (autoclaving), or you have the technical expertise to validate your custom post-processing workflow to meet the necessary medical standards.

Ultimately, each option has its own set of customers, but Formlabs offers a higher degree of regulatory assurance due to its controlled ecosystem, while Liqcreate offers greater versatility and accessibility across different hardware platforms.