Fourteen boxes are piled around my desk, forming a makeshift fort of cardboard. Inside one is the Form Studio 1, a new, affordable 3D printer from Formlabs. Chief Product Officer David Lakatos assured me it’s compact enough for any desk. And it is—about the size of a mini-fridge.

The printer uses SLA resins, which harden when exposed to ultraviolet light. It comes with a $699 price tag, along with a $199 wash and cure unit. While the printer is quiet and odour-free, the resin stink is a concern. But Formlabs’ Alpha resins are UL GreenGuard-certified, making them safe for use in bedrooms and other sensitive areas.

I’ve printed a toolbox cover, and the process was clean and quick. Formlabs’ SLA printing enables very detailed constructions, with a reported 2 percent failure rate. While you can use any resin, the company recommends its own, which is available in individual bottles starting at $29.

The overall experience is straightforward, with a user-friendly touchscreen and an app for remote control. For those who want to experiment with 3D printing, the Form Studio 1 is a step in the right direction. Whether it will revolutionize the field remains to be seen, but for now, it’s a welcome addition for the masses.