Formlabs appoints ex-Cognex CEO Rob Willett to board, sparking IPO speculation

Formlabs announced the immediate appointment of Rob Willett to its Board of Directors on February 17, 2026, naming him to replace Carl Bass, who joined the board in 2017 and is stepping down after more than eight years of service. The company framed the move as a governance change tied to aggressive scaling goals for its professional 3D printing business.

Willett arrives at Formlabs with what the company and trade outlets describe as more than three decades of leadership in industrial automation and machine vision, most recently as Chief Executive Officer of Cognex Corporation. Coverage of the appointment variously credits Willett with steering Cognex into a large, profitable machine-vision supplier; several outlets call Cognex a "billion‑dollar leader," while one report lists Cognex revenue at $875 million and notes Cognex makes tools for semiconductor manufacturing, barcode scanning, OCR, and defect detection.

Natan Linder, Chairman of the Board at Formlabs, set the strategic rationale for Willett’s selection in the company press release datelined SOMERVILLE, Mass., February 17, 2026. Linder said, “Rob has built and scaled global industrial technology businesses with operational rigor and discipline. There is a strong MIT-rooted heritage connecting Cognex and Formlabs, two companies built at the intersection of software, hardware, and manufacturing. As Formlabs continues its evolution from breakthrough startup to enduring manufacturing platform, his experience scaling complex hardware and automation companies will be invaluable.”

Willett echoed that framing and positioned Formlabs as a platform ready for broader industrial adoption. He said, “Formlabs has built an industry-leading platform at the intersection of manufacturing hardware, software, and materials. The company is uniquely positioned to drive the next era of digital production by making powerful fabrication tools more accessible without sacrificing performance. I’m excited to join the Board of Directors and help guide the company as it continues to scale globally.”

Formlabs characterized itself in the release as a leader in professional 3D printing, with product lines spanning resin stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), and related materials and software. Manufacturing sector coverage highlighted a company-reported milestone that customers have used Formlabs technology to print more than 500 million parts for product development, manufacturing, and healthcare applications, a concrete usage metric the company has been citing as it pushes into production workflows.

Formlabs distributed the announcement via Business Wire on February 17, 2026, and the release was republished as a paid press release on Yahoo Finance; trade coverage ran the same day in Digital Engineering, 3DPrint, Manufacturing, TCT Magazine, and DE Editors. Formlabs also issued a tribute to departing director Carl Bass, saying, “Carl has been an extraordinary partner to Formlabs. He brought strategic clarity, bold ambition, and deep empathy for builders and designers. We’re deeply grateful for his leadership and the lasting impact he has made on the company.”

Company spokespeople and the published materials describe Willett’s role as supporting Formlabs’ push to scale globally and to tighten operations at the intersection of hardware, software, and manufacturing as the business moves beyond early commercial adoption.