Comparing 3D-Printed and Traditional Guide Plates for Placing Orthodontic Brackets

The most important part of orthodontic treatment is the correct positioning and bonding of the brackets. Direct bonding is less accurate and often takes longer due to saliva and inaccessible tooth positions, while indirect bonding is quicker and less likely to cause bracket positioning errors, but is costlier. A team of researchers from Beijing published a paper, “Comparison of three-dimensional printing guides and double-layer guide plates in accurate bracket placement,” where they designed different types of transfer trays, using 3D printing and traditional impressions, and evaluated their “clinical efficacy.”

“With the increasing applications of indirect bonding, various designs of transfer trays and novel technologies are implemented in the treatment procedure. In the laboratory stage, the patients’ occlusal interrelationship can be duplicated either by impression or digital scanning,” the researchers wrote. “The former is a traditional method to generate double-layer guide plates; though with a lower cost, this method typically takes longer laboratory time and is susceptible to human errors. The latter is incorporated with cutting-edge 3D printing technology that provides various advantages, such as precise 3D images, convenience in file storage, and accuracy in image analysis and outcome prediction [5].”

The study model. (a) Maxillary model with marking points. (b) Mandibular model with marking points.

In the laboratory stage of indirect bonding, brackets are bonded to the patient’s orthodontic model, and then a customized transfer tray is used to place them on the actual surface of the tooth in the clinical stage. To make the models for this study, the team collected 140 teeth with normal crown morphology and no evident defects or restorations, sterilized them, and arranged them into “five pairs of full dentition” before labeling the marking points “on the buccal/labial surface of the crown.”

Digital design and 3D printing guides. (a) Distinguishing teeth and gingiva on the digital models. (b) Establishing the occlusal plane. (c) Adjusting the bracket positioning. (d) Simulation of bracket positioning. (e-f) Guide plate for indirect bonding on digital models. (g) 3D printing guide – whole denture type, and (h) single tooth type.

Next, they created 3D printable indirect bonding guide plates, beginning by generating digital models with the 3Shape TRIOS Standard intraoral scanner. The occlusal plane, axis, and center of individual crowns were established, and the marginal gingiva labeled, using 3Shape software, and guide plates for the whole denture type and single tooth type for 3D printed on a ProJet 3510 DP.

“The brackets were positioned in the 3D printing guides (the whole denture type or the single tooth type), and 3 M Unitek Transbond™ XT light-curable adhesives were applied to the base of the brackets,” the team explained about the indirect bonding procedure. “The 3D printing guides were then placed on the study models, and each border of the brackets was light-cured for 5 s.”

3D printing guides and indirect bonding procedure. 3D printing guide of the (a) maxillary and (b) mandibular dentitions. 3D printing guides placed on the (c) maxillary and (d) mandibular study models. Completion of bracket positioning on the (e) maxillary and (f) mandibular study models.

In making the traditional trays, the researchers used silicone-based materials to get impressions of the working models with intact marking points, and created plaster casts from the silicone molds.

“A thin layer of separation agents was applied to the cast tooth surfaces; then, the brackets were positioned and adhered on the crowns using 3 M Transbond™ XT light-curable adhesives and light-cured for 5 min,” they wrote. “Double-layer guide plates were manufactured by Erkoform-3D Thermoformer with a 1 mm inner layer (soft film) and 0.6 mm or 0.8 mm outer layer (hard film). Lastly, we trimmed the excess materials of the inner layer to 2 mm above the crowns and the outer layer until covering 2/3 of the brackets.”

The impression of (a) maxillary and (b) mandibular dentitions, and the plaster casts of (c) maxillary and (d) mandibular dentitions.

Bracket positioning on the (a-c) maxillary and (d-f) mandibular dentitions. Double-layer guide plate of the (g) maxillary and (h) mandibular dentitions.

For this indirect bonding procedure, the bracket were placed in the double-layer guide plates, with one solution applied to the surfaces of the teeth and another to the bracket base. Then, the guide plates were put on the study models, and after two minutes of fixation, the researchers removed the outer hard layer first, and then the inner soft layer.

Double-layer guide plates placed on the (a-c) maxillary and (d-f) mandibular study models. Completion of bracket positioning on the (g-i) maxillary and (j-l) mandibular study models.

Next, Materialise Mimics software was used to measure the distance between the marking points and bracket positions in the digital models of both the whole denture and single tooth designs for the 3D printed guide group, while electronic calipers measured the distance in the study models.

Electronic caliper.

Marking points on the plaster cast and study model.

SPSS software was used to analyze the distance.

“The accuracy of indirect bonding between 3D printing guide and double-layer guide plate was compared using the paired t-test. P < 0.05 indicated statistical significance,” they explained.

The data, reflected in the tables below, showed that there was no statistical difference in the accuracy of bracket positioning between the two types (p = 0.078), and that the 0.6 mm type in the double-layer guide group had much better results (p = 0.036) than the 0.8 mm one.

“We then further compared the accuracy of indirect bonding between 3D printing guides (whole denture type) and double-layer guide plates (0.6 mm), the results were comparable between two groups (P = 0.069),” they wrote. “However, indirect bonding using double-layer guide plates (0.6 mm) cost less chair-side time than the 3D printing guides group.”

Table 1: Comparison of different designs in 3D printing guide group.

Table 2: Comparison of different designs in double-layer guide plate group.

Table 3: Comparison of bracket positioning accuracy between 3D printing guide and double-layer guide plate.

However, while the data showed no statistical significance, the researchers noted that “the overall discrepancy before and after bracket transfer was lower in the 3D printing guides group.”

“This finding might be due to our in vitro study models with only mild malocclusion,” they explained. “Further in vivo studies in more severe clinical cases, such as malocclusion with torsion/tilting/overlapping, will be essential to investigate the efficacy and generalizability of 3D printing guides and double-layer guide plates.”

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AMS 2020: Panels on 3D Printing Materials and Applications for Dental Industry

At our recent Additive Manufacturing Strategies 2020 in Boston, co-hosted by SmarTech Analysis, many different topics were discussed in keynotes and panels, such as binder jetting, medical 3D printing, and different materials. Dental 3D printing was also a major topic of discussion at the event, and I attended three panels that focused on additive manufacturing for dental applications.

The first, “Into the dental and oral surgery office,” had three panelists: Dr.-Ing. Roland Mayerhofer, the Product Line Manager for Coherent/OR Laser; CEO Manager of Oral 3D Martina Ferracane; and Mayra Vasques, PhD, a dental prosthesis fellow at the University of São Paulo in Brazil.

Dr. Mayerhofer went first, and provided a quick overview of Coherent’s laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) systems, and the dental applications for which they can be used.

The versatile CREATOR is the company’s open system, and can print with multiple materials, such as brass, cobalt chromium, steel, and Inconel.

“As long as it works, you can put any powder in you want,” Dr. Mayerhofer said about the 3D printer.

He explained said that the CREATOR setup is “typical but can be as big as a stand-up fridge, not the American double-size.”

You can take a look at the rest of the printer specs above, along with a few features that will be added to the new system that’s coming in 2021, such as two powder hoppers and a build platform.

“Then you can take them out, put fresh hoppers in, and keep going,” Dr. Mayerhofer said.

He stated that the dental field is likely one of the first major adopters of metal additive manufacturing, as the technology offers 100% personalization and can fabricate small, complex parts out of existing materials, like titanium alloys…all perfect features for the dental industry.

Dr. Mayerhofer then discussed Coherent’s digital dental workflow, which can get from scanning to a completed 3D printed part in 12 steps. Some of these steps include designing the CAD file and preparing it for 3D printing in the company’s APP software suite.

Later process steps are annealing, and then sandblasting, support removal, polishing, ceramic coating – added manually – and voila, you have a finished product.

The Dental Cockpit is Coherent’s latest addition. The CAM software makes it easy to load and print parts, which means that the digital dental workflow as a whole is much less complex. There’s one click to select the file, another to choose the materials and properties, and then a final click to generate the G-code.

Dr. Mayerhofer said that Coherent’s whole dental workflow, 3D printing on the CREATOR include, takes just one work day to fabricate a completed bridge in the dental lab.

After the cast skeleton is scanned, the dental lab begins preparing the CAD data at 8 am. Then the print job has to be prepared in Dental Cockpit, and 3D printing typically begins in the morning.

Once the parts are removed from the print bed, post processing is completed, and then a porcelain coating is added before the product is subjected to heat treatment and polishing. The completed bridge is then ready to go by 4 pm.

Dr. Mayerhofer noted that a dental lab’s ROI on the CREATOR 3D printing system is less than a year…typically about six months, in fact.

Then it was Ferracane’s turn to explain how her company, Oral 3D, makes 3D printing simple for dentists, even as it’s occurring at the industrial level.

“Our solution makes it extremely simple for dentists to bring 3D printing to their practice,” she said.

She presented a brief overview of the US dental market, noting that some of the major applications for 3D printing in the field include aligners, crowns, surgical guides, and soft tissue models, which dentists use to test procedures ahead of time.

“Usually today, the way most of these models are done is through intraoral scanning,” she explained.

Ferracane said that SLA technology makes it much easier to make these soft tissue models. But, even so, they can still only be used for testing purposes most of the time.

3D printed models of hard tissue – bone – are also fabricated, but she said that they’re not used often, as it’s difficult for dentists to come up with STL files of just the hard tissue.

She pulled up a slide that had the world “PROBLEM” across the top. The image appears to be scan data of bone, which looks pretty hard to read.

“It’s not easy for dentists to make this into something printable by cleaning up the images,” Ferracane explained. “So they can pay to outsource it to labs to clean it up. But our 3D printing software automatically does this. Just drag the CT scan, and we’ll take care of changing it from DICOM to STL. With one click, we can then convert STL to G-code.”

She said that while it’s obviously good to fabricate dental applications this way using Oral 3D’s printer, it will work with whatever system you’re already using.

These 3D printed models serve a variety of purposes – they can improve communication with patients, help in treatment planning, and even “broaden learning.” Ferracane mentioned that the company has partnerships with NYU and Harvard for this last.

Other applications include bone blocks, made-to-measure titanium membranes, and maxillofacial surgery. Additionally, she stated that Oral 3D recently began collaborating with dental surgeons, who use the company’s 3D printed dental models for planning and patient communication.

She finished by stating that the company believes FDM printing can “be a good value add for dentists.”

Vasques finished things by sharing her research into how things look, dental 3D printing-wise, from the point of view of clinicians.

“It’s common for most to be scared of using 3D printing,” she explained. “They think it’s plug and play, and it’s not.”

For her research, she divided users into two separate groups – high level experience (seniors), and innovation (early adopters and students).

“We are trying to figure out how these people understand the technology,” she said.

High level users expect accuracy, efficiency, high quality technology, and high-performance materials for the purposes of chairside 3D printing. Vasques said that these users “don’t want to wait 2-3 hours to make products by hand.”

“In university, we’re trying to establish protocols and research to help these people have the results they are expecting.

“We’re trying to solve problems, like mouthguards for sports.”

Vasques said that last year, she and her team published three articles about dental 3D printing topics, such as 3D printed occlusal devices and post-processing. She launched INNOV3D the same year, in order to help train professors in using dental 3D printing.

“We have an online training platform, educational materials, and 3D lab,” she stated.

Once she finished and sat back down, Davide Sher, the panel’s moderator, asked the other two panelists how they would address the challenges that Vasques listed, and how they would make dentists understand more about dental 3D printing.

Ferracane answered that most dentists aren’t buying 3D printers today, because they’re initially taught that the systems are really easy to use when they’re not. Once they run into issues with SLA technology, they get frustrated and just start outsourcing the work instead.

“Then they’re really dissatisfied, because they’re complicated and not just plug and play. We need to help them understand that they can bring the technology back to their office.”

Sher noted that dentists don’t really have the time to learn about the more advanced types, and so asked if the companies directed their technology to users in dental labs; Dr. Mayerhofer said yes.

After a short break, the next session, “Dental lab experiences with 3D printing,” began. While Les Kalman, an Assistant Professor for Restorative Dentistry at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine, was unable to make AMS 2020, Arfona founder and CEO Justin Marks and Sam Wainwright, Dental Product Manager for Formlabs, were both ready to go.

Marks went first, explaining that Arfona, founded in 2017 by dental technicians and 3D printing enthusiasts on “the core belief that thermoplastic dental materials should not be substituted for inferior photopolymers,” has been working to “bring 3D printing into the world of dentistry.” The company’s flagship product is its 3D printed flexible nylon dentures.

He pulled up a slide that cited research stating that 36 million Americans are completely edentulous, meaning without teeth, and that 178 million are partially edentulous. But even so, Marks said that there’s an “astronomical” number of people who are still not wearing dentures.

“Most people don’t think about this until it happens to you or someone you know,” he said about missing a tooth. “It’s not always that easy or cheap to fix this with implants.”

According to a survey, only 8% of dentures are digitally fabricated, which means most are still made by hand using analog methods.

Marks said that even though 3D printing is “becoming more of a buzzword” in the dental industry, most of the materials “have largely stayed the same,” and based on the same technologies and principles. Extrusion-based AM is not used often in dentistry, and powder bed fusion (PBF) is mostly limited to metals, not polymers.

Marks went through a brief history of 3D printing in dentistry. Ubiquitous applications include impression trays, digital models, and resin patterns for casting, while digital dentures are currently happening and things like clear aligners, temporary and long-term crowns and bridges, and multimaterial printing are in development for use in the future.

He said that the ubiquitous ones have one thing in common – they’re used once and then thrown away.

“We’re still not doing much with crowns and bridges,” Marks said. “Clear aligners are the holy grail, and direct printing of the aligner is still a ways off, though all companies are probably working on it.”

Aronfa’s dental 3D printer is the r.Pod, which is a modified version of a Makerbot clone. The dual extrusion filament system is optimized for all of the company’s thermoplastic materials.

Then it was Wainwright’s turn to talk about dental 3D printing at Formlabs. He agreed with Marks that “FDM and thermoplastics have an incredible place” in the dental industry.

When the company was founded in 2012, its goal was to make professional-scale 3D printing accessible and affordable for everyone. Now Formlabs employs over 500 people at its multiple locations around the world, and has sold more than 50,000 3D printers.

Wainwright explained that the Form 3B desktop printer, optimized for biocompatible materials, has many dental-specific features, materials, and software, in addition to automated washing and post-curing systems “to help tie in end-to-end dental workflows.”

In addition, Formlabs offers dental materials, and launched its dental service plan (DSP) along with the Form 3B in 2019. Because there are high demands, the 3D printing process is complex, and the DSP offers support.

“We are committed to 3D printing for dental,” Wainwright stated. “We have over 20 people in the dental business unit. But we have the resources of a 500 person-plus company.”

While most are made overseas, Formlabs Dental is now developing photopolymers in my home state, since the company acquired its main material supplier, Ohio-based Spectra Photopolymers, last year. Formlabs’ biocompatible Surgical Guide Resin is the company’s first material made in an ISO-certified facility.

“It’s exciting to have intimate control over design aspects,” Wainwright said.

The image above is an example of the Surgical Guide material. Wainright explained that the light touch supports are very easy to remove, which means that there isn’t a lot of time wasted in post-processing.

He said that 36% of dental labs in the US use 3D printing technology, which makes them very “cutting edge.”

“There’s a ton of market opportunity for dental to go digital,” he said. “We have 30% of this market – we’re the biggest player in dental laboratories and will continue to grow, but compared to Invisalign, it’s not really that much.”

So far, Formlabs has 3D printed more than 10,000,000 parts for the dental industry. Wainwright predicts that in ten years or less, “everything in dental will be 3D printed.”

He reiterated to the room that Formlabs has “a whole host of materials” for dental applications, four of which are solely for fabricating models, which are “really critical to dentists.” As dental offices adopt intraoral scanning technology, it’s helpful to take the scan data and turn it into something physical. Wainwright mentioned that Formlabs’ Grey Resin can achieve fast, accurate prints, and that it’s good for thermoforming as well.

The company’s Draft material is “accurate enough to create models in less than 20 minutes,” which makes it perfect for creating retainers on the same day as a patient’s appointment. Model Resin is good for accurately restoring dental models, while the biocompatible Dental LT Clear Resin can be used to print occlusal splints in addition to models.

Formlabs’ Digital Dentures solution comes in multiple shades to match a patient’s teeth, and a full set can be 3D printed for less than $10, which Wainwright says is “really a game-changer.”

“We want to make treatments easier, better, and faster,” he said in conclusion.

“3D printing is still very early in dental, this is just the beginning. The materials will just keep getting better, it’s an exciting place to be.”

Then it was time to eat lunch and chat with other attendees…or, as I did, inhale food and then find a spot in the hallway near an outlet and get a little work done.

After the lunch break, I sat in on my last panel at AMS 2020, “3D materials for dental applications.” It was a panel of one – Gabi Janssen, Business Development Manager and Global Leader, Healthcare Segment Additive Manufacturing, for DSM Additive Manufacturing. She presented on digitalization in healthcare and dentistry.

She tried to play a short movie about what the company does, but due to technical difficulties there was no sound, so she narrated instead, explaining that DSM is “a material company” that also does a lot with nutrition – a brand behind the brands.

The company also has a biomedical department, which helps deliver advanced healing solutions for AM applications, including bioceramics, collagen, polyethylenes, polyurethanes, and hydrophilic coating.

“What we have on the market is filaments,” Janssen said, pulling up a list of the dental materials DSM offers.

Several of the company’s products are geared toward the healthcare market, such as Somos BioClear for dental guides and anatomical models.

“So how do we develop a new material?” Janssen asked. “We’ve discussed 510(k) clearance materials, and you have to work all together. We look at the application, and determine what we need – printer, software, material – to fit what the end user needs.”

She pulled up a slide of the major market drivers in 3D dental printing – performance, mass customization, and time-saving.

“What kind of applications do we have in dentistry?” she asked.

To answer her own question, she showed a brief history of digital dentistry, starting with the first 3D printed part in 1983, moving on to DSM’s 3D printing resin in 1988, the beginning of aligner manufacturing in 1997 and medical modeling in 2000, and DSM’s dental materials passing USP VI in 2008. For 2020 and beyond, hopefully we’ll see the availability of direct aligner materials.

“I think there’s still a lot of data needed to show it’s good,” Janssen said about where the industry currently stands. “Reimbursement is difficult, we need this data to back it up.”

The topic of FDA clearance obviously came up a lot at AMS 2020. Janssen said that DSM has a resin that’s certified for use in dental bite guards, and a general purpose resin that isn’t certified but can be used to make FDA-cleared aligners.

“The end device needs the clearance,” she reminded the room.

She brought up how Materialise was the first company to receive FDA clearance for software about 3D printing anatomical models for diagnostic use. Materialise Mimics inPrint translates the data for the model to the 3D printer. Then, combined with a specific printer and material, it’s possible to fabricate “the model they actually want within a certain safety margin.”

“But, if you want to print medical models, just for patient communication, it does not need to be cleared, because it’s not a medical device,” she explained.

The slide above explains what makes a medical device controlled, i.e. needs clearance, while the below slide lists some very useful definitions, including biocompatibility and risk.

Janssen then brought up the “sometimes confusing standards,” such as ISO standards.

“Depending on what we do with the material, and how long it goes in the mouth, there are different risk associations,” she explained.

In terms of product classification, Class I is the least risky. But, the higher you go up in class, the more research is required to show that the 3D printable material won’t harm patients.

She said that the regulatory industry is changing to have more focus on software, with higher regulations for that software, because it “needs to be validated in combination with the material and equipment.” Additionally, there is more of a focus these days on understanding and managing risks, as well as reducing animal testing…always good news!

When choosing the proper filaments for your workflow, you should start by working with the dentist on treatment planning. Then, once the patient’s mouth has been scanned, you can create the design in the software. Then the build has to be prepared, which takes some patience and precision – you need to enter the optimal print parameters, and add supports if they’re needed. Then, after the print is complete, it needs to be removed from the bed, supports (if there are any) need to be taken off, and there may even be grinding and painting involved before the final quality check.

“Many process variables can impact the safety of the final end product,” Janssen noted. “So you need to understand the effect the material can have on patients.”

Finally, there are also plenty of steps to follow to ensure material safety in development, so it’s important to follow the instructions your supplier gives you.

Then it was time for some questions. One attendee asked why dentists aren’t all adopting AM, since some products, like mouthguards, look pretty easy to make in the back office.

“This may look easy, but it’s actually not,” Janssen explained.

She went on to say that the product or device may not always “come out right the first time.” There are a lot of parameters to look at, and potentially tweak, in order to achieve the desired result. A lot of people can get frustrated if it doesn’t work right the first time.

“What we’re doing now – if you bring your design to us, we’ll do the tweaking for you, as our software has all of the maximum and minimum numbers needed for parameters,” she said.

3D printing thought leader and author John Hornick offered his take on the question, as he has some experience with the matter. He explained that most dental offices are private, though many dentists are consolidating their practices into larger ones, “and their appetite for spending money on these machines may go up.” But, SmarTech doesn’t think the average dentist will spend that much for larger, more expensive 3D printers. That’s why some companies, like Arfona, are working on simpler material extrusion systems.

Another attendee said that it seems like 3D printing companies are just throwing technology at various markets and praying that it sticks. Dentists want to be dentists, and not spend their time dealing with issues like print parameters and melted filament.

“We, as technology providers, need to raise our game and make this work for these people,” Janssen stated.

I think that’s a great note on which to end my AMS 2020 coverage – we, the AM technology providers, need to show the rest of the world how 3D printing can work for their industries.

We hope to see you next winter for Additive Manufacturing Strategies 2021!

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

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Prodways Announces Clear Aligners Manufacturing Ecosystem

At Lab Day 2020 in Chicago, Prodways has announced the development of its Clear Aligners Manufacturing Ecosystem, meant to cover all aspects of the design and production of clear aligners. Developed in partnership with prevalent companies in the digital dentistry space—3Shape, Full Contour, Imes-Icore and Dreve—the product ecosystem can deliver up to 1200 aligners daily, according to Prodways.

As SmarTech Analysis has reported, the market for additive manufacturing in dentistry was on track to surpass $2.7 billion in 2019, with an anticipated 500 million dental devices and restorations projected to be produced annually by 2022. If you’ve seen an TV ads lately, you’ve likely caught one 3D-printed dental item that is already in high demand.

Clear dental aligners were among the first consumer products to be mass manufactured with the use of 3D printing. These devices are typically made by the following workflow: an intraoral scan of a patient’s mouth captures the 3D data used to design a model of their teeth; this model is 3D printed before the aligner thermoformed on top of the mold.

Given the success of clear aligners, not only are there now numerous competing aligner brands, but also 3D printing companies vying for their business. Prodways aims to stake out its own territory in the segment with what it considers the first end-to-end digital manufacturing solution. This includes 3D scanning, data preparation, treatment design, 3D printing, thermoforming, laser marking and trimming, with hardware and software integration and automation along each step. Part of this automation comes in the form of the automatic platform loader and unloader (seen in the video below), a semi-automatic thermoforming module and an automatic laser marking and trimming module.

With Prodways linking together 3Shape, Full Contour, Imes-Icore and Dreve, each companies’ hardware and software are interoperable. This results in the ability to manufacture up to 1200 aligners per day at what Prodways suggests is a low cost-per-part and a short time to market.

This ecosystem is a significant one for Prodways, which has been building its spot in the dental market for some time. The company’s MOVINGLight DLP technology is known for its high throughput, making it ideal for batch production of products like dental molds for aligners. The release of the LD3 system marked the company’s entry into smaller systems that can be used in dentistry, as well as jewelry and other fields. The acquisition of Solidscape also added to its footprint in the dental market.

As Prodways works to fully automate the process of making clear dental aligners, they may have some stiff competition, particularly from the likes of HP, which is already claiming to make 50,000 molds for aligners per day via its customer, the Smile Direct Club.

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3D Systems Introduces Stacking Feature for Rapid 3D Printing Production

Despite the fact that its most recent CEO, Vyomesh Joshi, has headed for retirement, 3D Systems is continuing in his vision for vertically integrated industrial 3D printing. The company has announced a new solution for batch production of 3D-printed orthodontic models.

Ahead of LMT Lab Day 2020, the company announced a software workflow for 3D printing up to 30 orthodontic models in a single print using its NexDent 5100 3D printer, NextDent Model 2.0 Software, and 3D Sprint software. Altogether, 3D Systems suggests that dental labs and clinics could potentially produce 120 models in just eight hours, depending on the size and geometry of the models.

The heart of the workflow is a new auto-stacking feature within 3D Systems’ 3D Sprint software, which makes it possible to automatically prepare and place dental models on the build plate with a single click. The tool includes smart nesting and proprietary support structures that are meant to result in less material use and easy-to-remove supports, while ensuring high precision. The auto-stacking feature is set to be available to NextDent 5200 users in the second quarter of this year.

Also to be presented at the Lab Day event is 3D Systems’ NextDent Denture 3D+ biocompatible denture material, which recently received U.S. Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance. The company claims that 3D printing a denture using this material as the base and NextDent C&B MFH for the teeth using the NextDent 5100 3D printer reduces denture fabrication expenses by 90 percent and production time by 75 percent compared to traditional methods.

None of these products would be possible without 3D Systems’ 2016 purchase of NextDent parent company Vertex Global-Holding B.V. Nor would it be possible without the commercialization of 3D Systems’ Figure 4 technology. The NextDent 5100 3D printer relies on the continuous digital light processing technology behind Figure 4, packaged for the dental industry.

The NextDent 5100 3D printer.

All of this is part of Joshi’s plan to establish strong foundations for the company in various verticals, ensuring streamlined and effective divisions for each. The first was medical and dental, which involved building off of the existing success of 3D Systems’ Healthcare, at which point the company would extrapolate the model deployed there over to aerospace and other divisions. The modular Figure 4 system has the potential to be used across all verticals, with individual Figure 4 systems like the NextDent applicable to small operations and a complete factory solution ideal for larger production scenarios. Now that Joshi is leaving the company, we will see if his successor can take the reins and follow through on that vision.

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3D Printing News Briefs: July 2nd, 2019

We’re talking partnerships and materials in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs. The Alfa Romeo F1 team and Additive Industries are strengthening their technology partnership, while Beam-IT and SLM Solutions are expanding their own cooperation. Metallum3D just opened a new beta testing program for its stainless steel filament, while Zortrax and CRP Technology are both introducing new materials.

Alfa Romeo F1 Team and Additive Industries Strengthen Partnership

At the recent Rapid.Tech-Fabcon industrial 3D printing conference in Germany, Additive Industries announced that its current technology partnership with the F1 team of Alfa Romeo Racing would be growing stronger. The Sauber Engineering company, on behalf of Alfa Romeo Racing, has ordered an additional: 4-laser, multi-module MetalFAB1 Productivity System, bringing the total up to four systems and making it Additive Industries’ largest customer with a high-productivity metal 3D printing capacity.

Our installed base is growing fast, not only with new customers in our core markets like aerospace and the automotive industry but also through existing customers like Sauber Engineering, who are advancing to become one of the leading companies in industrial 3D printing in Europe, ramping up production,” stated Daan Kersten, the CEO of Additive Industries. “Although most users of metal additive manufacturing are still applying prototyping systems, we see an increasing number of companies concluding they need dedicated systems for series production. Our modular MetalFAB1 family is the only proven system on the market today designed for this use. We are grateful and proud to be technology partner to Sauber Engineering and the F1 team of Alfa Romeo Racing.”

Beam-IT and SLM Solutions Sign Expanded Agreement

M.Sc.Eng. Martina Riccio, AM Process Leader of Beam-IT and technical team

Italian 3D printing service bureau Beam-IT and metal 3D printing provider SLM Solutions have signed an agreement, which will expand their current long-term cooperation. Together in a joint venture project, the two will work to develop more material parameters – focusing on certain material properties – for the nickel-based alloys IN939 and IN718; this process will help create a less lengthy timeframe in terms of parameter testing. Additionally, Beam-IT has added two new SLM 3D printers to its product portfolio: an SLM 280 and an SLM 500.

 

 

 

“We are pleased to announce our cooperation agreement with SLM Solutions and the two additional machines,” said Michele Antolotti, the General Manager of Beam-IT. “We regularly produce high-quality parts for our customers using selective laser melting because the SLM ® technology works efficiently, quickly and, above all, safely. With the expanded capacity of our new multi-laser systems we can also increase our productivity and react to the increased interest in SLM ® technology from our customers.”

Metallum3D Opens Stainless Steel Filament Beta Testing Program

Virginia-based company Metallum3D announced that it has opened a beta test program for its stainless steel 316L 3D printing filament. This new program will support the company in its development of an affordable and accessible on-demand metal 3D platform for FFF 3D printers. The Filament Beta Test Program is open until July 31st, 2019, and a limited run of 150 0.5 kg spools of Metallum3D’s stainless steel 316L filament will be offered for a discounted price on a first come, first serve basis.

Nelson Zambrana, the CEO of Metallum3D, said, “Our 1.75mm Stainless Steel 316L filament material has a metal content of 91.7% by weight or 61.5% by volume, while maintaining enough flexibility for a minimum bend diameter of 95 mm (3.75 in.). The combination of high metal loading and filament flexibility was a tough material development challenge that took us over a year to solve.”

Zortrax Introducing Biocompatible Resins for Inkspire 3D Printer

Last year, Polish 3D printing solutions provider Zortrax developed the Inkspire, its first resin 3D printer. The Inkspire uses UV LCD technology to create small and precise models for the architecture, jewelry, and medical industries. With this in mind, the company is now introducing its specialized biocompatible resins that have been optimized for the Inkspire to make end use models in dentistry and prosthetics.

The new class IIa biocompatible Raydent Crown & Bridge resin is used for 3D printing temporary crowns and bridges, and is available in in an A2 shade (beige), with high abrasion resistance for permanent smooth surfaces. Class I biocompatible Raydent Surgical Guide resin for precise prosthetic surgical guides  is safe for transient contact with human tissue, and offers translucency and high dimensional accuracy. With these new materials, the Zortrax Inkspire can now be used by prosthetic laboratories for prototyping and final intraoral product fabrication.

CRP Technology Welcomes New Flame Retardant Material

Functional air conditioning piping made with LS technology and Windform FR1

In April, Italy-based CRP Technology introduced its Windform P-LINE material for for high-speed, production-grade 3D printing. Now, it’s officially welcoming another new material to its polyamide composite family – Windform FR1, the first carbon-filled flame-retardant laser sintering material to be rated V-0. The material is from the Windform TOP-LINE family, and passed the FAR 25.853 12-second vertical, the 15-second horizontal flammability tests, and the 45° Bunsen burner test. The lightweight, halogen-free material combines excellent stiffness with superior mechanical properties, and is a great choice for applications in aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, and electronics.

“Only a few days from the launch of a new range of Windform® materials, the P-LINE for HSS technology, I’m very proud to launch a new revolutionary composite material from the Windform® TOP-LINE family of materials for Laser Sintering technology,” said Franco Cevolini, VP and CTO at CRP Technology. “Our aim is to constantly produce technological breakthroughs. With Windform® FR1 we can steer you toward the proper solution for your projects.

“We will not stop here, we will continue our work on renewal and technological expansion in the field of Additive Manufacturing. Stay tuned!”

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

Early Bird Deadline For Trends & Innovations in Dentistry Is Tomorrow, September 1

There’s still time to save on Trends & Innovations in Dentistry, our three-day online event starting September 25. If you sign up by tomorrow, September 1, you’ll receive 23 percent savings.

 

Sign up for Trends & Innovations in Dentistry with an early bird discount through tomorrow, September 1

 

Learn the latest dentistry innovations in this conference-style online event with live guest speaker sessions, product demos and audience Q&A sessions, plus ongoing discussions broken out into various industry categories.

Speakers include industry thought leaders, like Samuel Wainwright, Dental Product Manager at Formlabs.

Samuel Wainwright, Dental Product Manager at Formlabs and class speaker

Check out the full speaker roster here.

All sessions are recorded and archived so you can watch any time. When you sign up at our early bird rate, you’ll also get immediate access to archival video recordings from related courses so you can start learning right away!

Want to learn about how 3D printing is making an impact across industries? You can also sign up for our other fall classes, 3D Printing in Metal and 3D Printing with Polymers, starting September 18 and October 16, respectively.

Sign Up for Trends & Innovations in Dentistry with an Early Bird Special

Want to learn how 3D printing is changing the dental industry as we know it?

Our three-day showcase, Trends & Innovations in Dentistry and 3D Printing for Dental Materials, runs from September 25 to September 27. In the interactive online course, you’ll join leaders in the dental industry who will share the latest innovations and trends in digital dentistry. In addition to the live sessions and Q&A, you’ll have access to ongoing discussions through the online classroom.

Trends & Innovations in Dentistry and 3D Printing kicks off September 25

The showcase is one of three educational programs kicking off this fall, including 3D Printing in Metal, where you’ll learn the process of 3D printing in metal fromdesign through execution, and 3D Printing with Polymers, where over three weeks, you’ll learn the key principles of 3D printing with the most widely used material in the industry.

3D Printing in Metal and 3D Printing with Polymers launch September 18 and October 16, respectively

What are you waiting for? We’re offering a special early bird rate for the conference. When you register now ($149 – a 35 percent discount), you’ll get immediate access to bonus materials from past courses so you can start learning about innovation in digital dentistry today! Act soon; the early bird discount is only valid through August 17.

We’ll announce our first speakers soon. Stay tuned!

Sign up: Trends & Innovations in Dentistry and 3D Printing for Dental Materials

 

Second Annual Additive Manufacturing Strategies Summit to Feature Startup Competition and Exhibit Floor

This past January, experts in the fields of medicine, dentistry, and 3D printing gathered for the first annual Additive Manufacturing Strategies Summit. Titled “The Future of 3D Printing in Medicine and Dentistry,” the summit highlighted the growing number of applications for 3D printing in the medical and dental fields, discussed where these sectors were heading in the future, and advised attendees on the best ways to capitalize on 3D printing in medicine and dentistry. The event was a successful one, and it’s already time to start planning for the next summit, which will be taking place from January 29th to the 31st, 2019.

Next year’s summit will be in Boston and once again will be co-produced by 3DPrint.com and SmarTech Markets Publishing, the leading provider of market research reports and industry analysis for the 3D printing industry. The summit will be set up to guide managers, practitioners, entrepreneurs and investors to the most effective procedures and profitable opportunities in 3D printed medical and dental applications. It will focus on several topics, including 3D printed prosthetics, implants, medical models and personalized medicine, as well as dental devices.

The Additive Manufacturing Strategies Summit will take place at Boston’s Hynes Convention Center.

There will be a few key differences in next year’s summit. First of all, there will be an exhibition hall in which organizations from the medical and dental 3D printing arena will showcase their products and research. Secondly, there will be a startup competition. Five early stage companies from the medical and dental 3D printing industry will be invited to present their pitches for the chance to win a $15,000 SAFE investment from Asimov Ventures. The winning company will also be profiled on 3DPrint.com.

In order to be considered for the startup competition, companies must submit an application by December 1st. They must have a medical or dental 3D printing focus; they can be centered on bioprinting, hardware, software or materials. Final selections will be announced on December 15th, and the competition will take place at the summit on January 30th. If you’re interested in applying, you can do so here.

Attendees at the summit will hear from experts in the additive manufacturing and regulatory sectors, as well as practitioners and academics. There will also be several pre-conference workshops from leading technology and solution providers. Those who attend the conference can expect to learn about how 3D printing is transforming procedures at hospitals, doctor’s offices and dental offices and labs. They will gain a better understanding of which 3D printing technologies are relevant now and which are still in the development stage, and will learn about revenue expectations and where the money is in medical and dental 3D printing. Regulatory requirements will also be discussed, and there will be plenty of networking opportunities.

There’s plenty to read about 3D printing in the medical and dental industries, but there’s nothing like learning directly from experts in the field on a face-to-face level. This is a summit you won’t want to miss if you’re involved in medicine or dentistry, because 3D printing is affecting every aspect of these industries and will only continue to do so more and more. Registration is now open, and you can save 44% if you register by October 11th. If you’d like to attend, you can register here.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.