Dental AM
Dental additive manufacturing became the first segment to achieve the production of certain end-use parts, effectively fueling growth for all main traditional polymer additive manufacturing hardware and material stakeholders. Photopolymerization (and material jetting, which is a type of photopolymerization) companies such as Stratasys, 3D Systems, EnvisionTEC, DWS and Prodways – embraced the dental AM segment first.
They were followed by two different categories of companies. On one hand, leading dental companies that began developing their own dental 3D printers (mainly based on DLP technology) and 3D printing-specific dental materials. On the other, leading metal laser PBF hardware providers such as EOS, 3D Systems, SLM Solutions, TRUMPF and Renishaw above that began targeting permanent dental implants as a key business area. More recently, leading ceramic AM firms, such as Lithoz, 3D Ceram and XJet got involved more directly and are seeing significant opportunities for dental implants directly 3D printed in ceramic.
Even more recently the next generation of polymer AM companies entered the arena targeting true digital mass production. Boston-based Formlabs entered the segment providing an accessible and low-cost solution mainly for dental models, while Silicon Valley-based Carbon also entered the market with new materials and the ability to provide very high productivity both for models and tools for custom thermoformed aligners. Both solutions have dramatically increased AM penetration within the entire dental industry at all levels, including the dentist’s office. However, HP was the first company to achieve a million-part application in dentistry by using its technology indirectly, to produce millions of mass-customized tools for dental aligners manufactured by Smile Direct. In fact, dental aligners – including those manufactured by market leader Invisalign – are now one of the hottest applications in this segment.
In general, polymer 3D printers and materials are used in dentistry on several levels: to directly produce models from intraoral scans, CT scans and MRI’s; to produce patterns and molds for end-use materials; to produce visual models, surgical guides and even temporaries – with some now envisioning the direct production of permanent prostheses using polymer-nanoceramic composite materials. Metal and ceramic 3D printers and materials are used as real alternatives to subtractive production methods, reducing material waste.
Historically, dental additive manufacturing technologies have been applied in dental laboratories for over two decades, and more recently they have begun to be adopted by dentists, orthodontists, and oral surgeons. The use of 3D printing in the laboratory and the dentist’s office has been steadily growing for the past several years. Now the dental opportunity has emerged as one of the most relevant for the AM industry as a whole, with literally hundreds of thousands of potential adopters all over the world.
The apparent paradox is that – as dental technologies become more and more established within the dental industry – AM’s visibility within the dental segment has been progressively decreasing, as adopters now increasingly see it as standard practice. In this month’s AM focus we are going to highlight the latest opportunities for AM in dentistry.
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3D Systems introduces new dental materials and printing platform
3D Systems has further expanded its digital dentistry portfolio with the release of new materials (NextDent Base and NextDent Cast) and a new printing platform (the NextDent LCD1) – helping…
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VoxelMatters Medical VM Focus 2023 eBook
The medical sector is driven by innovation and a mission to improve patient care. Given that, it makes perfect sense that it has been an enthusiastic adopter of additive manufacturing…
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SprintRay releases Ceramic Crown 3D printing ecosystem
This past week was an exciting one for the dental industry, thanks to Lab Day 2023, in Chicago, IL. Yet another announcement related to the world of dental 3D printing…
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Nexa3D introduces xDENT201 and xDENT341 at Lab Day 2023
Nexa3D is continuing to advance its digital dentistry portfolio with the release of two new dental resins, xDENT201 and xDENT341, and dental workflow at this week’s Lab Day 2023 in…
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Carbon expands dental labs offering
Carbon is expanding its offerings to equip dental labs with time-saving and cost-reducing solutions. At Lab Day Chicago, IL, the company introduced automated print preparation for dental models, new validated…
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Stratasys launches new J3 DentaJet multi-material 3D printer
Stratasys has recently introduced the J3 DentaJet 3D printer – an entry-level, multi-material printer that enables dental labs to produce extremely accurate mixed applications, in a single tray, simultaneously. The…
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Stratasys introduces first multi-color 3D printed dentures solution
Stratasys has recently introduced TrueDent – the company’s first monolithic, full-color 3D printed permanent dentures solution. The TrueDent resin enables labs to create permanent, natural-looking gums with accurate tooth structure,…
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Carbon appoints Terri Capriolo as Senior VP to lead oral health
Carbon, a leading 3D printing technology company, has appointed Terri Capriolo as the Senior Vice President of Oral Health. Capriolo brings extensive healthcare industry expertise and impressive sales experience to…
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Stratasys and 3Shape partner on color dental models
Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS) and intraoral 3D scanner specialist 3Shape are introducing a new automated 3D printing color workflow using 3Shape’s Dental System software and the Stratasys J5 DentaJet 3D…
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Digital Smile Design (DSD) officially partners with Formlabs Dental
Digital Smile Design (DSD), a company using 3D printing technology to enable advanced dentistry, and Formlabs Dental, a division of Formlabs, a 3D printing technology developer and manufacturer, have entered…