3D Printing Basics and Understanding Market Terms
Patient-specific solutions have become more prominent within the past few years in dentistry; because there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for dental restorations. Many dentists and dental labs have come to resort to tech and savvy ways of treatments. 3D printers provide an ideal fit for dentistry because it allows dentists to make surgical guides, crowns, implants, and trays quickly and cheaply. 3D printers remove the alginate impression process and replace that process with intraoral scanners, which create a digital impression file of the patient’s mouth, which can be uploaded into any software and then printed right then and there. 3D printers have, in recent years, become more affordable for all clinicians, creating new treatment plans for all patients.
Yet amid all the exciting developments in 3D printing, finding the right 3D printer for your practice can be tedious and vexing. Investing in a 3D printer requires a deep consideration into its parts and knowing what you desire from your office workflow. By understanding the components of any 3D printer you see on the market, you can gain a deep appreciation for the technology out there and know what you want in return.
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3D Printer Basics
3D printers require accuracy, speed, and ease to be effective in any office setting. Today, 3D printers operate with three different technologies that influence dental practices: Stereolithography (SLA) and Digital Light Processing (DLP).
- Stereolithography – SLA uses a laser beam across a print area, using liquid resin and solidifying it in specific areas to form and design. SLA printers direct the UV laser to the correct x and y coordinates to trace out the cross-section model, keeping the laser in constant motion and making it more suitable for printing multiple, large intricate parts in one go. SLA laser lights, however, are typically more expensive to replace and make the machine more expensive as a result.
- Low Force Stereolithography – A newer category of stereolithography, LFS reduces the strain of peeling the model from the resin tank by creating a more flexible tank and a scalable light processing unit. The tank contains film which bows gradually to reduce pressure built up during the extraction process. The LPU uses lights and mirrors to control the linear illumination of the laser light, directing it opposite of the building plane for more accurate parts.
- Digital Light Processing – DLP incorporates the same mechanics as SLAs and LFS but instead uses a digital processor as a light source to solidify the resin. The digital processor remains stationary and cures the resin a layer at a time. This creates a faster printing time and allows the operator to control the intensity of the light source on the resin. Because of its simpler design, the light source can be more easily replaced and costs less.
- Fused Deposition Modeling – Also known as an extrusion process, or FDM for short, FDM produces dental applications at a reliable rate by extruding melted filaments layer by layer and fusing them together, giving it a wide versatility with materials and a bigger budget. However, due to it being the most common form of 3d printing, it’s also the least accurate and requires more post-processing to fix imperfections.
When evaluating 3D printers, understanding how the light source works in each model is the key to finding the best 3D printer for your practice. Laser SLAs tend to draw the lines with the light. LFS printers minimize the laser spot size when producing the product, and draw the model in smaller increments for more consistent accuracy. DLP printers use the projector screen to draw the layers by pixels, and the smaller the pixel size, the more accurate the end result is. Most modern printers have an intuitive design to them thanks to company’s and their reliable customer services, such as software tools, automatic resin dispensers, and even their own select solutions to wash off the solvent from the resin.
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1. Pro95 Printer by SprintRay
The SprintRay Pro has over double the printing capacity as its predecessor, the MoonRay S DLP printer, and features cloud-connection software that automates workflow and reduces the learning curve for dentists and laboratory technicians. It’s integrated with a DLP projector with a print volume of 190x100x200 mm, containing the ability to produce multiple dental appliances within a single build. Its Selectively Textured Elastomeric Membrane (STEM) tank creates air in between the resin and tank floor to minimize adhesion and features magnetic sensors as a safety lock. Its minimum feature size is 95 microns, allowing for a detailed, accurate design that’s compatible with a wide range of resins.
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2. SolFlex 170 by Voco Dental
Made for compact practices, the SolFlex 170 is custom-engineered for busy orthodontic practices, featuring a sensor monitor production laser that measures peeling forces to optimize building speed and reduce print time by 40%. Its DLP technology, using a 385 nm chip, aims to produce appliances using a light spectrum to remove the yellow tint from its products. It also uses the company’s Flex-Vat build tray, which is flexible and made from silicone to reduce the peeling force during production and reduce the number of required support structures while developing the application. Its open print standard allows for it to be used with most printing materials and offers its Pyramis software with purchase.
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3. Connex3 Objet260 by Stratasys
T he Objet260 is designed to streamline workflow using PolyJet technology, allowing it to print three different materials at the same time with three different acrylic resins. It uses a material jetting process, a newer process within the 3D printing market, that sprays photopolymer droplets before solidifying with UV light, building layer upon layer until the product is finished. By printing from multiple print heads along the x-axis, the Objet260 also jets out gel material for support to finish the curing process and reduce the amount of peeling from the machine. Because of its versatility, it can print with hundreds of colors and materials with varying translucency, and comes with its own dedicated operating software for easy application.
4. R. Pod by Arfona
The R. Pod by Arfona uses FDM to produce layered products and is designed to increase accuracy by being optimized to use inexpensive plastic filaments, commonly found in the extrusion process, to create smooth, usable objects. As a fused filament printer, this 3D printer focuses on producing optimized and approved Valplast products, a flexible nylon resin made for partial dentures and appliances. By focusing specifically on reducing the costs of materials, the R.Pod helps dentists avoid the costs of existing dental equipment by limited its material intake to more reliable forms of filaments.
5. Form 3 by Formlabs
F ormlabs is known to be highly invested in SLA and LFS processes and thus has created a successor to the Form 2 3D printer by improving the laser power and XY resolution by creating a more flexible film at the base of the tank to decrease peel force, leading to an improved quality surface, and smaller tear-away structures when post-processing. The Form 3 uses LFS technology to move its light processing unit in the x-direction, creation a build plane that creates more optical precision and accuracy.
Some models, however, will be limited in their processing materials, the volume it can produce, and its overall ease of use depending on the model. But by looking at and estimating the potential returns of your investment, knowing how the specifications work for each model can help give you more confidence when purchasing a 3D printer.
