What technology to use for each application in the dental industry?
Why is the dental industry the one that most uses additive manufacturing in production?
Unlike other technologies, which use 3D printing for the manufacture of prototypes or tools, the dental sector is the one that uses it most extensively for the production of final pieces.
Why?
The truth is that, in general, if there is a really efficient way to manufacture something through a traditional process, and there are no deficiencies or limitations in that process, additive manufacturing has little to offer. That said, 3D printing has always been the easiest production process to use to produce complex parts and with an almost completely linear cost of scaling in production volume. In other words, it is very easy to manufacture a complex part and to manufacture two costs twice as much as to manufacture one, simplifying.
Teeth are complex shapes and, although they all look similar, they are actually all different. There is no technology that is capable of manufacturing a crown, or a skeleton, for example, as quickly and as cheaply as a 3D printer.
The advantages of additive manufacturing
In the dental industry, 3D printing offers advantages and benefits that would be impossible using traditional manufacturing technologies.
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COST
Printing a single piece of a complex shape, be it a study model, a crown, a skeleton or any model typically used in the dental sector, can only be produced really cheaply by 3D printing.
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SPEED
The time from when we receive the model to print, until we have it, is minimal. Regardless of whether we use metal or resin additive manufacturing, the time is reduced to hours, if not minutes.
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VERSATILITY
We have metal 3D printing, suitable for direct printing of crowns, partials, bridges and prostheses, but also resin, ideal for study models, provisionals, surgical guides or discharge splints, among other applications.
Some usage examples
Whether you are a clinic or a laboratory seeking to optimize your costs and times in the production of models, discharge splints or surgical guides, or if you are a production company that wishes to manufacture crowns, implants, prostheses or partials, whether in titanium or in cobalt-chromium, additive manufacturing has the answer.
Machine: SLM®125: SLM®125 Material: Cromo-cobalto o Titanio
Fabricación de coronas y puentes
On the build plate of an SLM®125 it is possible to produce up to 120 crowns and bridges in a single print job. The printer is capable of doing this job twice a day for a total production volume of 240 crowns and bridges a day.
The SLM®280 can multiply this productivity without increasing process costs, significantly reducing the unit cost of each piece.
Machine: SLM®125: SLM®125 Material: Cromo-cobalto o Titanio
Parciales superior e inferior
Simultaneous production, with high precision and low printing cost, of ten skeletons, in two printing jobs per day for a total of 20 skeletons produced each day. Using more productive solutions like SLM®280, this production volume can be multiplied without the need for higher labor costs and reducing the cost of each piece.
Machine: SLM®125: SLM®125 Material: Ti Gd.II & Ti6Al4V
Implante maxilofacial personalizado
These maxillofacial implants are custom designed and produced to the patient's anatomy from CT scans. They offer a more efficient surgical process, achieving a cosmetic and functional restoration. The production of patient-specific CMF implants using SLM is more efficient and economical than using traditional manufacturing processes.
Machine: SLM®125: Impresoras ETEC Material: Flexcera Base y Flexcera Smile
Dentures
Denture bases can be printed using the FDA-certified Flexcera Base, followed by printing teeth with Flexcera Smile, for beautiful, functional dentures with ceramic-like strength. It is a nano-ceramic resin with a natural-like luster and translucency in a wide range of colors to match each patient's smile.
E-Guard is an FDA-certified, biocompatible, glass-clear material developed for the economical and efficient production of perfect bite splints. Este material permite la impresión en alta definición para un ajuste perfecto. Este es el proceso más rápido, económico y preciso de producir férulas de descarga.
E-Model Light DLP is the perfect choice for 3D printing high definition models that solve a wide variety of modeling needs. This material is ideal for crown and bridge models, especially those with removable trays. E-Model Light DLP Produces extremely detailed models with outstanding surface finish.
Other applications
There are many more resins that can be used to solve other applications economically and efficiently. If you want to know more, please visit the page about the dental sector in Desktop Health.