DEARBORN — EnvisionTEC, the Dearborn-based manufacturer of 3D printers and related supplies, launched two new orthodontic materials and a new 3D printer at LMT Lab Day Chicago 2018.
E-OrthoShape is an affordable material to produce models on which clear thermoformed aligners can be created, while E-Ortholign is a new material for the direct 3D printing of clear thermoformed aligners.
LMT Lab Day Chicago 2018 is a gathering of dental laboratory owners, managers, technicians and clinicians from more than 40 countries to look at the latest technology for dental manufacturing.
The company said E-Ortholign meets the biocompatibility, stability, flexion and strength requirements for a first aligner, is progressing through regulatory approval processes.
EnvisionTEC now offers more than a dozen resins that can now be used for dental models, castables, appliances and restorations. Seven of EnvisionTEC’s dental material offerings are also FDA approved.
All of EnvisionTEC’s dental materials can be processed on the company’s powerful and flexible DLP machines, such as the Vida and Micro desktop 3D printers.
Priced at $175 per kilogram, E-OrthoShape is a grey ABS-like material that prints in 100 micron layers. It is recommended for the affordable volume production of models on which to produce clear thermoformed aligners. E-OrthoShape can be printed on any of EnvisionTEC’s DLP machines.
E-Ortholign, meanwhile, meets the needs of a first aligner — a device that is used after an orthodontist removes a patient’s brackets to hold teeth in place, before the treatment is completed with a series of thermoformed aligners.
With an EnvisionTEC 3D printer, a first aligner can easily be created in an office or lab after an impression or scan is taken of a patient’s teeth following the bracket removal. The tray can be created while a patient waits and before standard thermoformed aligners are manufactured, a process that takes design and manufacturing time.
EnvisionTEC also launched its largest printer ever based on its patented continuous 3D printing technology. With a print speed of about 20-50 mm per hour, depending on material, the Vida cDLM prints models in about half the time as the company’s best-selling Vida desktop 3D printer.
The high-speed Vida cDLM features an impressive build area of 145 x 81.5 x 100 mm (5.7 x 3.2 x 3.94 inches) and XY resolution of 76 microns. When paired with EnvisionTEC’s premium E-Model Light material, the Vida cDLM can 3D print:
* 10-12 vertical orthodontic models in 100 micron layers in about 90 minutes
* 3-4 horizontal orthodontic models in 100 micron layers in about 15-30 minutes
* 3-4 full crown and bridge arches in 50 micron layers in about an hour
The company said the Vida cDLM is capable of 3D printing night guards and bite splints in about 15-20 minutes using EnvisionTEC’s FDA-approved E-Guard material. When processing the company’s FDA-approved E-Denture material, the Vida cDLM can print six denture bases in 80 minutes, at a speed of 47 mm per hour.
Founded in 2002, EnvisionTEC now sells more than 40 printer configurations based on six distinct technologies that build objects from digital design files. The company’s premium 3D printers serve a variety of medical, professional and industrial markets. EnvisionTEC’s intellectual property includes more than 140 pending and granted patents. Learn more at EnvisionTEC.com.
As we all know, additive manufacturing allows for a greater level of customization. People who have ever worked on someone’s mouth know the uniqueness of teeth. The two make a perfect pair for each other, so does Renishaw and BEGO.