3D printing has numerous applications in dentistry, ranging from customer-facing dental models to occlusal splints.
The beauty of 3D printing is you can do it in-house, in your clinic, without outsourcing design and production. This reduces costs per model and significantly reduces lead times, helping you save time and money!
Here’s what you need to do it:
A stereolithography 3D printer
If you’re serious about 3D printing in dentistry, then you’ll need a 3D printer that prints liquid resin to unlock greater precision and detail.
The technology you want is SLA (stereolithography), and Formlabs is the biggest name in the industry with a refined process called Low Force Stereolithography.
Low Force Stereolithography uses a flexible resin tank that bows gradually as the part is lowered, reducing the pressure on parts and allowing for light-touch support structure.
Formlabs has dedicated 3D printers for dentistry called the Form 3B and Form 3BL, which are engineered to print biocompatible dental resins.
The Form 3B and Form 3BL are available on their own, or you can get the Form 3B Complete Package with the Form Wash and Form Cure (automated post-processing units).
The Form 3BL has a larger build chamber and two Light Processing Units (LPUs) for faster print speeds while the Form 3B is smaller.
The build volumes are as follows:
- Form 3B: 14.5 × 14.5 × 18.5 cm (5.7 × 5.7 × 7.3 in)
- Form 3BL: 33.5 × 20.0 × 30 cm (13.2 × 7.9 × 11.8 in)
Dental resins
Once you’ve chosen the right Formlabs dental 3D printer, it’s time to select your resins:
Draft v2 Resin
The quickest resin to print, capable of producing models in 1-2 hours. Suitable for rapid modelling and concepts.
Dental Model Resin
A detailed and precise model resin, favoured for making miniatures, production models and in digital sculpting.
Dental LT Clear Resin
This resin prints clear and polished models with high optical transparency, with properties that make it ideal for splits and occlusal guards.
Temporary CB Resin
Used by dentists to print custom inlays, outlays and veneers, as well as for work in crown and bridge restorations.
Custom Tray Resin
Let’s you print custom trays in-house quickly at volume. Suitable for custom impression trays and custom templates.
IBT Resin
This resin is formulated to print indirect bond trays, a tool that holds braces in place. Offers high precision and durability.
Surgical Guide Resin
A dedicated resin for making biocompatible surgical guides. Medically approved for autoclave and gamma sterilisation.
Support and training
We have a page dedicated to dental 3D printing, where you can find free resources, case studies and news. Formlabs also has detailed articles, guides, videos and webinars you can watch, to learn how to use their machines and resins.
We offer 3D printer training to all customers who purchase a Formlabs 3D printer from us, with training delivered by our own Formlabs experts.
Here’s what you can expect to learn from a 1-day course:
- How 3D Printing works
- Basic CAD software
- File sources & formats
- Modifying existing designs
- Making your own creation
- Printer settings
- How to set up a 3D printer
- Troubleshooting
- A 3D print to take away
Find out more
We are a trusted partner to Formlabs and an authorised reseller of Formlabs products. To find out more about dental 3D printing with Formlabs, request a Formlabs sample, call us on 01765 694 007 or send us an email at sales@additive-x.com.