Stratasys Ltd., a leader in polymer 3D printing solutions, said it is winning over more dental labs to its professional-grade DentaJet® series of multi-material 3D printers by delivering increased quality and higher accuracy to dental applications while improving overall production efficiencies. Stratasys introduced its entry-level J3™ DentaJet 3D printer earlier this year to complement its more advanced J5™ DentaJet model.
The J3 DentaJet 3D printer allows dental labs like ADT to reduce project time from days to a single day and reduce unnecessary overtime. Advanced Dental Technologies, a full-service lab based in Boston, recently purchased the new J3 DentaJet printer and has been using it to produce crown and bridge, removable, and implant models.
“We’re really thrilled with the J3’s output quality, and the ability to undertake multi-material printing has made our workflow so much easier and faster,” said owner Dany Karam. “We own several 3D printers, but this is by far the team’s favorite. We were able to streamline and simplify the process from multiple prints every day to a more streamlined, efficient workflow and environment in the lab, helping us reduce cost by eliminating unnecessary overtime. What would have previously taken three days, we can now do in a day, with greater accuracy and at a fraction of the cost.”
Leveraging Stratasys’ smart digital workflow, the cost-effective DentaJet 3D printers address the evolving production needs of dental labs by enabling unattended printing and minimal post-processing. This helps to overcome the ongoing industry-wide challenge of skilled-labor shortage by enabling labs to redistribute resources. Stratasys is providing a tailored solution for each dental application and its unique requirements, such as high accuracy, color realism, or durability. Users can create extremely accurate, high-quality models, surgical guides and soft gingiva masks – each comprising multiple materials – in a single tray simultaneously.
Ident’M, a dental lab in France, recently purchased a J5 DentaJet printer, which now runs 20 hours a day to create about 1,000 dental parts each month. Alongside other requirements, the dental parts need to be incredibly precise, with the Stratasys system meeting that need with accuracy to just 18 microns.
Olivier Mangot, Co-director, Ident’M, said, “This 3D printer’s precision is simply unachievable with any other technology today. Thanks to the level of accuracy, we have reduced chair time for patients for applications such as crown fittings which has led to very positive feedback from our customers. We’ve also been able to save time and improve productivity by producing full-color dental models on one J5 printer instead of three legacy 3D printers that were dedicated to three different applications.”
Germany-based dental lab MA CAD/CAM Service UG has also just purchased a J5 DentaJet printer. Owner Michael Anger reinforced the value of precision, along with quality aesthetics and productivity. “Being able to print different materials and colors in one single print job, combined with minimal post-processing, has resulted in huge cost savings for us,” he said. “We’re now also able to present models to patients that are more aesthetically appealing as the printer can reproduce the colors from the oral scan."
The DentaJet series powered by PolyJet™ technology is unlocking new applications such as monolithic full-color dentures with Stratasys’ TrueDent™ solution, which the company announced for the U.S. market earlier this year. Ronen Lebi, Vice President of Dental at Stratasys, said, “DentaJet printers are proving ideal for dental applications, given the complex geometries and variety of materials required. With its robust catalog of strengths spanning unrivalled accuracy to superior color realism, the technology not only unlocks important advantages across various applications, but crucially provides a versatility that is critical in any modern, competitive and fast-paced dental environment. We’ve paired these printers with a seamless digital workflow that ensures dental labs quickly see the business benefits while better serving their own customers; that’s why we’re seeing such rapid adoption around the world.”
