Formlabs (Somerville, MA), a developer of 3D-printing systems, announced today the introduction of Dental SG resin, which it claims is the first biocompatible resin for desktop 3D printing.Dental SG is a biocompatible Class 1 material designed primarily for surgical guide applications. It will allow new applications in the desktop 3D-printing space such as the fabrication of high-precision drill guides based on digital scan data for implant surgeries, according to the company. Dental professionals will be able to directly print a surgical guide from a 3D model quickly at an affordable price.
Dentists currently use the company’s flagship product, the Form 2 3D printer, to create surgical guides, educational models, bleaching trays, retainers, aligners and related products.
At the Indiana University School of Dentistry, Dr. Travis Bellicchi, a resident specializing in maxillofacial prosthetics, is developing a new digital workflow with Formlabs 3D printers to create prostheses for individual patients. His work is inspired by Shirley Anderson, a Vietnam veteran who suffered severe jaw loss as a result of cancer.
“When practitioners and researchers have the ability and access to develop incredibly precise tools for surgical applications, it opens up a new range of possibilities for the dental industry and for the medical science industry at large,” said Dávid Lakatos, Head of Product at Formlabs. “Material innovation, like with the introduction of Dental SG, is a key driver in growing the adoption of digital dentistry powered by 3D printing.”
Formlabs was founded in 2012 by a team of engineers and designers from the MIT Media Lab and the Center for Bits and Atoms.The new resin has drawn praise from leaders in the dental community such as Dr. Michael Scherer, who has been using Formlabs 3D printers in his private dental office for almost two years, wrote Formlabs in today’s news release. Scherer will be adding Dental SG to the curriculum of his 3D-printing training for dentists.
“The addition of Dental SG resin is a game-changer,” said Scherer. “Dental SG is poised to dramatically improve patient outcome of surgical procedures by making implant surgery faster, more precise and ultimately more comfortable for the patient. Direct printing of surgical guides has traditionally required larger-scale 3D printers that are beyond the expense and comfort level of most dental laboratories and clinicians. The introduction of Dental SG resin allows for benchtop surgical-guide printing in dental offices and smaller dental labs,” said Scherer.Compatible with the Form 2 3D printer, the Dental SG biocompatible resin will be available directly from the Formlabs web store . Dental SG joins Formlabs’ comprehensive library of advanced materials for its 3D printers, which includes a suite of standard and functional resins for a variety of capabilities.Along with Dental SG, Formlabs today also introduced updated formulations of clear, black, flexible and tough resins, providing customers with rapid prototyping needs with an improved current line of materials.Additionally, Formlabs announced the launch of the Materials Manager , which allows users to track resin consumption and tank usage and to easily switch between resins.Comments (0)