Stratasys launches new Objet260 Dental 3D Printer
Adding to the line-up of dental-focussed 3D printing technologies launched at LMT Lab Day Chicago 2018 from the likes of 3D Systems and DWS, Stratasys unveiled a new machine, material and support removal technology aimed at boosting adoption of professional-grade 3D printing in dental laboratories.
Leveraging its PolyJet triple-jetting technology, the new Stratasys Objet260 Dental 3D Printer will enable labs to print surgical guides, models, and appliances with up to three different materials on a single tray. Additionally, when in single-material mode, Stratasys claims the system will allow operators greater efficiency with shorter change-over and reduced material waste.
Though the company has not published the price of the machine, Stratasys says it will be affordable to mid-sized labs looking to expand service offerings, while not impacting versatility, and is available to order from its partner network.
If the Stratasys Objet 260 sounds familiar to you, that's because the company launched a similar system back in 2015, the Objet260 Dental Selection 3D Printer. Though familiar in name, Stratasys confirms the specifications are very different. The new machine promises multi-material printing and increased productivity by allowing labs to print realistic models and surgical guides in a single print, whilst the Objet260 Dental Selection provides multi-material printing plus the ability to digital mix materials (colour, shore value, etc.), to print realistic implant models with soft tissue in a single build.
However, in the interest of future-proofing current investments, the Stratasys has designed its new Objet260 Dental 3D Printer to be upgradeable to "Dental Selection" to allow the use of next-generation digitally mixed materials.
Stratasys enables custom 3D printing of indirect bonding trays
Complementing its latest hardware, Stratasys also added a new flexible biocompatible material to its PolyJet portfolio, MEDFLX625. The material allows dental and orthodontic laboratories to mix both flexible and rigid biocompatible materials for short-term patient contact direct print applications, such as indirect bonding trays. In addition, MEDFLX625 is built to help laboratories further increase efficiencies by 3D printing both surgical guides and soft-tissue implant models during a single print run.
"There's no denying the power of 3D printing for digital dentistry to significantly decrease turnaround time, reduce labor costs, and provide new streams of revenue. Multi-material 3D printing pushes the boundaries of what's possible in dentistry today, while unlocking the next-generation of applications for tomorrow," said Mike Gaisford, Director of Healthcare Solutions at Stratasys. "We believe that today's announcements put Stratasys at the helm of dental innovation - and now we're placing it in the hands of more customers than ever before."
Finally, Stratasys also demonstrated a new support removal technology, Pop-Out Part (PoP), designed to simplify part support removal for devices such as clear aligner arches. Shown as a technology demonstrator, PoP speeds manual peel-off support for removal of up to 500 parts per hour, per operator, allowing producers to clean thousands of arches with minimal investment in equipment or labor.
Have you got an innovative healthcare application or technology? Applications for the TCT Awards 2018 are now open to companies across the entire design and manufacturing technology ecosystem. A full list of categories, submission criteria and deadlines can be found here.
