Formlabs
Formlabs has announced a new educational platform dedicated to advancing 3D printing in dentistry.
With online and in-person classes, as well as step-by-step guides and webinars, the Formlabs Dental Academy has been designed to enable lab technicians, orthodontists and clinicians to implement 3D printing in their businesses. It reinforces the company’s play in the dental sector, with more than 25 million dental parts said to have been 3D printed with Formlabs technology.
Despite such extensive application of its technology in the dentistry field, Formlabs has identified a need for further education. Providing Dental Academy as a free resource (although there are also paid courses), Formlabs believes it will address a perceived skills gap in the dental sector, allowing professionals to take advantage of 3D printing’s capabilities and deliver ‘the best clinical outcomes, user satisfaction, and improved performance and print results.’ Focus areas will include an introduction to Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing, SLA’s applicability to orthodontic and restorative applications, training on technology basics, materials, and implementation strategies.
“Formlabs Dental delivers 3D printers, materials and workflows to meet dental industry needs and support efficient, affordable personalised care, and improved patient outcomes,” commented Philipp Striebe, Global Dental Marketing Manager at Formlabs. “Formlabs Dental Academy is the next step towards empowering the industry to capture those benefits by growing professionals’ skillset, knowledge, and businesses with 3D printing. The platform provides free online courses, educational content and hands-on workshops that enable both dental labs, dentists, and orthodontists to begin or advance their digital dentistry knowledge and skills to benefit both their practice and their patients.”
To develop the curriculum, Formlabs will collaborate with industry leaders, educators and educational institutions, with London Dental Institute, SWECADD and Capacitación Pérez Giugovaz. Working alongside these partners, the Formlabs Dental Academy will continue to evolve, with courses initially available in English, Spanish, Swedish and German.
“The Swedish organisation for Computer Aided Digital Dentistry is honoured to be part of the Formlabs Dental Academy,” added Dr Michael Braian, DDS, CDT, PhD, Founder of SWECADD and Formlabs Dental key opinion leader. “Formlabs has long been in the forefront of additive manufacturing in dentistry and now they have a great educational portal for everyone.”
