3D dental printing is becoming more popular among tech-savvy dental practitioners and labs, however, with many options in the market it may be difficult to evaluate and determine the right solution. With a different process and using different materials, assessing 3D printing solutions will be new for many practitioners and labs. There is also often a question of how much it will be used for smaller offices that can reduce the investment value of advanced 3D dental printing systems.
Dental offices concerned about equipment downtime, easily producing different types of dental appliances, and access to flexible production scaling now have several options they can explore with 3D printing. LuxCreo’s innovative solutions offer a range of 3D printers and advanced FDA-qualified resins specifically designed for dental appliances. In addition to modern 3D printers, a suite of materials, and a software bundle, LuxCreo provides customers with greater flexibility to scale with a smart factory, in-house / onsite, and hybrid which is having a local 3D printer that is connected to a smart factory. A fully integrated solution gives practitioners and labs access to flexible, on-demand capacities to help them scale while delivering better patient outcomes.
Comparing Scalable 3D Dental Printing Solutions
When dental offices plan to scale to accommodate more patients, the required investment in staff, equipment, training, and materials can be high. 3D dental printing provides a flexible solution that allows practitioners to print almost any dental appliance. Some of the main criteria for comparing 3D dental printing systems include:
- Ease-of-use and required training
- Build area and printing speed
- Printing resolution and accuracy
- Required post-processing
- Scalability
iLux Dental Desktop
This entry-level desktop printer produces almost any appliance using LuxCreo’s line of specialized dental resins. This system is an excellent entry-level 3D printer ideal for products like surgical guides, dental models, study models, and aligners. The small build platform makes it best suited for smaller practices that need to serve a small number of patients with standard dental appliances.
The main benefits to patients include faster delivery of finished products with higher accuracy and competitive costs than traditional dental manufacturing processes. In addition, a single process creates a range of appliances, so production does not require outsourcing except for highly specialized appliances or higher volumes. LuxCreo’s printers offer ease of use, requiring much less technical knowledge compared to manual dental manufacturing.
iLux Pro Dental
The iLux Pro uses a patented LEAP (Light Enabled Additive Production) process based on distributed light processing to ensure high throughput and accuracy. Clear aligners, retainers, night guards, splints, and other products usually printed on the iLux Dental Desktop can also print in the iLux Pro. This printer has a faster printing speed and a larger build platform than the iLux Dental Desktop so that practitioners can deliver products to multiple patients on the same day. Larger orthodontic or surgical practices that regularly require the production of custom splits, aligners, and surgical guides will find this printer ideal.
Lux 3+ Dental
This lab-grade system perfectly fits large practices that would typically have an in-office lab and full-time production staff. Lux 3+ consolidates multiple processes and production equipment into a single adaptable system. It can also print clear products but with higher throughput than the iLux Pro. Like the other printers from LuxCreo, this printer does not require specialized manual labor or advanced training. An integrated software system helps dental practitioners and lab staff quickly move through the production process and deliver products to patients on the same day.
How to Scale With 3D Dental Printing
The above 3D dental printers offer three excellent options for practitioners that want an easy way to scale their practice and implement an agile business model for serving their patients. Bringing one of these printers in-house gives practitioners a simple method to support new products and take on additional patients without the need to expand facilities or hire more staff. For additional production capacity, practitioners can still outsource to dental labs as needed, or they can outsource to LuxCreo’s or LuxCreo’s partner smart factory. Practitioners have the option to focus on serving their patients instead of spending resources on turning their offices into production sites.
The easiest way to scale includes choosing a 3D printing partner that offers an integrated product suite for 3D dental printing. Labs and practitioners can scale quickly and successfully with a fully unified and integrated manufacturing solution:
- 3D printers that connect to LuxCreo’s smart factory for instantly scalable production
- Advanced dental resins that support a range of dental products
- A software bundle for converting intraoral scans into digital models of dental products for 3D printing
The best 3D dental printing solutions give practitioners the ability to manufacture essential treatment products onsite is the iLux Pro Desktop Dental by LuxCreo. For higher volume services providers like dental labs, the Lux 3+ Dental solution is optimal, producing multiple products with a fully integrated suite of hardware, software, and advanced FDA-approved materials. LuxCreo can help you transform your dental business and create optimal outcomes for your patients.
To learn more about our process and systems for 3D printing dental applications, visit our contact page or call (650) 336-0888.
