Dental procedures are rarely easy or pleasant for patients, but things are getting easier all the time for dental professionals. The dental 3D printer market is growing at lightning speed as practitioners discover how convenient it is to 3D print surgical guides, tools, molds and other implements compared to older methods of fabrication. 3D printing can make dental visits easier on patients, as well – having your mouth 3D scanned is infinitely preferable to having a tray full of goo shoved in there to make an impression.
One company that’s been making the lives of dentists and patients easier is Structo, a manufacturer of SLA 3D printers specifically for dental applications. The company released its most recent printer, the DentaForm, earlier this year, featuring Structo’s proprietary Mask Stereolithography (MSLA) technology. Structo’s printers, which also include the OrthoForm, have become popular in the dental industry across the world, with an install base on four continents.
In 2015, Structo partnered with Materialise to develop a customized version of the latter’s Build Processor software, and the two companies have been maintaining an ongoing collaboration ever since. The partnership resulted in the launch of Structo’s PrintWorks software last year, and now Structo and Materialise are introducing Structo PrintWorks Pro, a customized version of Materialise Magics Print that is designed to simplify 3D print file preparation for dental professionals using Structo 3D printers.
“We are proud to contribute towards the advancement of digital dentistry together with our partner, Structo,” said Stefaan Motte, Vice President of Materialise Software. “By streamlining the 3D printing workflow for dental professionals with a customized version of Materialise Magics Print, the learning curve for adoption of the technology is reduced, making digital dentistry more accessible to a wider audience. PrintWorks Pro is user-friendly, intuitive and fast and users will experience an overall improved performance. That’s why Materialise is positioned as providing the backbone to the 3D printing industry; it’s all about empowering our partners to create better 3D printing applications and improve overall accessibility to the technology.”
PrintWorks Pro combines features of both Magics and Build Processor to create a better, more streamlined 3D print file preparation process. Users can 3D print their models as designed with less data preparation effort and decreased risk of build failure. Features include semi-automatic support generation, which reduces support removal time by 82% compared to conventional software. Users can also take advantage of a wide range of repair, editing and build check tools. Additional benefits include fast, accurate slicing; material-specific print profiles; slice-based processing algorithms that can handle the most complex files; and flexible export formats. With the new software, users can 3D print more detailed and accurate parts.
“Our applications-based approach to product development shows that we put our customers at the forefront of our priority,” said Structo Founder Huub van Esbroeck. “We always strive to provide an integrated workflow to simplify the adoption of digital dentistry in the industry. By further strengthening our partnership with Materialise with the launch of PrintWorks Pro, we are confident that we can provide a seamless customer experience from file preparation to printing on our systems.”
The collaboration also allows Structo to join the “powered by Materialise” program, which enables 3D printing industry leaders in Materialise’s ecosystem of partners to exchange knowledge and share ideas.
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