Roland DG Re-Enters 3D Printing with SOL LCD Dental 3D Printer

Japanese manufacturer Roland DGA is expanding its presence in the 3D printing industry with the addition of the SOL LCD 3D printer to its line of dental products. The system is meant to aid in the production of dental models, temporary crowns and bridges, guards, guides, and other items.

Roland DG is a manufacturer of industrial printers and cutters, as well as 3D scanners and dental milling devices and has a significant market cap of about $318 million (¥34.88 billion).

The SOL LCD 3D printer bundle from Roland DG, including a dual-tank ultrasonic cleaning system, a UV curing kit, a resin sample kit, materials, an extra vat tray, and a Wi-Fi dongle. Image courtesy of Roland DG.

In 2014, Roland made its first entry into the 3D printing space by distributing a monoFab stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer for about $6,995. Then, the premise was the same: dental labs and offices could begin 3D printing parts in-house. This time, the company has partnered with Ackuretta to sell the SOL LCD 3D printer, which is described as printing at 4.5 cm per hour, three times the speed of SLA through the use of an LCD digital light processing (DLP) projector. It offers precision of 49 microns and a build volume of 128 x 80 x 140 mm.

The SOL LCD 3D printer now being offered by Roland DG. Image courtesy of Roland DG.

“We are excited about offering this cutting-edge, easy-to-use 3D printer to our customers,” said Lisa Aguirre, Roland DGA’s dental solutions product manager. “It’s a complete, state-of-the-art solution, and the perfect complement to our advanced family of DWX milling machines. By integrating a SOL LCD 3D printer into their workflows, businesses don’t need to outsource – they can maintain full control and provide quality same-day applications with reduced turnaround time.”

Resins and applications for the SOL LCD 3D printer. Image courtesy of Roland DG.

Presumably, the SOL is much better than the ARM-10 Roland previously offered from monoFab, since seven years have passed and the technology has evolved significantly. Roland claims that it is essentially plug-and-play, has good reliability and durability. Additionally, the system is bundled with “AI software”, 100 pre-calibrated resin profiles, a dual-tank ultrasonic cleaning system, a UV curing kit, a resin sample kit, materials, an extra vat tray, and a Wi-Fi dongle.