Russian Dental Aligner Manufacturer Turns to EnvisionTEC to Provide Cost Effective, Accurate Models
3D Smile is a Russia based aligner manufacturer founded in 2014 in Moscow. The business began as a small lab providing expertise and 3D printing services to Orthodontists using an EnvisionTEC Ultra 3SP.
Since 2014 3D Smile has grown immensely and now produces over 10,000 aligners per month for its clients. It has also expanded to provide digital services to aligner manufacturers around the world.
As experts in the industry the team at 3D Smile saw a niche for a seamless digital aligner work flow product, and 3D Smile began the production of its own specialised software solution. Now, not only does 3D Smile manufacture aligners but it also provides a full IT design and work flow solution to aligner manufacturers (dental labs or dental clinics who have in-house 3D printers).
Why 3D printing?
3D Smile was a pioneer, identifying the value of 3D printing and CAD/CAM to orthodontics early on. The team at 3D Smile realised that older, manual techniques utilising gypsum or other materials were just too slow to produce and not accurate enough for the effective production of vacuum formed tooth aligners.
“The 3D printing is an essential part for aligners. Effective aligners cannot be manufactured without precise 3D printing.”
- Marina Domracheva, Founder and CEO, 3D Smile
3D printing was allowing for the manufacture of far more precise, patient specific tooth models. Additionally 3D printing was allowing patients to be serviced faster, with models able to be produced in a few hours instead of days.
In the future, 3D Smile can see the production of aligners via 3D printing, without the need for models, improving further the service for patients and removing yet another step from the process.
Why EnvisionTEC?
Before establishing the business, the Smile 3D team knew the importance of choosing the right 3D printer and materials. The manufacturer needed to be experienced in the market and have a printer and material that would allow the accurate reproduction of scans, cater for the large number of models that 3D Smile needed to produce, and have excess capacity for future growth.
The 3SP range from EnvisionTEC allowed for large numbers of models to be produced simultaneously, either printed directly, flat on the build platform or vertically. The E-Model material allowed for the production of high-resolution models that allowed for the accurate reproduction of the CAD designs. After seeing the EnvisionTEC Ultra via distributor Cybercom, the team knew this was the solution they needed.
“We chose the EnvisionTEC Ultra 3SP printers based on their relative low price compared to the speed and accuracy.”
- Marina Domracheva, Founder and CEO, 3D Smile
3D Smile has now developed processes for both minor and severe teeth misalignment. Severe cases require on average 30 steps (which equates to 60 dental models – 30 for each jaw). Multiplied by the number of clients, this is a lot of models.
The selection of the EnvisionTEC Ultra 3SP 3D printers and E-Model has given 3D Smile the ability to support this level of production. Additionally the use of EnvisionTEC’s E-Model material has reduced the cost of models which has made even the most severe cases cost-effective. 3D printing has brought hope to more patients than ever before.
3D Smile have used the 3SP machines since 2014 and even running them constantly, have found them dependable assets that have supported the business through its growth.
The Future
The 3D Smile software for the online visualisation of treatment plans provides orthodontic and dental professionals with a new dimension of tooth movement planning and review. This, combined with 3D Smile’s in-house 3D printing facilities provides a full, outsourced aligner production service.
So far there has been immense interest in the software and production facilities. As the business and its service grows there will be inevitable need to expand production capacity. When this happens the business will purchase further EnvisionTEC 3D printers.
Conclusion
3D printing is the essential link between digital design and processes and the physical world. Without the use of accurate, quality 3D printers and materials the software and design comes to nothing as the appliances are not effective.
Using EnvisionTEC 3D printers and materials ensures that oral scans are reproduced as accurately as possible in the models. This in turn results in the best aligners possible that result in straight teeth. This ultimately is the goal, to give the patients the result they require and build confidence with the orthodontic professionals using the service.
“There needs to be a strong link between ‘virtual tooth movement planning’ and 3D printing. To make the 3D plan effective (that is teeth are moved where planned) the aligners must be very precise. “
- Marina Domracheva, Founder and CEO, 3D Smile
The 3D Smile work flow:
