Valplast International Corporation announced at IDS 2015 in Germany the prototype of its 3D Printable Valplast® Resin. This major advancement in additive manufacturing represents the first Class IIA (European Union) and Class II (USA) Denture Base Resin that will yield a permanent restoration directly from 3D printing.
"Over the past 5 years, Valplast has made a considerable investment in developing digital design and 3-dimensional printing techniques for the fabrication of removable dental appliances. We are extremely excited about now being able to print our classic Valplast Flexible Dental Resin, combining the world's most popular flexible denture material with the most modern manufacturing techniques in the industry," said Justin S. Marks, CDT.
This new breakthrough represents a major upgrade over the current "Precise-Fit" technique, which uses digital design and 3D printing of prototype dentures that are used to replace the waxing, blockout, and duplication stages prior to the traditional Valplast injection molding process.
The production models of associated equipment are in design and testing and will be rolled out to the industry together with new techniques allowing flexible methods of fabrication and tooth placement.
This news came shortly after Valplast revealed its new solution to bring digital dentures to existing CAD/CAM users in Chicago. Platinum 3D from Valplast is a new product line featuring the new Platinum Series brand of denture tooth by Valplast, a multilayered, nano-filled PMMA denture tooth.
“As was the case with digital RPD’s several years ago, our ability to digitally design a full denture predated our ability to manufacture one. Most labs that have gone digital already have access to full denture CAD software such as 3Shape or Dental Wings, but there are currently no materials or products on the market that allow these labs to have complete control over an in-house manufacturing process," Marks said.
A digital library of 3D tooth models will be made available to all Platinum 3D denture tooth customers. Platinum 3D is the first digital denture solution available to labs in a completely open architecture format-compatible with any open scanner and CAD software for full dentures and no licensing fees. Expensive per-unit costs and licensing fees have prevented more laboratories from jumping on board with the digital denture systems that are currently on the market.
“From the discussions that I have had with other laboratory owners, laboratories are hungry for the opportunity to scan and design digital full dentures on their existing equipment and then utilize either a 3D printing or milling solution for the manufacturing output. Closed architecture formats are a thing of the past, and the introduction of Platinum 3D gives laboratories flexibility over their choice of scanner, design module and manufacturing method for digital full dentures," explained Marks.
Ultimately, Platinum 3D from Valplast enables laboratories to scan, design, and manufacture digital full dentures in-house without the need to outsource any or all components. These solutions will include manufacturing support and materials for both milled and printed denture processes.
Peter Nagy, Valplast’s CEO, comments, "The dental laboratory industry is undergoing significant transformation in markets all over the world. To stay viable, all members of the profession need to embrace technological advancement. Valplast was one of the first to push the limits of restorative convenience in the mid-Twentieth Century. And in the early 21st we have again assumed a pioneering role in bringing new technology to the arena of removable restoration."
