ISmarTech Publishing expects to see that market increase to $9.5 billion by 2027, according to the research agency’s 2018 report on the 3D printed dental market.
In 2017, 3D printing went mainstream in the dental industry, he report noted. Additive manufacturing within the dental industry has grown by more than 35 percent in both 2016 and 2017.
“As the additive industry continues to transition, as a whole, towards manufacturing applications, the growth path for most existing polymer print technologies has faltered somewhat. This has allowed for well established, high value applications in healthcare to really shine and earn major focus of stakeholders in the industry,” the report stated.
Dentists worldwide continue to leverage digital workflows and manufacturing processes, having long since identified that digital dentistry represents the future of the industry, it added.
Indeed, 3D printing is well positioned to become the leading digital process in dental fabrication worldwide given its flexibility in efficient and accurate production of everything from dental models, to orthodontic aligners, to denture frameworks and beyond.
The report also forecasts improvements to 3D printers, materials, and market shares related to the industry.
“More and more companies are getting involved in the dental 3D printing market,” according to the report. These include prostheticians, dentists and laboratories that use 3D printing to manufacture their solutions.
“Today in a laboratory environment, it is common to have both subtractive and additive solutions that coexist in a digital workflow strategy. This portrays the increased adoption of 3D printing,” the report stated.
To that end, the 3D Systems, which produces 3D printers, recently announced that Amann Girrbach, a supplier of digital dental prosthetics, will be integrating 3D Systems’ NextDent 5100 3D printing solution into its Ceramill System digital dental workflow.
This will allow Amann Girrbach to offer the thousands of dental labs it does business with an expanded solution that combines dental-optimized 3D printing with its suite of CAD and CAM software, digital milling and testing equipment, the company said.
NextDent 5100 is a 3D printing dental solution that produces precision trays, models, surgical guides, dentures, orthodontic splints, crowns and bridges. It supports the industry’s dental materials portfolio with 30 biocompatible NextDent materials to cover a range of dental applications for lab managers, dental technicians, dental prosthetic technicians and clinical prosthodontists and orthodontists.
3D Systems 3D Spring software provides a single interface for file preparation, editing, printing and management, and is now integrated with the Ceramill CAD/CAM workflow.
“With the addition of 3D Systems’ NextDent 5100 3D printing to our Ceramill System, we can offer our customers a more feature-rich digital dental workflow that will make them more competitive and efficient,” said Christian Ermer, head of product management at Amann Girrbach.
“For example, a dental model is an important part of the restoration process and now with the Next Dent 5100 our customers can print their own models cost-effectively without having to move outside the Ceramill workflow,” he added. “It can also produce bridges, crowns and even the full denture which dramatically lowers production costs and reduces turnaround time.”
“Additive manufacturing is transforming the way dental applications are planned, produced and delivered, due in large part to the wide variety of NextDent materials that are regulatory approved and clinically evaluated,” said Rik Jacobs, vice president, general manager, dental, 3D Systems. “This new partnership with Amann Girrbach is an important milestone in our strategy to redefine digital dentistry and demonstrate our ability to optimize production workflows.”
