Formlabs introduces two new materials for dental and medical applications

Formlabs announced two new materials for dental and medical applications available for the Form 3B, Form 3B+, and Form 3BL printers: Dental LT Comfort Resin and Biomed Durable Resin. The company expands its library of over 40 3D printing materials to spark innovation and advance personalized patient care for point-of-care facilities, medical device makers, and dental and orthodontic practices and labs.

Dental LT comfort resin

Dental LT Comfort Resin is a new durable, flexible material for long-term occlusal splints, nightguards, and bleaching trays. This new material was designed to provide patient comfort, fit, and durability against wear in order to make a clinical impact, such as improving patient compliance with a treatment plan and requiring fewer patient follow-up visits. Dental and orthodontic labs and dental practices can now directly print flexible splints that are long-term biocompatible, comfortable for the patient, and require minimal polish to reach high optical transparency for long-term use.

Three 3D-printed dental devices made with Formlabs Dental LT Comfort Resin.
Dental LT Comfort Resin is optimal for comfortable long-term occlusal splints, nightguards, and bleaching trays. Image courtesy of Formlabs.

With Dental LT Comfort Resin, dental practices can easily, efficiently, and economically scan patients and create a comfortable, superior surface finish splint within hours to lower costs and increase ROI. Below is the difference in lead time and costs for outsourced and in-house 3D printed occlusal splints:

Cost for Single Occlusal Splint Lead Time
Outsourced Production $100-$200 1-7 days
In-House Production in Dental LT Comfort Resin $5-$7 2-3 hours

“When I had the opportunity to beta-test the Dental LT Comfort from Formlabs Dental, I was amazed,” said Stephan Kreimer, director of Kreimer Dentallabor. “The material’s pre-polished appearance and exceptional translucency right after printing significantly reduced post-processing time. Furthermore, I was impressed by its fracture resistance and flexibility, which ensure optimal comfort, making it the perfect choice for dental splints.”

BioMed durable resin

Formlabs biocompatible resins, including BioMed Clear Resin, BioMed White Resin, and more, have been widely used in healthcare applications from surgical guides to anatomical models. To meet demand for mass personalization and patient-specific devices, procedure-specific instruments, and medical devices, Formlabs now offers BioMed Durable Resin, a new formulation developed specifically to address the need for a biocompatible material that can withstand impact, rough handling, and pressure.

Examples of 3D-printed parts made with Formlabs BioMed Durable Resin.
BioMed Durable Resin is ideal for durable patient-specific instruments and customizable surgical instruments. Image courtesy of Formlabs.

Patient-specific instruments (PSI) designed for unique patient anatomy have been shown to improve patient outcomes by 16% when using guides, reducing complications by almost 30%. In addition, personalized devices increase precision which lowers operating times and improves patient outcomes. BioMed Durable Resin will expand 3D printing in healthcare with impact-, shatter-, and abrasion-resistant properties and excellent clarity and surface finish, making it ideal for biocompatible and durable PSIs and customizable surgical instruments, such as medical devices that can be hit with a surgical mallet or shaken with a cutting saw.

At TechFit, a PSI provider that works with physicians to design and 3D printed surgical instrumentation, CEO and co-founder Mauricio Toro uses BioMed Durable Resin to produce patient-specific instrumentation that is impact-, shatter-, and abrasion-resistant.

“We see BioMed Durable Resin as an ideal platform for the printing of single-use, patient-specific surgical instrumentation,” said Toro. “The increased mechanical properties provide more design flexibility and increased indications while maintaining the biological properties required for reliably producing the best surgical results.”

BioMed Durable Resin is a USP Class VI material, made in an FDA-registered, ISO 13485 facility and can be used in applications for long-term skin, and short-term tissue, bone, and dentin contact.

Formlabs
formlabs.com

Written by

Rachael Pasini

Rachael Pasini is a Senior Editor at Design World (designworldonline.com).