Since the 2000s, the dentsma dental prosthesis laboratory has chosen technological innovation by investing in the first 3D printing machines. Almost 20 years later, we are still innovating in our manufacturing processes for our dental prostheses thanks to the digital workflow. Interview with the tony, production manager.

Hello Tony, could you please introduce yourself quickly and explain to us what your role in this company consists of?

Hello, I am the technical director of the dentsma.
In other words, I am in charge of the continuous improvement of conventional production as well as the digital workflow.
What exactly is the digital flow that you set up at dentsma?

The digital flow mainly consists in ensuring the production from intra-oral scans.
More and more dentists are using dental scanners (Trios from 3Shape, CS3600 from Carestream, Element from iTero, or Condor from Biotech Dental, etc.).
The Cristal laboratory must be able to meet the flow requests of practitioners regardless of the scanner or the request.
What scanning and manufacturing techniques do you use?

At the input of the flow, we receive the scanners in the form of digital files. We ensure the design of the prosthesis as well as the working model from these scans.
The manufacture of the prosthesis joins the digital flow of the Crystal CAD department (Laser fusion and Machining) while the model is produced in 3D printing on the LD10 printer of the Prodways group.
Prodways Group has allowed you to innovate and use 3D printing in your prosthetic fabrications. What are the manufacturing stages? What 3D printing software and processes do you use?

Once the design of the model is completed, printing consists of 3 distinct operations:

• The placement of pieces on the virtual grid via the Magics software
• The launch of the printing batch using the Moving Light process (sending ultraviolet rays on a resin designed by Prodways Material)
• The post-process with cleaning and polymerization

The global digital flow then joins the traditional flow.
What are the advantages but also the limits of 3D printing compared to traditional techniques? Where are you in terms of price?

New 3D printing technologies make it possible to obtain models with much greater precision than the traditional technique.
The price of materials remains a drag today. But this constantly evolving process will become the new standard in the dental field.

What is more, more and more resins are obtaining biocompatible certification, which will allow a wider range of applications.
Print prostheses directly and do not limit 3D printing to the prosthetic working support.
Could you tell us about the applications of tomorrow in the dental field and how you see your laboratory evolving in the coming years?

Over the next few years, the prices of scanners and 3D printing will drop.
Fingerprinting will be the new standard and the traditional flow of isolated acts.
The prosthetic realization will be modified, the production flow will undoubtedly be digital, optimization of the aesthetic results for ever more demanding patients.

Following is a list of dental lab product resources and info for reference.

The dental products you can find in a dental supply store online

https://www.dentallaboratorio.com/find-in-our-supply-online-dental-store/

Type of dental lab equipment you maybe need

https://www.dentallabshop.com/2021/07/09/types-of-dental-lab-equipment/

Complete guide of cad cam dental zirconia blank

https://www.dentallabshop.com/2021/06/28/dental-zirconia-blank/

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