Guaranteeing high-quality final parts is the most important concern for a lab or dental practice. The three best measures to take to protect yourself from buying inaccurate equipment are:

1. Ask questions.
2. Judge accuracy benchmarked on final 3D printed models.
3. Order sample parts and judge accuracy and precision for yourself.

Remember that a printer’s accuracy and precision are defined by how well-calibrated all of its systems are, so a system should only be judged on its final printed parts.

Desktop optical scanning allows for the comparison of the organic shapes of printed dental prosthetics to the ‘.STL’ that was sent to the machine. Scans of printed models are scored in terms of the percent of points within a given distance from the nominal point on the ‘.STL’ (e.g. 80% of points within ±50 microns).

Always demand accuracy studies with real scan data of printed parts. Even better, ask for a free sample part or a custom sample of your own design that you can measure yourself against the original design, and judge the quality using free comparison software.

How easy a 3D printer is to use, and how reliable it will be in production are also important considerations. After all, your team is going to have to learn how to use the equipment and maintain it on a daily basis.

1. Try to get a sense of the learning curve that will come with a new 3D printer by watching videos online, visiting a trade show, contacting sales, or asking colleagues about their experience.
2. Think carefully about the equipment’s setup requirements. Some newer printers are designed intuitively enough to start printing straight out of the box. Other more complicated machines require a service technician to be present during setup.
3. Pay close attention to the types of everyday interactions and maintenance the printer will need once it is up and running. Automatic resin dispensing, available on select SLA machines and material jetting printers, can make a big difference in keeping a clean, low-maintenance production environment, and also allows for quick switching between materials.
4. Dig deep into published reliability information, and make sure that a manufacturer has appropriate warranties and service offerings to ensure you’ll be taken care of if service is needed.

Adopting new technology needs to simply make sense for your business. Remember to consider:

1. Upfront costs, including not just the machine cost, but also training and set-up for larger-format machines, as well as potential software licences.
2. Running costs, which are best estimated with per-unit material costs.
3. Servicing and maintenance costs, which can sometimes include compulsory service contracts and cost as much as 20% of the upfront cost of the printer annually.

All of these factors directly impact on how fast you can make a return on investing in 3D printing technology. The good news is that with smaller-format, lower-cost machines that offer high-output quality, it’s now possible for dental labs and practices to achieve positive ROI within months.

Professional 3D printers are some of the most versatile tools found today in dental labs and practices, and the key to their versatility is dedicated materials.

The material selection varies by printer model. Some basic 3D printers can only produce orthodontic models, while more advanced printers can manufacture highly accurate crown and bridge models, surgical guides, castable/pressable restorations, and long-term and biocompatible dental products like splints, retainers, or dentures.

Some 3D printers work only with proprietary materials, which means your options are limited to the offerings of the printer manufacturer. Others have an open system, meaning that they can use materials made by third-party manufacturers. In the case of these third-party materials, it’s important to make sure that the results achieve clinically acceptable quality and accuracy.

Manufacturers release new materials on a regular basis, so there’s a good chance that the printer you buy today will become capable of creating an increasing variety of dental products in the near future.

Transitioning to digital dentistry should be a gradual process, starting with a single application, and scaling up to multiple applications and workflows step by step. The number of dental products a 3D printer can produce depends highly on the specific model and the application. For example, a DLP printer’s projector exposes layers to light all at once, whereas in SLA printers, the laser has to draw out each part. This leads to an increase in speed for large, fully dense prints. However, the resolution of the projector limits the build volume, so the overall throughput is similar. Enquire with the manufacturer for specific data on multiple applications and scenarios.

Production with multi-machine print cells often reduces upfront costs compared to larger-format machines. By buying one entry-level machine at first, businesses can test out production methods before ultimately scaling up production with demand. This provides the opportunity to pay for production only when it is needed, rather than making large long-term investments in a rapidly evolving market.

Print cells reduce risk through redundancy. If one machine needs servicing, production can be balanced across the rest of the print cell.