Align Technology
Invisalign clear aligners.
Following on from its scalable metal additive manufacturing platform announcement at IMTS 2018, 3D Systems has revealed that Align Technology, makers of the Invisalign system of clear dental aligners, has increased investment in its SLA 3D printing technology.
3D Systems first partnered with Align to develop a customised solution using the ProX SLA 3D printing technology, materials, and software to create sacrificial tooling, which leads to the creation of more than 1.6 million final, patient-ready aligners every week.
"Align Technology disrupted the orthodontic industry by creating a digital approach to straightening teeth that makes treatment possible for more people than ever. None of what we have been able to achieve would be possible without 3D printing technology," said Srini Kaza, vice president, product innovation, Align Technology. "We believe that our manufacturing process is the largest mass customisation operation in the world. We are leveraging our world-class mass customisation capabilities including 3D printing as we expand manufacturing operations in China – Align's fastest growing region."
Each component of the solution has been optimised to meet Align's manufacturing requirements. Each aligner can be manufactured with a unique patient ID printed directly onto the device to avoid any errors when dealing with multiple aligners for individual treatment plans. This unique identifier does not divulge any patient information but does allow manufacturing technicians to track and manage production and shipment of each patient's complete set of aligners.
Align has been leveraging 3D printing since 2009 with more than 5.8 million patients treated globally, each representing a multi-piece set of unique clear aligners. Align continues to expand and scale its operations and manufacturing, including localised production in key markets like Asia Pacific, where the company estimates the total market for Invisalign clear aligner treatments to be 3 million cases per year.
Vyomesh Joshi, president and CEO, 3D Systems commented: "Align has embraced 3D Systems' 3D printing solutions from its inception to produce a first of its kind medical device. Today, the company produces more than 320,000 custom aligners per day, and will surpass that number as new operations, such as the latest facility in China, come on-line – a scale that can only be accomplished with the help of additive manufacturing."
