Mlab cusing at Fresdental
Mlab LaserCUSING at Fresdental
Dentistry is a huge area of focus for the additive manufacturing industry with machines and materials proving to deliver more cost effective and efficient patient specific solutions for dental applications.
The Fresdental Manufacturing Centre in Spain has been working with laser melting of metals for a decade and is now a pivotal supporter of this digital revolution that is already transforming the face of the dental industry.
Working alongside dental laboratories across the world, Fresdental uses conventional denture production methods such as 3-axis DSC milling machines to produce implants which account for around 70% of its business. The company houses a total of 11 machines in its production space, two of which are Mlab LaserCUSING melting systems from Concept Laser. These advanced machines allow engineers to produce multiple dentures in a single job at a high speed rate and low cost due to reduced energy consumption, tooling requirements and material reuse.
Dental implants
Dental implants.
“Compared to traditional, manual-production-based dental laboratories, digital manufacturing is extremely cost-efficient and offer enormous advantages in terms of quality,” explained denture engineer, Francisco Perez Carrio. “Basically, we’re talking at least half the price. As an industrial manufacturing centre, we see ourselves as a service provider of choice as well as an extension of the dental laboratory.”
According to Perez Carrio, there is a trend occurring in the materials department for dental 3D printing applications. Flexible, transparent and tooth coloured materials that can be inserted are highly sought after for dentures and implants and the LaserCUSING process means it is possible to economically produce these parts along with caps, bridge structures and cast parts from powders.
A continuous digital process chain is the ultimate goal in the process of laser melting for dental technology. The next step for Fresdental is to implement Intraoral scanners, traditionally used by dentists to generate primary digital data which can then be used for digital generation of STL design data.
Perez Carrio, added: “The continuous digital process chain from the patient to the dental product will accelerate data migration both in terms of quality and speed. Intraoral scanners will soon become standard in dentists’ offices. Laser melting of metals is a logical expression of digitisation in production. Laser melting is the future – there’s no escaping it.”
