Indirect bonding trays printed with Formlabs' IBT resin.
Formlabs has announced the latest addition to its stereolithography material portfolio with a new IBT Resin for the orthodontic industry.
As the name suggests, the material is designed for the 3D printing of indirect bonding trays (IBT) used to simplify orthodontic bracket placement. A more traditional alternative to increasingly popular clear aligners, IBTs are custom made appliances that are tailored to the patient’s dentition and bracket prescription to facilitate placement of multiple brackets at once. Through this method, treatment preparation can be done in advance to reduce labour, cost and patient chair times.
Using a digital workflow, dental professionals can apply an intraoral 3D scanner to quickly generate a 3D model of the IBT which can then be exported for printing. For that next step, last year Formlabs introduced a new dental focused version of its Low Force Stereolithography platform in the form of the Form 3BL, a larger version of its previous Form 3B, which can be used in tandem with its Form Wash and Cure post-processing stations and is compatible with a number of biocompatible dental materials.
Expanding its dental capabilities, Formlabs says this new IBT Resin provides optimised tear strength, translucency, flexibility and easy chair-side use for orthodontists and technicians, while IBTs produced in this Class I compliant material are said to be tasteless, odourless, non-sticky and offer a more comfortable experience for the patient. Devices also require minimal post-processing, meaning once the appliance is printed and cured, it can be cleaned and treated with tools commonly found in orthodontic environments.
Sam Wainwright, Dental Product Manager of Formlabs, said: "With the addition of IBT Resin to our portfolio of materials, Formlabs has a comprehensive solution for orthodontic 3D printing. Whether it's printing models for thermoformed appliances like clear aligners, or directly printing products like occlusal splints or indirect bonding trays, the Form 3B is a leader in digital orthodontics."
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