Astra Tech announces strategic alliance with 3Shape

Waltham, Mass.-Astra Tech, a market leader and innovator in the field of implant dentistry and CAD/CAM abutments, announces a global strategic alliance with 3Shape A/S, the Danish-based provider of 3D scanners and CAD/CAM software solutions.

The first step is the development of a software interface enabling the 3Shape dental scanners to communicate with the Atlantis VAD™ (Virtual Abutment Design) software used for the design and production of patient-specific implant abutments. When developed the interface will make it possible for 3Shape scanner users to quickly and easily transfer digital scan information of patient oral geometry to the Astra Tech Atlantis™ design and manufacturing facilities worldwide. This connectivity reduces costs, eliminates shipping of physical models, and reduces turnaround time.

“The partnership with 3Shape is a strategic business opportunity, which will further strengthen Astra Tech’s position within the area of digital implant dentistry, contribute to a faster market penetration for Atlantis™, and create added value for our customers and their patients, said Peter Selley, CEO of Sweden-based Astra Tech Group.

“3Shape strives to offer maximum flexibility to its reselling partners and their dental lab customers using 3Shape scanner and software solutions,” said Flemming Thorup, President & CEO at 3Shape. "We are very happy that this collaboration between AstraTech and 3Shape will make it possible for many laboratories to benefit from the strength of our respective companies.”

About Astra Tech

Astra Tech AB, a company in the Astra Zeneca group, is a global leader in dental, surgical and urological products, services and support. An innovation-driven company since the start in 1948, Astra Tech has continually developed market-leading solutions to meet health care needs based on user and medical community input. Ongoing research and development is aimed at finding new ways to support caregivers and improve quality of life for patients worldwide. Astra Tech headquarters are located in Mölndal, Sweden, with production facilitates in Sweden and North America. The company is represented globally by 16 subsidiaries and selected local distribution partners. Astra Tech has 2,200 employees worldwide and the revenue in 2010 was SEK 3.9 billion. The company invests five percent of its revenues annually in research.

About 3Shape

3Shape A/S is a Danish company specializing in the development and marketing of 3D scanners and CAD/CAM software solutions designed for the creation, processing, analysis and management of high-quality 3D data for application in complex manufacturing processes. 3Shape envisions the age of the “full digital dental lab,” and its more than 85 developers provide superior innovation power toward reaching this goal. 3Shape’s flexible solutions empower dental technicians through automation of real workflows, and its systems are applied in thousands of labs in more than 60 countries worldwide, reaching the market’s #1 record for units produced per day by dental technicians. 3Shape is a privately-held company headquartered in Copenhagen, with the market’s largest team dedicated to scanner and software development for the dental segment based in Denmark and Ukraine, production facilities in Poland, and Sales and Support Offices in New Jersey, USA and Shanghai, China. For further information regarding 3shape, please refer to 3Shape.com.