3D Systems’ 2 New Materials, Printer Platform Designed to Lead to Improved Digital Dentistry

Already featuring a vast digital dentistry portfolio, 3D Systems has announced innovations to strengthen its offerings with 2 new materials, NextDent Base and NextDent Cast, and a new printing platform, the NextDent LCD1.

These offerings are designed to help the company’s customers accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing as part of their workflows, and drive new levels of speed, productivity, efficiency, and precision while also providing opportunities to improve the patient experience, states 3D Systems.

3D Systems offers a broad portfolio of dental 3D printing materials enabling dental laboratories and clinics to address a wide range of applications such as trays, orthodontic and prosthodontic models, surgical guides, dentures, orthodontic splints, crowns, and bridges. The company is now sharing the following enhancements:

NextDent Base is suitable for printing all types of removable denture bases. This material is the third generation of the company’s denture base material for 3D printing and has excellent mechanical properties. The feedback on the previous generation of this material provided the R&D team with clear direction including high break resistance and robust printability, according to the company. NextDent Base is truly comparable to conventional denture base materials and will provide patients with long-lasting, impact-resistant dentures. It will be available in 4 colors to match a variety of esthetics and is planned to be available for ordering in select markets later this year.

NextDent Cast is a residue-free, easy burn-out 3D printing material suited for a variety of applications including RPDs, crowns, and bridges. The latest version which produces parts in blue color enables improved printability and easier burn-out and provides a castable part that is stable and strong. NextDent Cast is available for immediate ordering.

Making Digital Dentistry More Accessible for Clinicians

Previously, 3D Systems introduced the NextDent 5100. Built upon the company’s revolutionary high-speed Figure 4® 3D printing technology and leveraging the performance of its materials portfolio, the NextDent 5100 is said to address a breadth of application needs resulting in unparalleled accuracy, repeatability, productivity, and total cost of operation.

The company is now offering the NextDent LCD1, a smaller footprint, easy-to-use printer designed to deliver high-quality results. The compact footprint combined with simple touchscreen operation makes this an ideal printer for use in small office environments where the production volumes may be less demanding. It uses LCD technology and features auto-calibration to deliver parts with a very smooth surface finish, said to be 3X faster than is possible with stereolithography (SLA) printers. When combined with the company’s resins and new NextDent Wash & Cure for post-processing, clinicians have an easy-to-use workflow that delivers high-quality results.

“We have a rich history as a leading innovator in both 3D printing technology and dental materials,” says Stef Vanneste, vice president & general manager, dental, 3D Systems. “Our goal is to ensure we are addressing our customers’ needs with our solutions, and these enhancements to our portfolio are yet another step in achieving that goal. Both new materials are next-generation materials, specifically engineered with our customers’ feedback on the earlier versions in mind. NextDent Base is a completely new formulation that demonstrates high break resistance and beautiful base shades. We firmly believe that these products will further enable the adoption of 3D printing in dentistry and improve the patient experience.”

3D Systems showcased its full portfolio of digital dentistry solutions, including these latest innovations, in its booth (Hall 3.1, Booth K010/L010) at IDS 2023, March 14-18 at Koelnmessein Cologne, Germany.