Carbon, Keystone Industries Working Together to Develop a Flexible Removable Partial Denture Resin

September 24, 2021

Companies announce plans that will lead to the first use of Carbon's patented dual cure process in a dental application.

In what sounds like an ideal partnership, Carbon and Keystone Industries announced that the 2 companies have agreed to develop a flexible removable partial denture resin based on Carbon's patented dual cure materials.

The joint effort will bring about the first use of Carbon's patented dual cure process in a dental application. Carbon is a leading 3D printing technology company, while Keystone Industries, is a leading dental and 3D resin products company.

Providing dental professionals with an innovative process to address the large partially edentulous patient population via the ability to print a flexible partial denture will be the next step in the strategic partnership between the 2 companies that was initiated in 2019. The 2 companies originally partnered to launch KeySplint Soft Clear to Carbon’s 3D printing technology platform, and more recent additions of both KeySplint Hard and KeyGuide. This latest development will allow for the first dental use of Carbon’s patented dual cure process.

"Our dual cure resins meet the needs of a broad range of applications. However, this partnership will result in the first use of Carbon's patented dual cure process in a dental application,” Phil DeSimone, cofounder and Chief Product & Business Development Officer, says. “We're excited to extend our partnership with Keystone to expand denture options for doctors and patients."

This partnership builds on Carbon's industry leadership in developing digital denture solutions that are enabling a new standard of care for edentulous patients. In 2019, Carbon partnered with Dentca to introduce the first FDA-approved 3D printed denture. Carbon was also the first 3D printing technology company to partner with Dentsply Sirona to introduce Lucitone Digital Print, the first high-impact, high esthetic denture base. Nearly a quarter-million denture parts have been printed on the Carbon platform through partnerships with Dentsply Sirona and Dentca.

Keystone Industries has spent decades producing leading denture products and, more recently, ground-breaking 3D printing resins for dental professionals. Keystone’s denture expertise spans a wide array of applications: Diamond D® high-impact denture base acrylic (heat and self cure), KeyMill® high-impact CAD/CAM milling discs for denture bases, ClearMet clear, flexible partial denture resin, Millenium PMMA acrylics, the upcoming high-impact pourable version of Diamond D and in 2022, the KeyDenture 3D printing resins. Using this expansive denture material experience to partner with Carbon’s dual cure 3D process will allow the 2 companies to work towards an innovative breakthrough for partial denture frames.

“We have had a long and productive relationship with Carbon,” notes Keystone Industries dental president Ira Rosenau. “Together, we can leverage several strengths of our companies to bring a very substantial innovation to dental professionals – an efficient way to manufacture custom flexible partial dentures for the many patients who need such a prosthetic device to improve their daily lives."