A few days ago, some exciting news was released from one of the most innovative 3D printing companies in the world.
Formlabs has just announced their Formlabs Automation Ecosystem, which they hope will further advance dental 3D printing by making printing dental parts faster and easier than ever.
The new ecosystem consists of Form Auto, Fleet Control, and the High Volume Resin System. With this ecosystem in place, you can now achieve 24/7 production without the need for yourself or your tech to intervene.
The system allows for fully integrated in-house production with minimal human intervention.
This is big news.
Here's a quick video explaining it:
Essentially, you’ll be able to save money on labour, reduce the costs per part and improve overall efficiency of your entire printing process.
You can set up the printer to print some surgical splints on Friday, and then when you come back to the clinic on Monday, everything will be completed for you. Including the wash.
According to Formlabs, the new ecosystem works the following way:
- Form Auto: Instantly automate any new or existing Form 3B/+ 3D printer with a hardware extension that will automatically remove finished parts and start the next print for back-to-back production.
- Fleet Control: Simplify multi-printer management with a suite of new, advanced features in Dashboard including centralized queue management and automatic printer assignment.
- High Volume Resin System: Continuously print on a Formlabs SLA printer for five times longer with the seamless delivery of 5L of resin through a pumping system.
The potential savings that come with using the Formlabs’ new ecosystem are impressive.
SET UP | WITH AUTOMATION ECOSYSTEM | WITHOUT AUTOMATION ECOSYSTEM |
|---|---|---|
Printers needed | 6 | 9 |
Number of cartridge changes | 2 | 14 |
Shifts required | 1 | 2 |
Cost per part | $1.89 | $3.11 |
* Calculation based on dental arches printed in Draft Resin at 200µm.
**Calculation includes equipment and labor costs, and amortization.
What do you guys think about this?
I think the potential for bringing your workflow in-house and being even more efficient is really promising.
Formlabs also have a number of exciting things in store for the dental industry!
We can't say much now but keep an eye out on our blog for more info.