March 2017 | volume 4 | issue 2
articulate the bi-monthly e-newsletter of the dental technologists association
This issue contains 1 hour of CPD for DTA members
www.dta-uk.org PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW CONTACT DETAILS F13a Kestrel Court, Waterwells Drive Waterwells Business Park Gloucester GL2 2AT Telephone: 01452 886366 Email: sueadams@dta-uk.org Web: http://www.dta-uk.org
DTA Nominated Charity of the Year 2017 DTA members have selected Crisis as DTA’s nominated Charity of the Year for 2017. If you’d like to find out more about their work go to www.crisis.org.uk
Bringing 3 D printers into the Dental Laboratory Educational Aim: ● To provide an insight into the application of digital printing in manufacturing custom made dental devices.
CPD Outcomes: ● To gain an understanding of the range of digital printing methods ● To be able to identify the major methods currently available and their uses.
W
e make no excuse for dipping our toes into this area of a constantly evolving dental technology and for utilizing a YouTube America promoter’s webinar. This is a 50 minute session but it’s
mainly the first 36 minutes that will provide the essential information. If you are considering 3D Printing or just want to know how it might impinge on your future laboratory work, we are sure that you will find this lifelong learning session extremely useful. Once armed with your new knowledge, then your discussions with sales representatives or when visiting stands at a dental show will be more fruitful by enabling you to ask some fundamentally important questions. Clinical intra oral scanning devices are becoming more readily available from the
high street at £500 whilst it is suggested that a robust dental laboratory printer might cost £25,000. This type of equipment is growing, but it might take three hours for a set of models! For surgical guides for implant work the intraoral scan and digital printing is likely to drive printing. This will enhance the growth of other digital work within the laboratory and whether you print the items in the lab or send off the request for off-site ‘Printing’ for dental technology appliances, it’s an area that is growing.
● https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=2xmJXBV2TKg
CPD Questions Q1 What are printers printing today in dental laboratories?
Q2 Generally what layer thickness is required for dental laboratories?
Q3 Which of these printer technologies have most use for dental technology?
a) C&B restoration patterns, or patterns or frames for partial dentures b) Crown and Bridge Models, Implant models, plastic dentures c) Orthodontics aligners and temporaries, and a) only d) Night guards, mouth guards and all the above
a) b) c) d)
a) b) c) d)
Below 25 microns 35 microns or slightly larger Just below 35 microns Up to 45 microns
Digital light processing Poly-jet technology and a) Fused deposition modelling and a) only Stereo lithography, and b)
Q4 What is Poly-jet technology?
Q5 What do the presenters say currently about stereo lithography (SLA’s)
Q6 For metal construction, selective laser sintering and selective laser melting requires...
a) b) c) d)
a) b) c) d)
a) 3D printing technology system, and all answers b) Argon gas environment is essential c) Currently very costly machinery a) Specialist engineers to operate.
Forces the shape from a solid polymer block Jets a thin layer of material Builds thin layer under photo fixing Continuous fixed stream of polythermal material
Expensive Complex Accurate All the above
Dental Technologists Association, F13a Kestrel Court, Waterwells Drive, Waterwells Business Park, Gloucester GL2 2AT. call: 01452 886 366 email: sueadams@dta-uk.org web: www.dta-uk.org