New solutions advance digital dental technologies

PIGGYBACKING on the rising adoption of additive manufacturing in dental technology, Concept Laser is offering new technologies to cater to digital dental laboratories. 

 

The company, which posted a 75% increase in turnover in 2014 compared to the year before, sees huge potential in this line. Dental laboratories with additive production facilities act as service providers for conventional dental laboratories and dentists, using laser melting with metals for the industrial production of custom-fit and inexpensive dentures. This "digital" business model expands options in geometrical freedom, speed, pricing, and volume throughput unlike conventional manual milling and casting techniques. 

 

Oliver Edelmann, global sales & marketing vice president, said Concept Laser focused on the specific requirements of digital dental laboratories at the IDS 2015 with the new M2 cusing and the company’s materials expertise. “Although dental technology is not the greatest mainstay of turnover, it is a technically very sophisticated segment that is continuously growing and also has extensive potential worldwide,” he said.

 

Dental laboratories can convert to digital production and tap new potentials for the creation of value with the Mlab cusing R

 

Concept Laser’s Mlab cusing series is an important model for dental technology. The “small” patented drawer principle allows material to be changed quickly without the risk of contaminating powder materials. The user-friendly pull-out drawer system includes the build chamber with dosing chamber and the storage container. 

 

“The entry-level model with small build spaces in XS format is a good opportunity for newcomers to adapt their dental skills to "digital" applications and tap new potentials for the creation of value.” Mr. Edelmann said, 

 

Of particular interest to dental technology is the 200 W laser as it makes very sophisticated components possible, rendering it ideal for multi-unit bridge structures. It yields extremely high surface quality. 

 

“A new feature is the multilaser technology with 2 x 200 W lasers, which can, of course, also process reactive materials, such as titanium,” Mr. Edelmann explained.

 

Solutions adopting multilaser technology can enable digital service centers to venture into industrial mass production. With its 2 x 200W lasers, the M2 cusing multilaser can produce 80% to 100% more components within the same time frame than the M2 cusing with 1 x 200W laser. The increase depends on the geometry of the corresponding component. 

 

The new M2 cusing features a modular and fully integrated design that is both user and service friendly. This closed solution is suitable for limited space requirements while providing dental laboratories greater access to system components. 

 

The product incorporates a completely new filter concept with a bigger filter surface of 20 m² compared with the previous 4 m². Designed with fixed tubing, the new filter module is completely integrated in the system, which reduces the changeover interval of the filter and increases overall system availability. This is even more noticeable with the use of multilaser technology with the accompanying increase in smoke particles. 

 

“Significantly faster build rates require reliable filter change concepts. Every filter change has to be quick and easy. We have developed the new filter technology particularly under safety-relevant aspects based on the ATEX directive,” Mr. Edelmann said.

 

To ensure safety during filter changes, the M2 cusing comes standard with a filter that can be immersed in water and can be changed without touching a reactive filter cartridge. In line with the company’s emphasis on 

convenience and safety, the component is in an encapsulated glove box system, removed outside the process chamber.