Provided by the Dentist

• A physical or digital impression of the patient’s dentition 

• A prescription with desired type of occlusal splint

Made by Formlabs

• Form 4B 3D printer

• Resin Tank for each resin

• Form 4 Mixer for each resin

• Form 4 Build Platform or Form 4 Flex Build Platform

• Dental LT Clear V2 Resin or Dental LT Comfort Resin

• Form Wash (2nd Generation) or Form 4 Finish Kit

• Form Cure (2nd Generation) or Form Cure

Made by Third Parties

• A dental handpiece and tools for acrylics

• Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) 

• Optional: 

  • Desktop scanner ( to digitize a physical impression )

  • A steam cleaner

  • An ultrasonic bath

  • Pumice and polishing compound

Dental design software requires a digital impression of the patient’s anatomy in order to design an occlusal splint or guard. To acquire this data, scan the patient directly with a 3D intraoral scanner or scan a physical impression or a poured model with a desktop 3D scanner.

Il existe plusieurs options en termes de logiciels de modélisation dentaire capables de concevoir un modèle numérique de plaque occlusale. Dans ce guide d’application, nous exposerons les paramètres pour Dental System de 3Shape, et ExoCAD.

Il existe aussi des sous-traitants en CAO dentaire auxquels vous pouvez envoyer un modèle numérique pour qu’ils effectuent le travail de conception.

Contraintes générales de fabrication

Veuillez consulter le guide de fabrication approprié pour connaître les exigences de fabrication spécifiques au matériau, telles que l'épaisseur minimale de la surface occlusale et l'épaisseur minimale de la paroi.

Paramètres de 3Shape Dental System et d’exocad

Dental LT Clear Resin (V2) : Écart de 0,05 mm à 0,10 mm (en fonction de l’ajustement désiré et de la conception du dispositif. Plus cette valeur est faible, plus l’ajustement sera précis)

Dental LT Comfort Resin : Écart de 0,01 mm à 0,03 mm (en fonction de l’ajustement désiré et de la conception du dispositif. Plus cette valeur est faible, plus l’ajustement sera précis) 

Once the case has been designed to specification, manufacturing can begin. The majority of dental design software generates a manufacturing file in STL format. Locate the file and move it into the print preparation software, PreForm Dental.

Follow the instructions to activate Dental Workspace for PreForm. Open PreForm and set up your splint print job using an adequate preset. You can find instructions here on:

• How to activate and use Dental Workspace from PreForm

• How to create a preset

PreForm Dental Workspace will take care of importing, orienting, and supporting your splint in an optimal way.

The PreForm Dental Workspace auto-generates supports based on material properties. Your supports might be at unsuitable areas like antagonist contact impressions or dynamic occlusal contact surfaces. For optimal results, we recommend entering the Support menu and adjusting touchpoints as needed.

Be sure not to reduce the number of supports and always properly support the parts of the splint closest to the build plate.

PreForm will indicate in red what areas might require additional support.

Confirm under the Job Info menu bar on the right side of the window that Printability has green thumbs-up.

Pour une impression normale, il est préférable de placer les pièces au milieu de la plateforme de fabrication.

Dans le cas d’une impression multiple, faire en sorte que les bases se chevauchent peut optimiser l’utilisation du volume d’impression et faire économiser du matériau.

Send the job to the printer by clicking the orange printer icon on the left.

The Print dialog box will open. Click the orange Print Now or Upload Job button to send the job to the printer (whether you see one or the other button in this dialog depends on the current configuration of the selected printer).

Shake the splint material cartridge and then insert the cartridge, a build platform, and a compatible resin tank into the Form 4B 3D printer.

• Begin printing by selecting the print job from the printer’s touch screen

• Follow any prompts or dialogs shown on the printer screen

• The printer will automatically complete the print

Remove printed parts from Form 4 Flex Build Platform by pushing the quick release handles. Use a spatula if you printed on the Form 4 Build Platform.

Place the printed parts in a Form Wash (Second Generation) filled with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and wash them using the recommended wash time as specified in the manufacturing guide for your splint material.

Alternatively, an ultrasonic wash unit may be used, see manufacturing guide for specific directions. 

Make sure the parts are fully submerged in IPA when washing.

Remove parts from the IPA and leave to air dry at room temperature. Refer to your resin’s manufacturing guide for the exact drying time.

Inspect printed parts to ensure that they are clean and dry.

No residual alcohol, excess liquid resin, or residue particles may remain on the surface before proceeding to subsequent steps.

Place the dried printed parts in a Form Cure and post-cure using the recommended post-cure settings for your splint material. Please refer to the manufacturing guide.

Supports can be removed using a cutting disk or sharp tweezers.

Examinez le dispositif. Jetez la pièce et réimprimez-la si vous remarquez la moindre fissure.

Using a handpiece and a carbide cutter or universal silicone wheel, smooth the support surfaces. The tools and polishing compounds employed for conventional acrylic appliances are suitable. For a high-gloss finish, the quickest and simplest method involves using a lathe with pumice and a high-gloss polishing compound designed for acrylics.

For dental practices without lathe access, the same outcome can be achieved as explained in this video.

Optional

Verify the vertical dimension of the appliance and make adjustments as needed.

Les pièces entièrement post-traitées peuvent être nettoyées et désinfectées. Veuillez consulter le guide de fabrication approprié pour votre matériau d'impression de gouttières afin d'obtenir des recommandations détaillées.