Prodways launches modular solution for dental aligner mass production

The IDS show now underway in Cologne is ushering in a new era as 3D printing for the dental industry enters a new phase of industrialization. French 3D printer manufacturer Prodways is catering to these new demands by introducing a modular and highly automated dental aligner production solution.

While several of its customers already own a number of MOVINGLight ProMaker L series (L7000, L5000, LD10 and LD20) 3D printers, offering very high levels of productivity, certain applications require even faster production speeds.

In the orthodontics market, the boom in clear aligners means that certain customers produce several thousand aligners per day. In order to meet the new challenges posed by this personalized mass production, Prodways has combined the productivity of its dedicated dental machines with robotics and automation techniques, which are the core businesses of its parent company, Groupe Gorgé.

Thanks to its unique expertise, Prodways partnered with a leading clear aligner workflow software player in order to propose an integrated robotic solution for the production of clear aligners. This solution was unveiled for the first time at the IDS dental trade fair.

This automated modular system covers all production phases: from design to 3D printing, and from thermoforming of the aligners to their packaging, and all 24/7. The different versions of this automated 3D modular system can produce more than 2,000 clear aligners per day. The modules are equipped with 2 or more machines consuming more than 2 tons of materials per year.