Glidewell Dental has expanded partnership with Structo, a dental 3D printing solutions provider, with the integration of the Structo Velox desktop 3D printer into the glidewell.io In-Office Solution.
Glidewell Dental and Structo have enjoyed a strong working relationship over the years, with the California-based dental technology company being announced as the launch customer for Structo’s latest 3D printer designed for dental labs, the DentaForm, just last April.
Since the emergence of 3D printing in the dental industry, adoption in the chairside segment has been hampered by time-consuming pre- and post-processes. “To take dental 3D printing to the next level, we believe the complexity of the technology must get out of the way so that clinicians can focus on delivering better patient outcomes,“ says Huub van Esbroeck, founder at Structo, in a release.
The Structo Velox features a patented fully autonomous post-processing system to streamline the dental appliance manufacturing process. It comprises 3 stages—print, wash, and cure—on a rotating carousel, fitting all these functions into one single low-footprint automated system. The Velox also features Structo’s new pre-processing service called AutoPrint, a cloud service to which users upload an STL file, after which the nesting, supporting, and slicing are taken care of—and the printer can start automatically without requiring any further intervention.
Unveiled in November 2017, the glidewell.io In-Office Solution is described as a chairside ecosystem designed to simplify the prescribing and delivering of laboratory-grade restorations. The workflow begins with an intraoral scan transferred to Glidewell’s fastdesign.io Software, which serves to auto-design restorations. The software also serves as a communications platform to the lab, where users can prescribe cases or access digital optimization and technical support. For cases in which chairside milling is indicated, the clinician submits the design to the fastmill.io In-Office Unit for immediate fabrication.
Mike Selberis, Glidewell’s chief technology officer, says, “With the addition of the Structo Velox, the glidewell.io Solution will be able to offer a complete suite of in-office applications covering intraoral scanning, desktop milling, and now desktop 3D printing, giving clinicians an all-in-one solution for lab-grade appliance manufacturing in their own practice.”
The Structo Velox will be an integral part of the glidewell.io ecosystem, adding seamless direct printing capabilities for single and multi-unit restorations, drill guides, splints, models, and orthodontic appliances.
“This partnership with Glidewell Dental and the development of a deep integration with their systems fully embodies our vision for the Velox—taking the work out of the workflow—making this a perfect partnership to bring our dental-specific solutions to market,” says Huub.
Structo and Glidewell are both hopeful that through this collaboration, they can change the way clinicians approach appliance manufacturing and accelerate the progress of digital dentistry across the industry.
The Structo Velox 3D printer is expected to be available as part of the glidewell.io Solution in the United States later in 2018, with applications for their closed beta program opening today.
