Dentaltown May 2022 - 36

Table 1: Highlighted thermoplastic foils and their properties. The recommended applications are based on limited internal studies and clinical experience;
further rigorous studies on thermoplastic foils are required to confi rm those applications.
Type
Zendura FLX
Zendura A
Attributes
Three layers, including
elastomers
Monolayer (PU)
Recommended
Application
Aligners
Retainers or aligners
Application Based on Thickness
0.76 mm (only option available)
1.0 mm (retainer for bruxers)
0.76 mm (aligner and retainer)
0.67 mm (aligner)
Essix ACE
Essix A
Atmos
Monolayer (PE)
Monolayer (PE)
Monolayer (PETG)
Retainers or aligners
Retainers or aligners
Retainers or aligners
1.0 mm (retainer for bruxers)
0.76 mm (aligner and retainer)
1.0 mm (retainer for bruxers)
0.76 mm (aligner and retainer)
1.0 mm (retainer for bruxers)
0.89 mm (retainer)
0.76 mm (aligner and retainer)
Taglus Tuff
Monolayer (PETG)
Retainers or aligners
0.9 mm (retainer)
0.8 mm (aligner or retainer)
LCD printers are approximately 10 times
cheaper than counterpart SLA or DLP
printers. Nonetheless, the lack of training
and specifi cally designed dental resins are
the biggest hurdles to adding LCD printers
in a dental clinic.
Additionally, most dental providers are
using liquid dental resins optimized for SLA
and DLP printers with LCD printers. The
challenge of this approach is often poor
calibration of printing setup, resulting in
inaccuracy in printed parts and potential
lack of complete polymerization. Suboptimal
polymerization is a critical issue when dental
resins will be utilized for more than 24 hours
in a patient's mouth.
Postprinting processes
Dental models printed using vat polymerization
protocol require postprinting processes
to remove unpolymerized liquid resin from the
parts after they're removed from the printer.
Next, the cleaned dental model (or a 3D-printed
part) undergoes a UV light polymerization
process in a cure box. This step fi nalizes the
polymerization of remaining unpolymerized
liquid resin-often the outer layers.
Two approaches are available to wash the
liquid resin from 3D-printed models: a DIY
magnetic stirrer unit or an automated wash
36 MAY 2022 // dentaltown.com
unit. During the wash process, 90%-99%
isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is often used.
Factors to consider in building a DIY
magnetic stirrer unit are: compatibility
of the 3D printer build plate to the IPA
container; cleanability of the IPA container;
and resistance of the parts to IPA.
To build a magnetic stirrer unit, one
Fig. 3: An automated wash and dry unit by SprintRay.
Features
Patient comfort;
consistent light force delivery
Resistance to tear and wear
Reduced cost compared with
multilayer and PU foils
Reduced cost compared with
multilayer and PU foils
Reduced cost compared with
multilayer and PU foils
Reduced cost compared with
multilayer and PU foils
would need the stirrer, a container for
the IPA, a lid adjusted to hold the build
plate (ideally a custom design) and a cross
magnet. When possible, use a shallow glass
container (Fig. 2, p. 35), and to minimize
alcohol evaporation, cover it overnight.
The ideal wash step requires a dirty and a
clean station, with two DIY magnetic stirrer
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