Carbon Announces New Dental 3D Printing Materials, Part Serialization and Auto Support Generation

Since their CLIP technology was first released, Silicon Valley-based additive manufacturing company Carbon has been one of the fastest rising stars in the 3D printing industry. Along with the debut of their SpeedCell small-scale manufacturing solution, Carbon has been aggressively working to make their mark on a rapidly growing marketplace with new materials and new software. SpeedCell ties together Carbon’s cloud-based software, the M2 3D printer and their Smart Part Washer post-production station to create an affordable and scalable production and manufacturing workflow. With their growing selection of resin materials the SpeedCell system can be adapted for use in a wide variety of industries and businesses. The company has recently announced new introductions in software and materials to further enhance their portfolio of offerings.

Carbon’s new Advanced Auto Supports tool incorporates several previously cost prohibitive features, including the ability to preview print success, identify potential weak spots or failure points and automatic application of smart support structures with the click of a single button. With a finite element analysis (FEA), users will be able to simulate the stresses that a printed part will be subjected to and place the types of supports needed to prevent print failure. The system will even take into account the types of materials being used. The high stress zones identified by the FEA will also allow the model to be edited, the flaws corrected and the final model improved before a test print even needs to be printed.

Generally FEA simulations require a lot of computing power to process, and a lot of time with which to process them. However by making their FEA a cloud-based process, Carbon has dramatically reduced the time required and eliminated the need for expensive hardware purchases. Standard FEA simulations can take days to process, while Carbon’s cloud-based option reduces that time down to hours, with average simulations taking only 90 minutes. And to protect the integrity and privacy of the customer, the Advanced Auto Supports tool works with the existing Carbon-managed servers through a secured and encrypted tunnel without the need for any software packages or updates.

Carbon is also introducing their new Part Serialization tool, which allows users to add customized serial numbers to parts as they are produced. Part serialization has not been an easy solution for the 3D printing industry to develop. While the process is harder for injection molding and casting methods, additive manufacturing hasn’t made it any easier. But instead of adding serial numbers in the post-production stage, Carbon software inserts the serial number onto the 3D model right before printing begins. This allows Carbon users to track the date and time of the part manufacture, as well as the exact batch the part came from, the exact batch of resin material used to produce it, the wash cycle it was cleaned in and the specific operator who oversaw the entire process.

In addition to new software features, two partnerships were announced this week signifying that Carbon is aggressively targeting the dental market. They’re teaming up with CAD/CAM denture manufacturer DENTCA to offer the first FDA-cleared (Class II) materials for 3D printed dentures. The new materials, DENTCA Denture Base II and DENTCA Denture Teeth for Carbon printers, can be used together to manufacture state of the art, digitally-manufactured dentures. German dental materials company DREVE will also be releasing two new dental materials with Carbon, DREVE FotoDent gingiva and the DREVE FotoDent tray for Carbon 3D printers. These materials can be used by dental and orthodontic offices to manufacture 3D printable gingiva masks and dental impression trays.

DENTCA Denture Base II and DENTCA Denture Teeth for Carbon printers used together to manufacture these digitally-manufactured dentures.

“While 3D printing is not new to the dental market, Carbon provides a complete solution with a very unique partnership approach, enabling dental labs to easily design and manufacture customized, high-quality products for their customers. Carbon is transforming manufacturing in the dental industry with robust and reliable 3D printers, a wide range of industrial-grade dental materials, and next-gen software that enables all these pieces to work together seamlessly,” explained General Manager of Carbon’s Oral Care Business, Brian Ganey.

The new Carbon software tools will add a level of traceability and accountability to companies that previously would never have been able to afford it. And when used with their new specialty dental materials, they make additive manufacturing systems like Carbon’s SpeedCell an ideal solution to small and growing medical, dental, automotive and personal electronics companies. You can read more about Carbon and their growing line of products here.

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