Is a Printer a Good Investment?

Brett Hansen CDT

Brett Hansen CDT

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I attended a lecture given by Lee Culp in Chicago over the weekend. He mentioned that they use a printer in their lab that he highly recommends: formlab2($3500). Our lab currently has a zenotec mini mill. We mill all our full contour wax in the mill. We also employ a waxer to do all our single unit copings and frameworks. We will need another mill in the next year or two. I would like to get your feedback on possibly incorporating this printer into our work flow. This printer would free up the mill to just do zirconia. I am wondering how a printer would benefit my lab in ways I am not aware of. Also, we hand wax all our veneers because the milled wax veneers just don't fit as well: too loose. Would a printed veneer fit any better than a milled veneer? Thanks for your input!
 
TheLabGuy

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I'm not sure the formlab2 does digital models, but that's where I would pull the trigger and get a printer if the ROI was there. Like you stated though, if I had a lot of zirconia and the mill was always busy milling zirconia then that would lend me to spend 3,500 for a printer versus 35,000 for a milling machine. I'm not sure about the quality of formlab2 though, and something you'd want to look into. No offense to Lee Culp, but he could rub two sticks together and get a crown out of it, he's that talented.
 
Tayebdental

Tayebdental

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"we hand wax all ourveneers because the milled wax veneers just don't fit as well: too loose"
adjust your special liquid distilled water ratio, I mill all my wax veneers and no issues.
 
PCDL

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I wouldn't invest in a printer for Veneers. I think you will be disappointed by the results compared to hand waxed. For the time and energy, the return isn't there; at least that is my experience.
 
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sirmorty

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I can see a Formlabs 2 printer for models and surgical guides . But I don't think you will get the accuracy for veneers/crowns on a Formlabs2.
I could be wrong. Maybe they have improved it but I have got models from Formlabs 2 and they were great. The cons being the small platform and the time it takes to print them if that is an issue.

It's not like buying a 30k printer thats' for sure, so the investment is not really that much on the Formlabs 2.
 
JMN

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I haven't seen any plasticine FDM printer that is accurate enough to print a crown or veneer I'd want without it being adjusted by a hand waxer.
Give it a while longer and maybe. Maybe.

I could have missed a few things, but look at their claimed specs, always, with a shaker of salt.
 
SiKBOY

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It kind of doesn't make any sense that crowns that are printed arnt accurate enough for them but yet techs are okay for to use them for models. Isn't it important that occlusion and contacts be accurate as well?
 
SiKBOY

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There is a new printer being released for the cheaper end of the market that can print 50 times faster than the formlabs 2 and suppsedly more accurate. Also able to make certain areas more accurate than other areas.

It would come in handy with c&b if you can make just the occlusal surface and medial and distal contact areas accurate and have the rest of the models just normal print. It will probably save a lot of time.

https://uniz3d.com/tech-specs/
 

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