Kulzer’s Pala Design Studio enables dental labs and clinicians to design dentures online using digital Mondial and Mondial i teeth, download the design files, and print the denture, saving time and improving accuracy, the company reports.
According to Kulzer, lab technicians can use the platform to design a denture case in less than 20 minutes, which is a fraction of the time that conventional dentures require. Also, patients only need to visit the dental office twice, while conventional dentures need up to five visits.
The Pala Design Studio generates digital denture designs as STL files, which are the standard format for additive manufacturing technology. Dentures created with the platform are significantly more accurate than those produced conventionally, Kulzer says.
Kulzer’s cara Print 4.0 3-D printer yields smoother, more homogenous surfaces than other 3-D printers, Kulzer says. Its precision in the z-axis and the finely tuned parameters for each material enable the placement of appliances in almost any direction to always achieve the perfect fit, the company says.
According to Kulzer, the Pala Design Studio offers a faster web-based design process with pay-per-download fee structure, a simpler design process, and availability as a diagnostic tool. It also enables users to design multiple cases at the same time.
There is no software to install. Designed for portability, as designs are stored in the cloud and accessible from anywhere. No extra module is needed to use impressions, and no dongle is necessary either.
Design supervisors can have access to all of the designs for a lab from anywhere. Plus, teeth placement is more intuitive, and less manipulation is required after the automatic placement. Also, adjustments are more user-friendly and natural looking, Kulzer says.
Kulzer’s complete digital workflow for denture production includes:
- cara Scan 4.0: A compact and precise model and impression scanner designed to offer an excellent price-performance ratio
- cara Print 4.0: The first 3-D printer for dental practices designed to meet all of their speed and accuracy requirements for polymer-based dental appliances
- cara Print Clean: An automated cleaning system that utilizes an agitated contained volume of isopropyl alcohol to clean excess, uncured, 3-D printing liquid material from 3-D printed parts (coming soon)
- HiLite Power 3D: A high-performance light polymerization curing unit that can be used with all light-curing dental materials
- dima Print Denture Base Materials (four shades): Light-curable resins indicated for fabrication and repair of full and partial removable dentures and baseplates
- dima Print Denture Teeth Materials (six shades): Light-curable resins for fabricating, by additive manufacturing, preformed denture teeth to be used in a denture
While Pala Design Studio initially will be used for 3-D printed denture design, Kulzer says that it eventually will be used for milling dentures, all-on-four design, and splint and night-guard design. It also has the potential to be used in orthodontics, Kulzer says.
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