3D Print Hard Splints on the Form 2 in Less Than 50 Minutes

Formlabs has quickly established itself as the premier authority on digital dentistry since entering the market in 2016. We now command the largest dental 3D printer user base, have sold thousands of printers to dental professionals, and are growing at a pace of over 600 percent year on year.

Practitioners have performed over 50,000 surgeries with Formlabs-printed surgical guides—and that’s just 10 percent of what dental users are doing with our printers. All of this has catalyzed an industry-wide shift to 3D printing and digital dentistry.

Today, we’re proud to announce the release of Dental LT Clear, the first long-term biocompatible resin in desktop 3D printing for manufacturing splints, retainers, and other direct-printed orthodontic devices.

With the fastest printing time of any Formlabs material to date, the Form 2 can now 3D print a splint in less than 50 minutes, and a full build platform with up to seven splints in under two hours. We’ve also released updates to our Dental SG Resin and PreForm software that improve print speeds for surgical guides by up to 50 percent.

Read on to learn more about the range of applications, workflow, and accuracy of the new resin. Ready to order Dental LT Clear now? Visit the store; cartridges are now shipping.

Order Dental LT Clear Now

A Biocompatible Resin for Long-Term Orthodontic Applications

Dental LT Clear Resin is a Class IIa long-term biocompatible resin with high resistance to fracture and wear that is ideal for dental splints, retainers, and other direct-printed long-term orthodontic devices. This clear material polishes to high optical transparency for beautiful final products.

Dental LT ecosystem

As a rigid material, Dental LT Clear is most appropriate for printing hard splints. The best method for soft or hard-soft splints is to print the model and thermoform.

Dental LT Clear Material Properties

PropertyValueMethod
Flexural StrengthNo breakISO 20795-2:2013
Flexural Modulus≥ 1.300 MPaISO 20795-2:2013
Shore Hardness80–90DISO 868:2003

Download our application guide for detailed workflow instructions that ensure precise results and optimal mechanical properties, and conform with biocompatibility requirements.

High Accuracy for Precise Fit

Accuracy heat map

An in-depth accuracy study of 80 Dental LT Clear printed splints showed that intaglio surfaces of Form 2 printed splints were dimensionally accurate within ± 100 microns over 80 percent of the intaglio surfaces, and within ± 125 microns over 90 percent of the surfaces. This was found to provide a precise fit on both models and patients.

Higher Productivity with Lower Costs

Dental labs and practices use 3D printing for production, so it’s essential to consider throughput and cost per part. Traditional methods of manufacturing occlusal splints all have considerable drawbacks; casted splints have a lengthy, labor-intensive workflow, milled splints require expensive machinery and materials, while making splints intraorally not only takes up valuable chairside time, but is highly uncomfortable for the patient.

Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing dramatically lowers the lead time for high-quality finished splints, for a fraction of the cost. The Form 2’s large build volume matched with our fastest material to date means that dental professionals can now 3D print a splint in less than 50 minutes, and a full build platform with up to seven splints in under two hours–all at a mere $4–6 per splint.

With the latest PreForm software update, Form 2 3D printer users can also benefit from speed improvements in Formlabs’ Dental SG Resin. Single surgical guide prints will now be 50 percent faster, while full builds benefit from a 20 percent speed boost.

Splints and RetainersFull Arch Surgical GuidesQuarter Arch Surgical Guides
Parts per build7 splints12 guides18 guides
Time1 splint / 50 minutes
7 splints / 2 hours
1 guide / 1.5 hours
8 guides / 7 hours
1 guide / 1.5 hours
18 guides / 4.5 hours
Cost per part$4–6 / splint$3–5 / guide$2–3 / guide

A full build platform with up to seven splints in under two hours–all at a mere $4–6 per splint.

“We couldn’t be more excited by how quickly 3D printing is becoming part of the standard of care in dentistry,” said Gideon Balloch, Dental Product Lead at Formlabs. “Dental LT Clear adds yet another digital workflow to a library that offers professionals more efficient, accurate, and affordable production methods, enabling faster treatments for patients with better clinical outcomes. It’s only going to continue to grow.”

Try Dental LT Clear Now

Order Dental LT Clear directly from our store or contact our in-house experts for more information. Or, if you’d like to get a feel for this new resin first, request a complimentary sample part.


Request Sample Part

Request a Sample Part