Detailed Instructions for Use "IFU" for printing aligners with DLP & LCD printers

3Dresyns detailed IFU, calibration files, and protocols are ideal for direct printing of aligners with DLP & LCD printers.

Standard settings for printing durable 3D resins with SLA, DLP, and LCD printers:

  • Z layers of 50-100 microns
  • Exposure time for 50-100 microns layers are around 8-12 seconds* approximately for most DLP & LCD printers
  • Typically, 2-3 adhesion layers at 90 seconds* are enough for having good cure and adhesion on the build platform
    • Depending on the power of your printer, the optimum exposure times will increase or decrease
  • Light off delay 2 seconds
  • Lift distance 10 mm
  • Lift Speed medium value of your scale
  • Retract speed medium value of your scale

Features:

  • low-cost printers with prices from 200 to 2000 Euro can be used with our 3Dresyns and are ideal for short-medium runs
  • commercial SLA, DLP & LCD printers can be used without any modifications with our Low Viscosity LV versions
  • during ordering you will have the option of choosing Low Viscosity LV or High Viscosity HV versions for our 3D resins for printing aligners
    • our LV versions are ready to print at room temperature in most SLA, DLP & LCD printers. They exhibit higher mechanical properties than most competitors´ resins
    • our HV versions are ready to print at high temperature (25-35ºC) in most SLA, DLP & LCD printers. They exhibit higher mechanical properties than LV versions. They can be heated to 35ºC in an oven before printing.
      • The heat generated by the printer will keep their viscosity low enough for printing. Alternatively, a heater can be installed in any printer to print at constant printing tremerature and ensure improved resin flow and reduced stickiness and peeling or separation force during printing
  • both versions are ultra safe, do not contain any Volatile Organic Compounds VOC´s and exhibit ultra-high mechanical performance

Affordable professional heating systems can be easily installed in any printer for less than 50 Euro:

  • Heater: A small 300 W heater with fan with a 6x6 cm is enough for heating fast most printers up to 50ºC or higher. This unit can be installed anywhere, behind the resin tank, on the platform inside the cover, thanks to its reduced size: 
  • Mini heaters are ideal for heating small printers
  • Temperature controller: a temperature controller is ideal for keeping constant the temperature inside the printer chamber. The temperature sensor probe can be located in a corner inside the resin tank to ensure that the temperature of the resin is kept constant during printing

Biocompatibility requirements

  • Biocompatible and food contact applications require maximum control of printing, postcuring and post processing settings to ensure maximum safety for final users. Nowadays, only some printers are calibrated or can be calibrated to print with constant light power over time. Order a light meter, such as the Chitu Systems Digital UV Light Meter.  3Dresyns has chosen this model due to its affordability and realibility since its spectral range of 402-407 nm

Optimisation of your 3D printer

  • Installation of a heating unit for printing at constant temperature. A small heating fan and a temperature controller needs to be installed in the printer. The temperature probe can be located inside the resin tank in a corner to ensure that the temperature of 3D resin is kept constant during printing. The use of a heating unit permits printing viscous 3D resins, which are normally safer and exhibit superior mechanical properties.
  • A radiometer is required to measure the light power across the vat. Take the readings in the centre, sides, and corners of the printer to evaluate the light power distribution across the printable area.
  • A radiometer is required to measure the light power of your light box. Take the readings in the centre, sides, and corners of the light box to evaluate the light power distribution across the light box.

Printing

  • Most of our 3Dresyns are photopolymer or light-curing resins which have been designed for SLA, DLP, LCD and Inkjet printers working with lights from 200 to 420 nm and higher upon request, including wavelengths at 385 and 405 nm.

Select your z layer thickness, or the thickness of each printed layer, typically between 50-100 microns for high resolution printing.

Select your printing settings. How to choose the optimum exposure times?

  • Follow our Detailed Instructions for Use. Measure the cure thickness vs exposure time, or order the curing rate table for your specific printer specs:
    • The ordered curing rate table can be much more accurately measured after sharing your exact printer power since this will permit the 3Dresyns team to measure the curing rate table of your ordered 3D resins with the same power as yours, since we will match your light power (light power matching) for fast & easy finding your optimum printing settings
    • It is crucial that the following Curing Rate Table is filled up by us (40 Euro cost) or by you you for getting the exposure times of the chosen 3D resin in your printer since the optimum exposure time needed for curing the 3D resin depends on the amount of light power available across the vat, which varies from printer to printer, and in your printer depending on its cumulative working hours, since any light source, suffer a natural power decay upon time.

Follow our recommendations for printing aligners 

Cleaning and processing of 3D printed aligners:

General Information:

  • The final physical and mechanical properties of any 3D printed material depend, among other things, on the printer specifications, printing settings, and post processing protocol. Results depend on few variables such as wavelength, power, exposure time, cleansing protocol (chemicals used for cleansing, cleansing time, cleansing temperature, etc) and light post-processing or light box curing (wavelength, power, post curing time, temperature, dry light box post curing, or dipping in our Cleaning Fluid UNW1 Bio or UNW2 Bio, etc).

 

Detailed Instructions for Use for printing of orthodontic aligners with our 3D resins with affordable SLA DLP & LCD printers

Features:

  • ideal for direct printing of tooth movement aligners without damaging the periodontal ligament
  • based on 4D Shape Memory Polymers SMP´s, with excellent shape memory with temperature, recovering their shape upon heating
  • fast and easy printing and production of durable aligners with different thickness, in the same aligner, for optimum tooth movement control, with cost effective SLA, DLP & LCD printers
  • ready to use without tuning with fast printing speed and maximum resolution with most SLA, DLP & LCD printers
  • environmentally friendly, biodegradable 3D bio resins "bioplastics"
  • avoid printing non environmentally friendly models and the time consuming thermoforming and cutting off of disks
  • printing at room temperature at and high printing temperature for improved performance: higher aligner durability
  • availability of 2 versions for printers working at relatively low, and high temperature:
  • available in rigid and flexible versions for maximum control of teeth movement at different aligners thicknesses between 0.5-1.2 mm to prevent damaging the periodontal ligament
  • all versions have incredible mechanical resistance and very low stress relaxation during its usage. If your room is below 25ºC, choose the Low Viscosity version
  • each version can be supplied at relatively low or high viscosity. Remember to select your 3D resin version among relatively low viscosity LV or high viscosity HV:
    • HV stands for High Viscosity version for increased mechanical properties and biocompatibility but higher peeling force. HV versions are ideal for printers having heating systems for printing at >25ºC
    • LV stands for Low Viscosity version for decreased peeling force but relatively lower mechanical properties. LV versions are ideal for printers without any heating systems for printing at <25ºC
  • remember to select your fast, intermediate or slow printing speed 3D resin version
    • version F for Fast printing speed with minor yellowing
    • version I for Intermediate printing speed
    • version S-Slow for improved resolution, non yellowing and maximum biocompatibility
  • aligners printed and processed as per ours instructions do not become hazy, yellowish nor whitish as most competitors´ resins. Read our Instructions or Use IFU

Specific recommendations for printing aligners

Printing instructions:

  • start printing aligners with 3Dresyn OD Clear TF LTP Rigid or Flexible with Low Viscosity LV version since this version is the best for starters, for printing thin aligners at 0.6-0.8 mm with affordable SLA DLP & LCD printers without any heating system
    • High Viscosity HV versions have improved mechanical strength but require printing aligners at 30-35ºC. Recommended cost effective heating systems
    • Low Viscosity LV versions require printing temperatures around 25ºC. It is recommended to warm LV versions to around 35ºC before printing
  • any LCD printer, even the low cost ones with prices of 100-200 Euro can be used for printing our resins with excellent mechanical performance, light fastness (non-yellowing), and dimensional accuracy

Printing instructions:

  • start printing aligners with 3Dresyn OD Clear TF LTP Rigid or Flexible with Low Viscosity LV version since this version is the best for starters, for printing thin aligners at 0.6-0.8 mm with affordable SLA DLP & LCD printers without any heating system:
    • versions have improved mechanical strength but require printing aligners at 30-35ºC. Recommended cost effective heating systems
    • Low Viscosity LV versions require printing temperatures around 25ºC. It is recommended to warm LV versions to around 35ºC before printing
  • any reliable DLP or LCD printer can be used for printing our resins with excellent mechanical performance, light fastness (non-yellowing), dimensional accuracy, and safety presuming its natural power decay monitored, controlled, and prevented.

    Specific Instructions For Use IFU for printing aligners:

    • it is recommended printing aligners vertically without any supports with 100 microns z layers for faster printing speed of 90-120 minutes vs 150-180 minutes needed with 50 micron z layers
    • typical printing settings for most printers: 2-4 adhesion layers of 80 seconds, and std layers of 5-10-15 seconds with z layers of 50-100 microns
      • with 5-10 seconds increased transparency and light fastness (non-yellowing) is obtained vs 10-15 seconds
    • warm the resin initially to around 30-35ºC before printing to reduce viscosity with non-heated printers
    • follow our post processing instructions without any corner cutting for making ultra safe clear aligners without any stickiness, haziness, and yellowing

    Printing hints for producing clear aligners without any yellowing 

    • reduce printing exposure time as much as possible preserving printability (reduce also power if your printer permits it) to reduce yellowing
      • facts: aligners printed at 8 seconds with 100 micron z layers with SLA DLP and LCD printers, with light powers at 405 nm, exhibit superior light fastness and non-yellowing vs longer exposure times of 12-15 seconds per z layer. Exact times depend on the relative power of each printer which depends on the specific model and printer supplier  

    Post processing equipment:

    • a light box needs to be used for light postcuring of 3D printed aligners: 
      • light boxes with too high power with too long postcuring time can cause some yellowing and decrease of mechanical strength "embrittlement" due to over curing
      • light boxes with too low power even with long postcuring time can leave prints with excessive residual uncured monomer and bitter taste due to under curing
        • low cost wash & cure machines can be used for cleaning and light postcuring printed aligners presuming its power output and its natural power decay monitored, controlled, and prevented.   
      • a thermal oven (optional)

    Cleaning of aligners

    Prints of aligners become hazy or whitish when they are cleaned with isopropanol, ethanol or even with our milder Cleaning Fluid Bio. The use of alcohols also reduce significantly the mechanical properties of printed aligners, weakening and making them brittle. Learn more: Comparison of different methods for cleaning and post processing 3D printed resins

    Fortunately, our 3D resins for printing aligners have been designed to withstand high cleansing temperature (100ºC) for 20-40 minutes and longer without compromising their mechanical strength and clarity, when used as per our instructions:

    Note: Aligners will not be ready for use until maximum polymer conversion and full cleansing are achieved. Aligners should be tasteless and free of extractables and leachables before usage.

    The safety and biocompatibility of "in house" printed aligners are responsibility of the aligner manufacturer since quality and safety depend on the design, implementation, quality assurance and production "in house" with the right printing and postprocessing equipment, protocols, and quality controls.   

    3D printed aligners fall within the scope of specific EU product legislation, such as the EU Medical Device Regulation MDR 2017/745. Therefore, manufacturers of aligners must ensure that their 3D printed products meet the requirements of the applicable EU legislation, carry out the necessary conformity assessment procedures, compose a technical file, draft the EU declaration of conformity and affix the CE marking, before placing them on the EU market.

    For more information read: Responsibilities of manufacturers of 3D resins for medical uses

    The picture shown above is of clear 3D printed aligner, without any yellowing, printed at 100 microns z layers in less than 2 hours in a low cost, 200 Euro, monochrome Anycubic MLCD printer.
    Design aligners directly with Maestro, Blue Sky Bio, or other aligner software.
    For more info read: Frequently Asked Questions about 3D printed biomedical and dental resins

    Consulting

    You are welcome to contact us and order more products and services by email at: info@3dresyns.com