Dental Asia May/June 2018

Dental Profile
Video monitor shroud 3D printed in 3D Systems’ DuraForm ® ProX ® FR1200
nylon material – signicantly lighter weight as compared to traditional
manufacturing processes.
3D Systems’ 3D printing technology enables production of the largest
number of orthodontic aligners in the world.
An eye wash cup, the rst 3D printed part ever produced, was created by
Mr. Chuck Hull in 1983.
Unlimited opportunities and application of 3D printing
Right from the start, Mr. Hull imagined that 3D printing would
signicantly change design and manufacturing as the world knew
it. But he confessed that he didn’t anticipate the profound impact
3D technology would have in people’s lives. He is both humbled
and exhilarated to be a part of this incredible transformation
and innovation.
“When we rst started 3D printing all those years ago, I didn’t
expect it to become mainstream for a long time. I still can’t
believe that it is still in motion today. We’ve seen an increase
in adaptation of the technology for prototyping but now the
industry is heading into the realm of production,” explained
Mr. Hull.
Nowadays, manufacturers are incorporating 3D printing
into their workows, producing tremendous benets through
improvement of productivity, accuracy, and repeatability – all
while lowering the cost of operation. As such, industries from
healthcare to automotive – even aerospace, have all made
advancements by using 3D printing and it appears they will
continue to do so.
During the Lab Day at the Midwinter’s Dental Meeting
i n C h i c a g o i n F e b r u a r y , D e n t a l A s i a ’ s P u b l i c a t i o n D i r e c t o r
Ms. Jamie Tan had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Vyomesh Joshi
(President & CEO) and Mr. Rik Jacobs (VP, General Manager Dental)
of 3D Systems and talk about the benets the dental market is
seeing from adopting 3D printing and launching new products
from the company.
Overcoming obstacles
Mr. Hull shared that at rst no one knew what 3D printing was or
why anyone would need it. He said it was dicult to get started,
to raise capital and to begin a new enterprise in an entirely
new eld.
“The early work was pioneering with the hope and expectation
it would then have value. Fortunately, the U.S. automotive
industry embraced the technology to help speed up and to help
reduce the cost of designing new automobiles,” he narrated.
Eventually, the aerospace industry took on the innovation,
followed by companies in general manufacturing. Mr. Hull
admits being tremendously grateful to these early adopters of
3D printing which drove the technology forward.
After overcoming the hurdles and finally establishing
3D printing in the manufacturing industry, Mr. Hull was
i n d u c t e d i n t o t h e N a t i o n a l I n v e n t o r s H a l l o f F a m e a t t h e
U.S. Patent Oce in 2014. He also received the European Inventor
Award for Non-European countries in the same year.
3D printing in the dental industry
3D Systems, founded in 1986, eventually evolved into a global
leader in the 3D printing industry. Looking back, perhaps
the rst major success of 3D printing in the dental industry
resulted from a collaboration between 3D Systems and a major
orthodontic aligner company to develop and implement the
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DENTAL ASIA
MAY / JUNE 2018