Dental Asia March/April 2023

DENTAL PROFILE
At this time, business people were
very clever, they created a marketing
word called “3D printing”. The idea was
that people would easily understand
this term — “3D” meant a solid, not
just a flat shape; and “printer”, rather
than “machine”, was a familiar term.
Everyone knew how to set it up and
how to use it. People would therefore
think that 3D printing was something
easy to use, and would be easy to
create something. Since then, many
new printers have been designed and
sold. The most different element of 3D
printing today is engineering. There is
new technology and components for
the manufacturer to come up with —
they can make the components more
efficient and reliable — but 3D printing
remains, in essence, the same.
What can you share about AI
integration?
Wu: In 3D printing, a lot of knowledge
must be gained, such as model design,
software, set-up and orientation, and
post-processing. Users need to ensure
that each detail runs smoothly to get a
good result. Otherwise, they will have
a problem with the final output. So,
we try to minimise the learning curve
by incorporating AI. For instance, the
slicing software. If the users don’t
know how to orient the model or build
supports, the printer can still print, but
the result will have problems. So rather
than spend a lot of time educating them
on using the technology, we integrate AI.
For them, 3D printing is a tool. If it is too
complicated, they don’t want to try it.
What is your outlook on 3D printing in
the coming years?
Wu: I would say that 3D printing will
not see remarkable changes in the next
few years, but in the future, there will
be more and more areas in which 3D
printing can be used. And the key is
the material. If more materials come
out, which are at a lower cost and with
better material performance that can
compete with the current manufacturing
process, then 3D printing can be applied
in more fields. The resin is the key,
especially in dental applications, where
the final product goes into the patient’s
mouth. You want to make sure it will
not damage your health — there are lots
of certifications to make sure that it
will not harm the human body. The
resin development is therefore more
important than the machine.
To have a suitable dental product
from 3D printing, we have to handle
three things: machine, material and
software. Usually, the CEO or the
CTO will think of something more
high-end. But I feel that I cannot just
develop a product that I want, because
everything starts with the customer.
You can develop an excellent product,
but if many don’t need this kind of
product and the market doesn’t accept
it, then it’s nothing for the company.
There is no best technology, only the
most suitable. New technology does
not always equal the best. DA
24 DENTAL ASIA MARCH / APRIL 2023