I have a question regarding to biocampatablility when a product is made (assumed well and properly cured) using dental resin. does it mean it is safe that animals chew on and possibly ingest some? there were some thoughts to use the printed models to use in animal research but obviously some concerns there with health safety. I understand lots of dental models are produced and used for dental works, but do people directly wear 3d printed retainers? (I’m just curious for it). can you provide some information about it? that would be greatly appreciated.
You can look up the biocompatibility data for the resins Formlabs produces under the “technical details” tabs:
I’m not sure what kind of animal research you are conducting and exactly the use of the printed object you are considering. These uses and your risk mitigation process would typically drive the specific testing you may need to conduct (or verify using the manufacturer’s master file). If you are using a GMP facility this will no doubt come up during your protocol review process.
People do directly wear 3D printed retainers. The retainers provided by Invisalign are printed (you can see the layer lines on them if you look closely). Prolonged contact is different than ingestion or implantation so you might need to dig a bit more into the biocompatibility tests they have conducted for the resin to see if it will meet your needs.
All that said, I probably wouldn’t give my pet a 3D printed toy from the dental resin. I might print a mold for a toy and cast from a known-safe material, though…