I have been printing dental arches for in-house aligners and retainers since 2017. Started with one Form 2, and quickly added another one to keep workflow from backing up. I then added a Form 3 to the mix about 4 years ago, and it became my go-to printer because of less maintenance (I hate cleaning the mirrors in Form 2) and better speed. I do not print splints, restorative dental models, dentures, surgical guides, or any other resin that would be biologically approved for intraoral use.
I bought a Form 4 a year ago, and wanted to share my experience with other dentists. A phrase to summarize my experience…:”Ain’t no going back!” (If you aren’t from Dixieland, maybe AI can translate that for you). The Form 4 is now my main printer. Still use the Form 3, but less often. The Form 2s will be buried in the landfill, unfortunately, along with dozens of my outdated computers.
I was happy with my Form 3 and two Form 2s, but I bit on purchasing the Form 4 based on 1) the promise of significant reduction in print time; 2) the lower cost of resin cartridges. I did a little math, and determined the reduction of resin costs would pay for the Form 4 in a couple of years.
I print solid models flat on the platform. I use Gray V5 with the Form 4, Gray V4 with the Form 3 (which I still use in my satellite office). I tried Fast Model resin a few years ago, but reverted to Gray V4 because the models were less brittle (I give patients their retainer models for replacement retainers down the road; Fast Model resin prints were brittle and would often break if the patient dropped them. It takes a hammer to break solid Gray models). I print at 160 microns on the Form 3 (for reduced print time), and 100 microns on the Form 4.
The Form 4 speed and quality far surpasses the Form 3. To print 8 models on Form 3 typically takes 3.5-4 hours. The Form 4 can print 10-11 models at less than 1 hour. The surface finish for the models is beautiful, a noticeable improvement from Form 3 models (at 160 microns). The surface finish difference doesn’t matter clinically, but I like the better esthetics none the less.
Post-processing note – Being a tightwad, I use the manual alcohol buckets, dry the models on a cheap cardboard lunch tray in front of a cheap fan, then finish them in a MelodySusie nail lamp ($35 on Amazon) for 30 minutes. All my staff know how to do each step of the post-processing, so workflow is no issue.
Clinical note – I print solid models because of the strength factor, and because solid works better on my low-tech thermoplastic vacuum machine. Hollowed models would save more money in resin costs. Print times on the Form 4 won’t significantly lower.
I have now printed 50 resin cartridge worth of prints with the Form 4. I am more than halfway there in paying for the machine based on reduced resin costs. Have nothing but superb experiences with the Form 4.
I hope my experience helps other dentists who are considering the purchase of a Form 4.