Formlabs' Educational Platform Aims to Advance Dental 3D Printing

Formlabs’ Dental Academy educational platform, Formlabs is dedicated to advancing 3D printing in dentistry with online and in-person courses, step-by-step guides, webinars and more. The platform includes free and paid courses designed to enable dental professionals — such as dental lab technicians, orthodontists and clinicians — to learn and successfully implement 3D printing technology in their businesses.

Implementing 3D printing into a dental treatment plan is said to benefit practitioners by enabling more efficient workflows and less downtime. At the same time, it provides patients with access to personalized yet affordable solutions, such as custom dental models, crowns, dentures, implants and more. Formlabs Dental says it has worked closely with those in the dental industry to deliver accessible 3D printing solutions and materials.

While Formlabs users have printed more than 25 million dental parts, ranging from models to surgical guides, Formlabs Dental identified a gap in 3D printing education in the field, slowing further adoption of the technology. To address this gap, Formlabs created Dental Academy as a free resource for dental professionals to unlock these benefits with comprehensive training and educational content on 3D printing’s uses and benefits, dental applications and materials.

“Formlabs Dental delivers 3D printers, materials and workflows to meet dental industry needs and support efficient, affordable personalized care and improved patient outcomes,” says Philipp Striebe, global dental marketing manager at Formlabs. “Formlabs Dental Academy is the next step toward empowering the industry to capture those benefits by growing professionals’ skillset, knowledge and businesses with 3D printing.”

To develop the curriculum that supports undergraduate, postgraduate and higher education, Formlabs is collaborating with industry leaders, educators and educational institutions, such as universities, private centers and more. London Dental Institute, SWECADD and Capacitación Pérez Giugovaz are some of those involved in the platform.

The platform includes a variety of courses with subject matter to suit a range of participants’ knowledge, providing both online and in-person instruction in Formlabs’ Boston, Berlin and Budapest offices as well as private educational centers.

Dental Academy will continue to evolve as new content becomes available. Focus areas include an introduction to stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing and its use for orthodontic and restorative applications, digital dentistry benefits, training on technology basics, materials and implementation strategies within the clinic and lab. Courses will be available in English, Spanish, Swedish and German.

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• Read how using 3D scan technology and resin-based 3D printers is helping Spectrum Dental Printing change the way dental devices are made — and potentially, how dentistry happens.
• Go inside a dental lab and learn how 3D printing is disrupting the way dental devices are being made. Check out The Cool Parts Show #10.