LightForce Orthodontics, a provider of custom 3D printed orthodontic brackets, has raised $14M in its latest round of Series B funding. The round was led byTyche Partners, with additional investments fromMatrix Partners和Am Ventures。
LightForce’s 3D printing technology is commonly used by orthodontists to producecustom individualized bracesfor patients, resulting in a reduced number of follow-on visits for bracket adjustments. The capital will be used to further develop this technology while scaling LightForce’s operations to meet the increasing demand for orthodontic procedures.
Lightforce的首席执行官兼联合创始人Alfred Griffin博士指出：“去年，我们的业务每季度都翻了一番，这告诉我Lightforce在正畸空间内表明了真正的需求。我们看起来很forward to growing with our investors, partners and the orthodontic community to provide the best experience and outcomes for our patients.”
Weiji Yun, Managing Partner at Tyche Partners, adds: “Alfred and Lou’s inspirational vision offered us an opportunity to expand our 3D-printing investment portfolio and the company’s rapid growth is proof that the industry is primed for a solution that improves the orthodontic experience for patients and doctors alike.”
One size fits all
Despite everyone’s faces, jaws, and teeth being very unique, many of the braces used today follow the age-old ‘one size fits all’ philosophy. The LightForce ethos goes against this, instead enabling mass customization and personalization with patient-specific bracket systems.
选择Lightforce服务的正畸医生将首先向公司发送3D扫描患者的牙齿及其治疗计划。然后，Lightforce将在将相应的支架和托盘内部打印，然后将它们直接发送到练习中。这些零件由3D打印牙齿陶瓷制成，其机械性能几乎与传统注入式支架相同。据报道，Lightforce治疗导致交货时间较短，任命更少，并且总体更有效的经验。
格里芬补充说：“五十年来尚未改变牙套，但迄今为止是最常见的治疗工具；对准器是审美和特定于患者的，但是由于患者的依从性和生物力学限制，它们仅服务于我们今天的一小部分患者。这种帮助患者和正畸医生的机会就是为什么我们将现代3D软件和大规模定制应用于我们今天所知道的牙套的原因。”
牙科部门的3D打印
The dental industry has benefited greatly from advancements in 3D printing technology, with implants and restorations becoming more common year-on-year. To facilitate this rising demand, specialist dental resins are required.
早些时候，7月，SLA 3D printer manufacturerFormlabsannounced the release ofsix new resins，其中三个专门针对牙科专业人员。第一个树脂牙齿LT Clear V2非常适合长期夹板和咬合护罩，而第二个树脂定制托盘树脂则是为定制印象托盘而设计的。最后的树脂临时CB树脂专门用于生产持久持续12个月的耐用七单元桥和其他较小的临时修复体。
在瑞士的其他地方Saremco Dental AGpreviously released a proprietary photopolymer resin for 3D printed permanent restorations such as crowns, inlays, onlays, and veneers. Prior to its release, theCROWNTEC resinwas subjected to extensive testing at the苏黎世大学，揭示了年轻的模量为4.5GPA，平均负载力为1479n。
The 4th annual 3D Printing Industry Awards are coming up in November 2020 and we need a trophy. To be in with a chance of winning a brand newCraftbot Flow IDEX XL3D printer,enter the MyMiniFactory trophy design competition here。我们很乐意接受提交，直到2020年9月30日。
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特色图像显示了一个3D打印的Lightforce粘合托盘。通过Lightforce的照片。
