Graphy是韩国3D可打印光聚合物树脂的制造商，它开发了牙科3D打印材料品牌Tera Harz，目的是克服牙科部门当前使用的其他3D可打印材料所施加的限制。图形首席执行官Unseob Sim说：“迄今为止，Graphy的先进技术吸引了1500万美元的投资。”
Founded in 2017, Graphy has wonnumerous awardsandregistered several patentsfor its technology, which seeks to improve the safety and mass production of new materials for the 3D printing dental market. Having previously released its customizable S Plastic 3D printer UV Resin range for牙齿模型和手术指导, the firm is now looking to further improve the technical performance of 3D printable dental materials with its Tera Harz brand for clear aligners.
随着3D打印牙齿假体和对准器的技术和材料的改善，the potential applications越来越宽。3D打印已由several firms operating within the dental sectoras a means of increasing the accessibility and affordability of orthodontic care. According to last year’s U.S. National Health and Examination Survey,65% of Americans could benefit from orthodontic treatment, but many never receive it due to cost and accessibility barriers.
High strength and elasticity with Tera Harz
图形的Tera Harz光能树脂展示了灵活性和耐热功能，已经用两个碳骨架进行了设计，其中一种是复合且柔软的，而另一种则使用Graphy's技术在高温下硬化。这种复合技术发生在最初的原材料阶段，使材料的分子公式得到控制，因此可以自定义特定的客户需求材料。
这些可控元素中包括Tera Harz材料的厚度，可以免费制造到3D打印优化和定制的正畸电器和牙齿假体。Tera Harz与热水接触时被认为是一种经济友好的材料，可以恢复其形状，并且可以对从与生物兼容的材料印刷的牙科电器进行消毒。
Graphy's Tera Harz已获得CE，FDA和KFDA医疗设备认证，可提供Clear（TC-85DAC）或White（TC-85DAW）。透明的Tera Harz材料是完全透明的，并且具有适合正畸治疗装置应用的高耐用性。同时，白色Tera Harz材料强调美学以及耐用性。图形还可以根据其业务合作伙伴的要求提供定制的颜色。
用Tera Harz印刷的牙科假肢
Graphy's材料已针对正畸设备的3D打印（例如清晰的对准器，柔性义齿和皇冠）进行了优化。据该公司称，3D打印来自Tera Harz的清晰对准器可能需要一小时的时间，而通过传统技术制造的对准器可能需要一到两周的生产。制造运营和成本也会简化，因为与Tera Harz打印时无需胶卷或真空形成过程。
According to Graphy, its Tera Harz material could make one-day orthodontic treatment a possibility for patients, while enabling dental laboratories to produce large volumes of products with minimal factory investment. Dental experts could also see better orthodontic treatment results through being able to control the aligner’s material strength and elasticity through 3D software, and then immediately print the custom-designed aligner while the customer waits.
Tera Harz materials can also be engineered for the manufacture of 3D printable permanent crown and bridge prosthetics, namely TC-80DP. TC-80DP boasts 360Mpa in the Bi-axial Flexural Strength Test (ISO 6872) and can replace existing dental materials such as Zirconia in producing customizable permanent dental prostheses. The material is currently undergoing clinical trials, with its effectiveness having already been proved in several clinical cases worldwide, Graphy claims.
Also included in the Tera Harz range is TFD-26, which is designed to overcome the limitations of complex and laborious conventional production processes used to manufacture flexible dentures. According to Graphy, TFD-26 is the “world’s first” 3D printable biocompatible, flexible denture material, exhibiting higher elasticity, flexure strength, and elongation than conventional thermoforming resin.
The material enables the design and printing of flexible dentures based on 3D scans, which can be combined with teeth dentures made from TC-80DP using Graphy resins. These resins chemically bond the denture base and denture teeth – as opposed to mechanical bonding processes used in conventional flexible dentures – in order to prevent the artificial teeth from splitting apart from the base.
Having successfully commercialized its Tera Harz photopolymer resins for 3D printing clear aligners and permanent tooth dentures,Graphywill continue to focus on its research and development (R&D) efforts within the development of further 3D printable materials for the dental sector, in addition to attempting to overcome limitations surrounding the current processes of 3D printing dental prostheses, denture bases, denture models, and surgical guides.
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Featured image shows dental aligners 3D printed with Graphy’s Tera Harz material. Image via Graphy.
