Before and After SLA Printing : Comparison
Increased opportunity for contracts
24 hour reduction in workflow
Problem
Sean Thompson founded Ashford Orthodontics with the aim of reaching a high level of customer satisfaction and part quality. With sights set on the growing market for orthodontics, Ashford Orthodontics began to look for a quick and reliable solution to being able to accurately and quickly print specialised orthodontic parts.
To begin their digital department, Ashford Orthodontics purchased two Starasys Objet30 3D printers, which are aimed to be used specifically in the orthodontics industry. However, after reaching a suitable level of experience with the workflow of 3D printing, the lab found that their method was incredibly costly and time consuming, bringing doubt to the viability of digitising their production.
Solution
Through the introduction of Formlabs printers into their printing process, Ashford Orthodontics has seen a great reduction in their printing costs and also, in their lead times. Through designing their workflow process to use the night as the only time for printing their parts, the lab is able to have printed parts back to their technicians only 24 hours after scanning. Now, the lab has a fleet of 12 Form 2 SLA printers, with 8 technicians working in the digital department. Additionally, through the use of bringing the process online with Formlabs software, the technicians are able to access model data online, anytime – again improving the workflow and efficiency of Ashford Orthodontics process.
