Michigan Splints Ready to Print in 24 Hours

 

I got an email from PlaniLink last week and I thought I'd pass the contents of it along to all of you.  If you've spent anytime at all reading my blog, then you've got to know that I'm a big fan of 3D printing.  If you're a new reader, let me tell you... I'm a big fan of 3D printing.

I've been working with this stuff for a while and it just keeps getting better.  We can now deliver high quality appliances with amazing accuracy of fit much, much faster by doing them in-office than by sending them out to be fabricated.

Of course, a lot of offices are busy and I've gotten feedback from people who say, "We're too busy to jump in and do something brand new.  We just don't have the time right now to learn."  I want to say that I understand that.  Even though I'm a tinkerer by nature, sometimes I don't have a lot of time either.  But that's where PlaniLink comes in.

There has been tremendous market expansion of digital laboratories in the last few years.  If you search Google for "digital dental lab", the results will amaze you.  The basic idea is that all the dental office has to do is scan the patient.  When a digital lab receives that intraoral scan, they will design the case and send the completed design file back to the office.  Once the file is back to the office it can be printed in-house.  It's a great idea because it removes the burden of design from the office.

Here's what I recommend for busy offices getting into 3D printing.  If you have a busy schedule, partner with a digital lab like PlaniLink.  Let them do the design work for you.  That gives a busy office a chance to easily work 3D printing into your workflow.  All you have to do is print the project and polish it.

As you move forward, you can tinker with the design software and learn how to do it yourself.  That way you don't have the burden of having to do it all yourself and do it perfectly.  It lets you ease into the design process while getting to learn how to use the printer.  You can even send a case to the lab, design the same case yourself, and then compare the two results to see if there are ways to improve.  It's a win-win since you don't have the pressure of doing it all yourself.

Disclaimer:  I have not personally used PlaniLink as of the date of this post.

Here's the text of the short email from PlaniLink:

At PlaniLink, we deliver your Michigan splint STL files in under 24 hours—ready to print at your practice. With our end-to-end digital workflow, you won’t wait on external labs or spend time on chairside corrections: the splints seat accurately on the first try. No shipping and no traditional impressions—real savings and full control of your schedule.

• STL delivered in under 24 hours
• Up to 70% savings per case
• Less dependence on external labs
• Expert clinical planning, hassle-free