3D Systems announces largest contract award for clear aligners manufacturing

3D Systems announced its expanded focus and technology roadmap. The portfolio will include solutions for alignment, protection, repair, and replacement of teeth. The company also announced the signing of a multi-year purchase agreement, with a value estimated to approach a quarter-billion dollars through 2028, in support of the indirect manufacturing process for clear aligners. The company said, “The contract builds upon the exceptional legacy the Company has established as a key supplier of 3D printing technology to the clear aligner industry. 3D Systems’ technology today enables the manufacture of roughly one million patient-specific clear aligners per day across this rapidly growing market. The Company believes this milestone orthodontics contract provides a strong foundation upon which to launch the next phase of significant expansion in the dental market, which will include novel technology for the direct printing of clear aligner products. 3D Systems has established itself as a leader in digital dentistry with its optimized workflow designed to drive new levels of speed, productivity, efficiency, and precision while also providing opportunities to improve the patient experience. Powered by 3D Systems’ proprietary Figure 4(R) technology, the NextDent(R) 5100 and NextDent materials provide the foundation of a digital dentistry solution. The platform supports an already broad and growing range of dental applications for lab managers, dental technicians, dental prosthetic technicians, clinical prosthodontists, and orthodontists. Today, this solution enables the production of trays, models, surgical guides, dentures, orthodontic splints, retainers, crowns, and bridges. Building upon the NextDent technologies, the Company is now expanding into new oral applications, such as night guards. Night guards are a rapidly growing market segment driven by the need to prevent damage to teeth from night grinding, an affliction affecting millions of people around the world. Night guards are also increasingly used by physicians for the treatment of sleep apnea and related disorders. The Company expects night guards to become an important element of its dental technology portfolio over the next few years. Earlier this year, 3D Systems showcased the newest application of its additive manufacturing dental technologies with the introduction of a first-to-market solution for multi-material, jetted, one-piece dentures. The Company believes its unique denture solution delivers a durable, long-wear, aesthetically beautiful prosthetic to the patient, enabled by the formulation of bespoke materials for both teeth and gums. The solution has already garnered interest from leading dental labs, including Glidewell, the world’s largest producer of restorative dental devices. 3D Systems anticipates FDA clearance of the solution in the second half of 2024, with rapid commercialization to follow.”