XJet helps Straumann Group to advance production on Carmel 1400 ceramic AM machine
August 10, 2020
XJet Ltd., Rehovot, Israel, reports that it will be collaborating with the dental equipment and supplies specialist Straumann Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, to advance production on the Carmel 1400 ceramic AM machine.
Straumann develops, manufactures, and supplies dental implants, instruments, biomaterials, CADCAM prosthetics, digital equipment, software, and clear aligners for applications in replacement, restorative, orthodontic and preventive dentistry. Despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Straumann reports that it has been able to keep its XJet Carmel 1400 AM machine running throughout.
“We’ve been working with XJet NanoParticle Jetting technology for some time, up to now it has been used for developing product iterations and providing proof of concept,” stated Stephan Oehler, Straumann Group VP. “Now we’re scoring the first product development project to reach the next level of bringing this technology to production of ceramic end-use parts. We believe this technology can scale-up for production effectively, there’s a large print bed and with the soluble support material we find post-processing simple and efficient.”
Straumann was an early adopter of ceramic Additive Manufacturing and was reportedly one of the first companies to invest in XJet NPJ technology. According to Oehler, Straumann was won over by the technology because of the accuracy of parts, shorter overall production cycles and the soluble support material that allows ease-of-use.
Philippe Chavanne, Head of New Technology Competence Center, Straumann Group, commented, “We work with ceramic in a lot of our products, so when we learned there was a new technology in the field, we looked into it. XJet convinced us with the quality of parts, the fine details and accuracy. In addition to that, the density of the material is extremely high, close to 100%, so it’s not like working with an ‘AM material’.”
“We’re well-versed with the benefits of AM, so we knew that the freedom of design and complex geometries delivered by the technology, now for ceramic materials, could open up new product and application possibilities for the business,” he continued.
“We were very impressed with the outstanding dedication and support provided by the XJet team, particularly Avi Cohen, vice president, Healthcare and Education, who supported us in this collaboration from the very first moment.”
Oehler added, “There’s already a demand for the ceramic parts produced on the Carmel 1400, and social distancing is viable because operation of the system is very simple, so we’ve been able to keep the system running even through the global pandemic.”
Dror Danai, XJet CBO, noted, “It’s incredible working with global leaders such as Straumann who are passionate and innovative about the products and services they provide. Working with them to move into production parts is hugely motivating and we’re delighted to see our partnership go from strength to strength.”