You will have noticed that dental 3D printers prices vary drastically. Some might be as cheap as $250 and others will cost the same as a luxurious family car. But how do you make the right choice for yourself? To answer that questions, you first need to consider THREE essential aspects:

1. Dental applications or DIY Baby Yodas? Why do you need a 3D printer?

If your answer is “my kids really love Baby Yoda and I want to print them some cute figurines”, then your printing system does not need to meet the same requirements as that of a dental professional. No one wants imprecise 3D printed dentures or crowns. When it comes to dental health, 3D printing accuracy is essential to maximize your patients’ comfort.

Dental 3D prints require not just consistently high-quality printing results, but also an entire easily accessible ecosystem that offers them an all round solution –  ranging from technical support and training during the set-up to continued supply of necessary consumables, such as resins or components –  because in business time is literally money.

2. Do I love DIY tech projects or do I want reliable customer support?

Cheap printers are often like DIY projects – bought online, assembled by the user, and with no prior parameter settings. Questions that arise after the delivery are up to the user –

If this sounds like fun, then go for it!

But not everyone has that magic touch when it comes to technology. Specialized dental 3D printers offer pre-established parameters allowing dental professionals to print a perfect crown within minutes of setting up the printer. 3D printed aligners and retainers are here to revolutionize dentistry. And should there be a problem, then the distributor and customer support are by your side every step of the way. But this extra service comes with a price tag! 

Lastly, it’s a matter of time – any 3D printer and its components experiences wear and tear over time, but high-quality printers come with longer warranty periods (Ackuretta offers up to 24 months), reducing the after-purchase costs that will inevitably arise.

3. Uncured resins are hazardous - how do I ensure my patients' and my own safety?

If you want to 3D print medical devices, then this will sell you on specialized dental 3D printers. 

Manufacturing 3D printing resins requires the adherence to strict safety measures because of varying levels of toxicity. 3D printing of medical devices must fulfill stringent standards that are set by the FDA (in the US) and CE (in the EU) and other regulatory bodies worldwide. So  what do I need to look for? 

Look for dental 3D printers – for example, at Ackuretta, we go through labor-intensive research and apply redundant failsafe methods. We’ve developed bio-compatible resins, post-processing systems and built-up an outstanding technical support team, so that our users can always be 100% sure that their dental applications are safe for their patients. This is called a validated printing workflow.

Let's summarize what we've just learnt: