One-time molding of removable dentures? Blacker Technology cracks the DLP multi-material integrated printing technology.

In 2025, under the spotlight of the US LDC Dental Exhibition, a removable denture produced by UltiMaker Technology through multi - material integrated printing caught the attention of the on - site audience. Based on the DLP technology of 3D printing, this denture uses multiple materials to achieve different physical properties, such as strength, transparency, and color, in the same printing process, successfully realizing the integrated printing of more realistic crowns, bridges, and denture bases.

This revolutionary technology called "OnePrint Denture" breaks the complex processes of manual tooth arrangement, resin filling, bonding, and grinding in traditional denture production, enabling the one - step molding of full - mouth dentures. It announces that the manufacturing of removable dentures has officially entered the era of "whole - piece output" and "unmanned production", bringing an unprecedented efficiency revolution to the denture manufacturing industry.

01 Dental Transformation: The Aging Wave Triggers Digital Demands

Currently, the global oral healthcare market is facing the dual pressures of surging demand and supply shortages. The aging wave is the key factor triggering this contradiction.

According to the United Nations' survey and prediction, the global population aged 65 and above will increase to 1.6 billion by 2050, accounting for 16.7% of the world's population. Another report reveals that the proportion of the elderly population aged 60 and above in China has exceeded 20%, and the proportion of those aged 65 and above has also exceeded 15%.

The above data shows that global population aging is a fact, and the oral restoration market related to the silver economy is also expanding. Among them, since dentition defects are one of the common, frequent, and urgently - treatable diseases in the elderly's oral cavity, the corresponding oral restoration product - removable dentures - has increasingly become a necessary consumer product in this market.

However, in sharp contrast to the booming demand side, the dental processing industry on the market supply side is deeply restricted by traditional processes and has difficulty meeting market demand efficiently.

For example, in the traditional production process of removable dentures, the process of resin filling and tooth arrangement alone requires dental technicians to complete dozens of procedures. A pair of removable dentures often takes several days of processing time before being delivered to the clinic. If the technician lacks experience, it is easy to make mistakes in the complex process, leading to rework and ultimately delaying product delivery.

Therefore, in the traditional model, it has always been difficult to break through the ceiling of dental processing efficiency. In addition, the increasing labor cost year by year and the decreasing number of practitioners have also become constraints on the development of the dental processing industry.

To solve the dilemma of the dental processing industry, rather than patching up the problems under the existing rules, a more effective method is to transform the traditional production mode.

In today's irresistible digital era, breakthroughs in technologies such as CAD/CAM represented by 3D printing have simplified the denture production process and significantly shortened the production cycle. Moreover, with the breakthrough in material performance, 3D - printed dentures have greatly improved in terms of fit and durability, meeting consumers' expectations for high - efficiency and comfortable oral restoration.

When the market situation of supply - demand imbalance coincides with the new paradigm brought by technology, digitalization becomes an inevitable choice for the dental industry.

02 The Uneven Digital Situation: Developed Countries Lead, Asia - Pacific Markets Catch Up

Although digitalization is a common choice in the industry, there are still obvious gaps in the digital maturity among different market regions.

Developed countries represented by North America and Europe have long dominated the digital denture market with their mature medical systems and high consumption capabilities. The Global Growth Insight report shows that more than 80% of large - scale dental clinics in North America have introduced digital equipment. In European countries such as Germany, France, and the UK, more than 60% of dental institutions use intra - oral scanners and CAD/CAM systems.

In addition, Japan also has a relatively high level of technology application in the field of digital dentistry, and digital dentures were included in its medical insurance system in 2024, which has reduced the economic burden on patients to a certain extent, increased the popularity of digital dentures, and further promoted market demand.

Compared with the above regions, although there is still a large room for growth in the digital penetration rate of other dental markets, they are also showing a remarkable catching - up speed. In particular, emerging economies such as China and India are rising rapidly. These regions have a large population base, an expanding middle class, and increased government investment in oral healthcare, providing broad incremental space for the digital market.

It is foreseeable that with the popularization of intra - oral scanners and the transformation of the production mode, the digital penetration rate of the dental industry will gradually increase, and the progress related to the technological iteration of dental digitalization is also highly concerned. Coupled with the aforementioned aging wave, the exploration of digital solutions for full - mouth dentures has become an important topic in the industry.

Therefore, the "OnePrint Denture" technology recently achieved by UltiMaker Technology is of great significance.

03 Innovative Multi - Material Integrated Printing: UltiMaker Continuously Leads Industrial Transformation

As a unicorn enterprise in the 3D printing industry and a global leader in dental digital technology, UltiMaker Technology, supported by 3D printing technology, continuously launches advanced dental restoration materials and digital solutions. It was the first in China to obtain the registration certificate for Class III medical devices for "light - cured temporary crown and bridge resin for additive manufacturing". The "Dark Factory" automation cooperation project launched for the dental industry has created a new scenario of "24 - hour continuous production" in dental processing...

The world's first full - mouth denture using "multi - material DLP printing" demonstrated by UltiMaker Technology at the US LDC Dental Exhibition recently achieved one - step printing and molding of full - mouth dentures, marking the complete break of the current complex and cumbersome production situation of full - mouth dentures and bringing a new digital delivery method and product experience to the dental industry.

Specifically, UltiMaker's "OnePrint Denture" technology has achieved the following key breakthroughs:

1. The world's first multi - material DLP printing technology

Based on inheriting the core advantages of single - material DLP technology, such as strong stability, high precision, and excellent surface details, UltiMaker has taken the lead in breaking the limitation that DLP printers can only print one material at a time, enabling the simultaneous printing of multiple materials with different properties and colors. The final product can be integrally formed, thus bringing an unprecedented solution for large - scale mass production of high - performance final products to dental processing factories.

Compared with the common nozzle - type 3D printing technology on the market, the DLP printing technology used by UltiMaker Technology is fundamentally different.

The nozzle - type 3D printing technology usually cannot print high - viscosity materials, and material performance is highly correlated with viscosity, which results in lower - performance dentures printed by nozzle - type 3D printers, making it difficult to meet the performance requirements for long - term intra - oral use. UltiMaker can use DLP technology to print high - viscosity materials, eliminating the strict restrictions on material viscosity and performance in traditional multi - material printing and enabling the application of high - viscosity and high - performance materials.

More importantly, the so - called "multi - material" printers commonly seen in the market before can only achieve "multi - color with a single formula" (Multi - Color), while UltiMaker Technology has achieved true "multi - formula, multi - performance" integrated printing (Multi - Material Fusion (MMF)), making the printed dentures not only rich in color but also able to precisely integrate materials with completely different physical properties on the same part. For example, a high - strength and high - wear - resistant crown can be integrally manufactured with a flexible denture base.

The integrated printing of materials with different properties means simplifying the multiple printing processes originally required for multiple materials into one - step molding, and assembling the denture base and the upper teeth with higher precision, eliminating time - consuming subsequent processes such as grinding and bonding. For large - scale production, it will significantly save costs and improve the timeliness and human efficiency of large - scale production.

In addition, UltiMaker's integrated printing can be combined with its unique pre - polishing process, paired with a high - performance set consisting of a pulse module and a high - transparency material tray, making the finished product have high transparency and high surface quality, truly achieving "printing is the finished product".

2. Material innovation: UltiMaker's medical - grade material system can precisely customize the physical properties of key components through molecular regulation, such as hard and tough crowns, flexible and elastic denture bases, and realistic gums. Combined with interface fusion technology, it achieves molecular - level seamless bonding, with strength meeting medical standards, ensuring the quality, efficiency, and reliability of "integrated molding".

3. Material certification system: UltiMaker Technology will conduct material certification with global top - tier material manufacturers. The combination of strengths will bring the world's highest - quality dentures to customers.

4. High adaptability: Due to its excellent economy, removable dentures have become a better choice for elderly patients in dental restoration (compared with dental implants). Elderly people face the problem of bone resorption, and their bone quality is constantly changing, so dentures need to have high adaptability. 3D printing technology has revolutionized the production of removable dentures, allowing patients to conveniently replace their dentures every six months or a year, thus flexibly adapting to bone changes, significantly improving wearing comfort and functionality, and better meeting the needs of the elderly population.

5. AI full - link empowerment of dental production: UltiMaker Technology integrates all links of "AI model design, automatic part removal & liquid addition, large - capacity post - processing, and efficient sorting". Through technological integration, it breaks the current fragmented digital situation, realizes high - efficiency and intelligence in large - scale dental production, and significantly improves the work efficiency and overall production capacity of dental laboratories.

Relying on the revolutionary multi - material printing technology, UltiMaker Technology promotes product innovation and opens up a new path for the denture processing field. Driven by the wave of digital transformation in the dental industry and the dual demands of aging and high - efficiency and precise medical care, UltiMaker Technology is committed to leading the global digital upgrade of the dental industry, and its huge development potential and broad prospects are clearly visible.