The Importance of Rodin Chroma Flash

Lately the Dental World has seen lots of innovation in technology directly hitting key products in CAD/CAM and digital products like AI assistants. Whether this is in the clinical world directly assisting patients live or in technical areas within fabrication. We have all seen a major trend regarding 3D printing. It has taken the world by storm and is able to create single unit crowns, nightguards, surgical guides and even full arch “all-on-X” restorations. 3D printing can do just about everything.

But the question we are all asking is how these 3D printed materials will compare to traditional materials such as porcelain, acrylic and most recently, zirconia.

There are two major variables which the Dentist/Technicians can change when creating a 3D printed prosthetic/appliance. These two variables are the resin/material they can use, and the post-processing curing.

1. 3D Resin / Material
The 3D resin/material which you choose to print whether its for a crown, nightguard denture from Rodin, Keystone, SprintRay, Saremco, Detax, or any other 3rd party brands, You name it! They will all perform similar, but will still vary in hardness, flexibility, shade and long-lasting strength. The debate and research to find the best resin for each prosthetic and appliance will be changing in the foreseeable future. There is still a way to go until we find an aesthetic and stronger resin for each case scenario. But what we have found even more important than picking out your favourite resin/material is the post processing.

2. Post-Process / Curing
After ensuring you have thoroughly washed and correctly dried your print from 99% alcohol, Rodin Universal Cleaner or any other cleaning solution you may use the print is still not ready. It must be cured under UV light to reach the peak structural formation at the microscopic level. This is where a cheap budget curing device and a proper powerful curing machine makes the difference.

Originally, we believed that the curing machine did not have a huge effect on the result of the 3D printed products. We thought all light curing devices would be the same. You have a 3D resin which was printed using a machine, cleaned it and it just needed to be cured. Some machines were stronger which made the curing time faster and others were weaker so curing time would be longer. However, it goes much deeper than that.

We have begun to understand that not only does the stronger UV curing machines make a faster cure but a deeper cure as well! Weaker curing units emit a light that is absorbed at the surface of the 3D prints and the light does not penetrate to deeper layers of the product. This leaves you with weaker results which can decay and stain more easily. So, strength is one consideration, but much more than this is the “width” of your curing machine. No, we are not talking about the physical size of the machine but the wavelengths of light which the curing machine is capable of! For example, the “SprintRay NanoCure” advertises that is uses 365nm and 385nm light which penetrates the surface and cures thorough the 3D print. But why stop there?

There are other wavelengths of light which the photo initiators react to. This is why the Rodin Chroma Flash utilizes Xenon Flash Lamps which output incredible power and wavelengths of light; from 250nm-950nm. Dental resins and composites absorb and use light which ranges from 240nm-510nm. This simply cannot be replicated from an LED light which emits a single wavelength of light. The reason why the Rodin Chroma Flash utilizes a strobing (on, off, on, off etc…) effect is because the immense power coming out from the Xenon lights carry so much heat, the light flashes to reach the peak power without melting the resin, which is how it achieves the deeper cure we are looking for!
The Rodin Chroma Flash is truly in a world of its own when compared to any other curing unit out there.

Contact us for more details here