SouSmile opts for Photocentric Liquid Crystal Magna 3D printer
SouSmile has invested in a trio of Photocentric Liquid Crystal Magna 3D printers to produce its dental aligners at scale.
As Brazil’s largest direct to consumer invisible aligner company with a presence in 30 cities, SouSmile has sold over 5,000 cases since launching in November 2018 with 20% of customers coming through word-of-mouth. The 3D printing investment has allowed SouSmile to internalise production of its transparent aligners, making substantial cost savings whilst helping customers align their teeth at a fixed price in a straightforward and effective process.
*More than 2,000 customers
“We met Photocentric through an industry veteran and were very impressed not only by the solution they had to offer but also by the similarity in mindset”
Michael Ruah
Co-founder, SouSmile
Challenge
“The Brazilian aligner market is relatively nascent and highly regulated, which made it difficult to procure high quality aligners at scale,” says Michael Ruah, co-founder, SouSmile. “That’s why we decided to invest in automated production early on. The challenge was finding industrial-scale printers at a reasonable price.
Solution
SouSmile’s cost per part fell 30% when it internalised production with the LC Magna, which is equivalent to about US $60k in monthly savings, or US $720k per year. More than 2,000 customers have finished orthodontic treatment at SouSmile, with a satisfaction rate of 4.87 out of 5 stars. The company is vertically integrated with an automated production facility that now has capacity to produce 1,500 aligners per day with three printers.
“We got quotes and tested almost every printer in the market for dental applications and no one matched the cost benefit. Photocentric LC Magna was the only printer we analysed that could produce 48 models in 90 minutes. The Magnas are extremely fast, accurate and have a great cost-benefit for both hardware and resin. No one else came even close.”
“There are huge opportunities for 3D printing in many sectors, and SouSmile has clearly made a shrewd investment in adopting 3D printing technology to enhance its dental aligner offering,” says Sally Tipping, Sales Director, Photocentric.
