SmileDirectClub partners with HP to print customized smiles in 3D
SmileDirectClub, the oral care company with the first medtech platform for teeth straightening, has partnered with Hewlett Packard (HP) to use 60 of the technology company’s Multi Jet Fusion 3D printers to deliver customized aligners to customers all over the world.
The partnership starts at SmileDirectClub’s Antioch, Tennessee headquarters. Located just 12 miles southeast of Nashville’s bustling city center, you’ll find Smile House, SmileDirectClub’s brightly lit state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.
Inside the building, employees dressed in safety gear, including purple gloves and masks, work in three pristine rooms with the state-of-the-art 3D HP printers. Using molds that are unique to each customer’s smile, the employees use detailed plans to guide the printers as they create the customized molds that will be shaped into the clear plastic aligners. The finished product, which may include an entire treatment worth of aligners, is then shipped directly to the customers themselves.
SmileDirectClub: Disrupting the orthodontics industry
From its inception, Smile Direct Club sought to disrupt orthodontia — a $12 billion industry that spans 120 years. In an independent study, experts found that an estimated 85% of people worldwide could benefit from orthodontic care, yet less than 1% receive it each year, with cost being the biggest issue. But many of those individuals don’t know they can get a straighter smile for less.
Price isn’t the only stumbling block, though, to straighter teeth. At least 60% of the country’s counties don’t even have an orthodontist to deliver that kind of care.
From the start, SmileDirectClub worked diligently to remove the barriers that stand in the way of people getting a smile they can love. With traditional braces usually costing between $5,000 and $8,000, the company’s aligners are much more affordable, coming in under $2,000 in the United States.
3D printing systems and SmileDirectClub work together
3D printing has been a major disruptive force in every industry where it’s been used, as noted by the head of HP’s printing technology, operations, and metals division. Using these innovative printers enables forward-thinking companies like SmileDirectClub to move away from mass producing countless numbers of identical products. Instead, the focus is one customized product that is unique, at scale, and delivered on spec.
Not surprisingly, using the 3D printing systems from HP enables SmileDirectClub to drastically reduce the cost of their clear aligner therapy. Using this technology is quick, extremely personalized, and more sustainable. This allows SmileDirectClub to reduce waste and shorten its supply chain.
