As sugar consumption rises and dental visits develop into more and more costly, practically 3.5 billion folks worldwide battle with oral ailments. The dental trade faces mounting stress to extend manufacturing effectivity, notably in markets the place centralized manufacturing is turning into the norm. At this time, Novenda Applied sciences, a Dutch startup, introduced that it has raised $6.1m in funding to rework dental product manufacturing with its multi-material 3D printing expertise. This progressive resolution goals to make high-quality dental care higher, extra aesthetically pleasing, accessible and inexpensive.
The $6.1m Collection A funding spherical was led by Brightlands Enterprise Companions with participation from KBC Focus Fund (Belgium), Borski Fund (NL) and Limburg Enterprise Improvement Fund/LIOF (NL) in addition to a gaggle of angel buyers and an Innovation Credit score from RVO.
Novenda Applied sciences was based in 2019 by Klaas Wiertzema, Petra Doelman and Joost Anne Veerman following intensive market analysis and collaboration with dental professionals.
The founders carried out intensive consultations with dentists, dental technicians, and different stakeholders to develop the fitting resolution for the market. By 2021, the corporate had put in its first printer on the Excessive Tech Campus in Eindhoven, attaining its first multi-material print utilizing its proprietary software program and supplies. This milestone marked the start of an intensive growth course of, resulting in a profitable proof of idea for nightguards and dentures in 2023.
The corporate’s full stack expertise permits the manufacturing of extra comfy, natural-looking dental merchandise that mix onerous supplies for cover with gentle supplies for consolation – all in a single piece. This represents a elementary shift in dental product manufacturing.
Whereas conventional strategies require guide meeting and post-processing, the corporate’s platform combines a number of supplies seamlessly in a single print run, utilizing water-soluble helps that dissolve with a easy faucet water wash.
Most importantly, Novenda Applied sciences has developed good print modes that obtain exact layer management with out mechanical rollers – a limitation that causes ink contamination and restricted color capabilities in competing methods.
Klaas Wiertzema, CEO and co-founder of Novenda Applied sciences commented: “The mix of water-soluble assist and the absence of mechanical interventions to compensate for imprecisions ensures unprecedented long-term accuracy and eliminates the necessity for intensive post-processing. That is notably vital in a world the place dental technicians have gotten more and more scarce and costly.”
The timing of Novenda’s resolution coincides with a big shift within the dental trade. The workflow for producing dental prostheses is turning into more and more digital, with oral scanners changing guide impressions.
Nonetheless, present manufacturing methods have not stored tempo with this digital transformation, usually requiring substantial guide intervention. In a number of international locations, this problem is driving a development towards centralized manufacturing services, the place Novenda’s automated platform could have a big impact.
Olga Goor, Funding Supervisor at Brightlands Enterprise Companions, added: “As lead investor, Brightlands Enterprise Companions is proud to assist Novenda Applied sciences on this subsequent section of development. Their multi-material jetting expertise is a breakthrough in digital dentistry, enabling scalable, high-precision manufacturing with minimal waste and post-processing. This innovation not solely units a brand new high quality normal for dental merchandise but in addition enhances affordability of dental look after sufferers which can be unable to afford alternate options presently accessible available in the market. It will finally drive the transformation of the dental trade in the direction of a extra sustainable and equitable future.”
Wanting forward, Novenda plans to increase its platform to different dental purposes and finally enter new markets the place individualized mass manufacturing is essential. The corporate’s rapid focus is on deploying its expertise in giant and mid measurement dental labs throughout Europe and the US, the place its high-throughput, automated resolution can assist meet rising demand.
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