Aligner material should combine transparency, controlled stiffness, flexibility, elastic recovery and resistance to cracking. Erkodur-al has been developed specifically for aligner production and is less rigid than conventional Erkodur, providing…
FAQ Category: Clear Aligners
What thickness should clear aligner material be?
Clear aligner sheets are commonly used in the approximate 0.6 to 1.0 mm range, depending on material properties and the treatment protocol. Erkodur-al is available in several aligner-oriented thicknesses. Increasing…
What properties should an aligner material have?
Important properties include transparency, predictable force delivery, elastic recovery, sufficient flexibility for insertion and removal, resistance to cracking, dimensional stability and suitable biocompatibility. Stress relaxation is also important because the…
Should aligner material be rigid or flexible?
An aligner needs a balance of both properties. Excessive rigidity can create high initial forces and make insertion uncomfortable, while excessive flexibility may not deliver enough force for planned movement.…
How does material stiffness affect orthodontic force?
For the same geometry and thickness, a stiffer material generally produces a higher initial force. However, actual force delivery also depends on sheet thickness, tooth movement programmed into each stage,…
How does thermoforming change aligner thickness?
The heated sheet stretches over the printed model, so the finished aligner becomes thinner than the original sheet, especially over high or prominent areas. The degree of thinning depends on…
Does thermoforming affect aligner force?
Yes. Thermoforming changes the geometry and local thickness of the material and can also affect its mechanical behaviour. Because stiffness is related to both material properties and thickness, the finished…
Can clear aligners be made in-house?
Yes. An in-house workflow can include intraoral scanning, digital orthodontic planning, 3D printing of staged models, thermoforming, trimming and finishing. The practice or laboratory needs suitable software, printing capability, validated…
What equipment is required for in-house aligner production?
A typical in-house workflow requires an intraoral scan or digital model, orthodontic planning software, a 3D printer or access to printed models, suitable model resin, a thermoforming machine, aligner material…
Is it better to thermoform or directly 3D print clear aligners?
Direct 3D printing is developing rapidly and may eventually simplify production by eliminating the printed model. Thermoforming, however, remains a mature and widely established workflow with a broad range of…