For most of the last two decades, clear aligners have been made the same way: print a model of each treatment stage, then thermoform a sheet of plastic over it and trim. Direct printing changes that sequence — the aligner itself is printed from the approved digital design, and the model step disappears.
What “shape memory” actually means here
Graphy’s aligner material is a shape-memory polymer. After printing and post-processing, the aligner is designed to recover its programmed form at oral temperature. In practice that means the aligner is intended to return toward its printed geometry once seated, rather than relying solely on the elastic rebound of a thermoformed sheet.
Two things follow from that. First, force delivery is designed into the aligner geometry rather than inherited from a sheet stretched over a model. Second, wall thickness can be varied by design, because the aligner is not limited by what a single sheet of material can do when it is drawn over a shape.
The workflow, step by step
- Scan — an intraoral scan of the arches and bite.
- Plan — the treatment is staged in aligner planning software and approved by the clinician.
- Print — each stage is printed directly in the shape-memory resin.
- Post-process — washing, then curing in the dedicated cure unit; a spinner is used to remove excess resin before curing.
- Finish and deliver — inspection, trimming where required, and delivery to the patient.
What changes inside the practice
The obvious change is the removal of the model-and-thermoform stage, which removes both consumable model resin and the labour attached to it. The less obvious change is scheduling: when planning and production sit under one roof, a refinement does not have to leave the building and come back.
That is also the honest trade-off. In-house production means the practice owns quality control, machine maintenance and the learning curve. Some practices want that control from day one; others prefer to start with a managed workflow and move production in-house once volume justifies it.
Is it right for your practice?
Direct printing tends to make sense when a practice already treats aligner cases regularly, has an intraoral scanner, and wants to shorten turnaround or control cost per case. If aligner volume is still building, a lab-managed route is usually the lower-risk starting point.
We set out the three routes — fully managed, hybrid, and complete in-clinic — on our Aligner Solutions page, including an estimator that compares them at your own case volume.
Talk to i-VISTAMED about Graphy
i-VISTAMED supplies and supports Graphy across Canada, with free shipping on registered dental practice accounts and a team that can help you match products to your workflow. Browse the Graphy range or download the Graphy catalogue.
Questions? Call +1 437 421 7746 or email info@ivistamed.com.
