Bertram Dental Lab Acquires Five SLM®280 Production Series to Launch LazerTEK Print Service
Menasha, WI, USA Bertram Dental Lab (BDL) was founded in 1976 and is an early pioneer in utilizing Metal-AM to produce Cobalt Chrome Removable Partial Dentures (RPDs) at scale. Since 2016, Bertram Dental Lab has had a long-standing partnership with SLM Solutions after acquiring its first SLM®280 PS. Since then, their lab has installed four more. BDL’s mission is to provide their partners with the most consistent fitting, highest-quality wholesale parts. To achieve that level of quality, they rely on the repeatability and productivity of SLM Solutions technology to meet their marketplace's demands and stringent industry standards.
In partnership with SLM Solutions, Bertram Dental Lab publicly announced for the first time its LazerTEK Print Service. The LazerTEK Print Service is a metal-AM service offered exclusively by Bertram Dental Lab to their USA-based dental lab partners. Through the exclusive use of SLM Solutions printers and LazerTEK partial alloy, BDL provides an RPD print service unmatched in quality, price, turnaround time, and mechanical properties, as documented by independent lab studies. Dental Lab partners need only to upload their completed RPD.stl design files through the BDL LazerTEK print service partner portal to access direct manufacturing. Charlie Grace, Chief Sales Officer at SLM Solutions states, “The dental industry is arguably one of the oldest identifiers of using AM to enable their business. BDL has successfully displaced casting by leveraging AM to create world class partials with great efficiency and with the highest quality.”
Tim Bertram, Co-Owner of Bertram Dental Lab commented, “The decision to partner with SLM Solutions was easy in 2016. SLM Solutions was the only AM company solely focused on metal AM and they have continued to be a leader ever since. They pioneered bi-directional recoating, multi-laser systems and their current production series machines have been a game changer. The production series machines provide everything we need. Automated and closed loop powder handling reduce labor costs while ensuring safety and maintaining the highest possible alloy properties. The improved gas flow and permanent filter system ensure we can run 24/7 without any decrease in part quality. SLM Solution’s partnerships with industry leading companies guarantees that BDL will benefit from continued research and development across all levels of metal AM. Thus, enabling our mission.”
Bertram Dental Lab has a solid US national presence, and 98% of their products are RPDs, so scale is critical to their success.
The LazerTEK Print Service reduces dependency on casting consumables and improves product fit and quality. It Improves the overall manufacturing process in a technological age, thus empowering recruitment potential for new AM talent. The service provides transparency to our dental lab partners with a digital workflow. Bertram proudly states, "the days of needing to cast RPDs in-house are over."
About SLM Solutions
SLM Solutions is an integrated solutions provider and metal additive manufacturing partner. The company is vested in customers' long-term success with metal additive manufacturing. Robust Selective Laser Melting machines optimize fast, reliable, and cost-efficient part production, and SLM Solutions' experts work with customers at each stage of the process to provide the support that elevates the use of the technology and ensures their return on investment is maximized. A publicly traded company, SLM Solutions Group AG is headquartered in Germany, with offices in Canada, China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States.
About Bertram Dental Lab
Founded in 1976 in Neenah, WI, BDL is the premier outsource partner to dental labs for RPD (Removable Partial Denture) production needs. 100% made and based in the USA, BDL manufactures cobalt chrome RPDs using cutting edge metal 3d printing SLM-(Selective Laser Melting.) Our talented team of dental technicians have one guiding mission: At BDL our mission is to provide our partners with the most consistent fitting, highest quality wholesale partial frameworks available in the industry. Our mission is supported through technological advances, ongoing education, and customer feedback. This mission is supported and powered by our most valuable asset our team members