Shining3D Accufab Cel

Shining3D has always been a consistent, yet less well-known player in the West with regards to the dental 3D printer market. Then out of nowhere, they announced the Shining Aoralscan Elite, which blew their brand right out into the open. While this scanner is sure to make huge waves in the intraoral scanner market, this newfound fame will surely bring attention to the other very solid products in digital dentistry lineup. I had the chance to try out the Accufab Cel, their flagship printer – so how does it stack up in an already saturated dental 3D printer market?

Figure 1: The Accufab Cel – boom or bust?

Disclaimer:

This is a personal and individual opinion on the Shining 3D Accufab Cel. Shining3D nor any of its global distributors have not been involved in the writing or editing of this piece and have not restricted any conclusions made by myself of this product.

Notable features:

  • Straightforward physical set up
  • Loud fan during operation
  • Modest open resin library
  • New vat technologies allow for reduced post-processing and faster prints
  • Small fonts in the slicer makes it challenging to see what you’re doing
  • Automated slicing is very hit-or-miss
  • Software for Shining3D account owners includes CAD software for splints, IBT’s, models and temporary crowns

Basics:

Printer size36 x 36 x 53cm
Weight147 bananas*
TechnologyLCD
Print volumeStd plate: 19.2 x 12 x 18cm Mini plate: 7 x 7 x 18cm
SlicerAccuware  
XY resolution35 µm
Price guideUS$7000

* 1 banana = 0.15kg

Figure 2: 16-minute models? It’s possible with the Cel and Dental Model DM12

Set up:

Setting up the Accufab Cel was pretty easy. It was up and running in minutes.

Levelling the build platform is pretty standard and involves loosening 4 hex screws on the build platform and some paper. I was a little surprised it wasn’t more automated. That being said, it’s not rocket science/

The printer UI is nicely laid out but it’s surprising how few options you can customize – fine for most users, but for the tinkerer in me, a little jarring to be honest.  

The Accufab Cel utilizes a simple latch system to engage and disengage the build plate which is easy to use. Vats are secured by two clips on the side. Simples.

Wi-Fi connection was straightforward and occurred without a hitch.

Figure 3: Crowns for days


Software:

The Accufab Cel uses Accuware which is surprisingly nice.

It follows a nice workflow from printer and material selection, object positioning and orientation, supporting and finally exporting/printing.

I certainly with the icons and text were bigger – I found myself squinting at the text and icons. It’s a shame as the digital workflow is surprisingly neat and I wish other companies replicated this. There are also designated support parameters for different printable items, which work fairly well.

There are some basic CAD functions and add-ons to Accuware – namely AccuDesign for models, CreIBT for IBT design, CreTemp for temporary crown design and CreSplint for nightguards and occlusal splints. Great to see this extra functionality but I found them not even close to the level of the free Medit apps. They were at terms incredibly glitchy too with bugs preventing me from progressing in the design phase. 

There’s even automated print orientation, supporting and slicing with “one click”, though I have to strongly caution against this – found it very inconsistent and the novelty quickly wears off after a couple of failed prints. I can appreciate though after a print failure, you can send a report to Shining3D through the printer, which I assume their software engineers use to adjust the AI algorithms accordingly as time goes by.

Figure 4: Accuware – some visual tweaks would really boost its usability

Resin library:

The Accufab Cel has a modest yet healthy third party resin library. Users will find that many popular resins have been validated for this printer, including those from the Keyprint and Pac-Dent ranges. However it’s not an expansive list and pales in comparison when compared to the library accessible to the Ackuretta SOL, let alone the Asiga line of printers.

Figure 5: One-click automated print orientation and supporting worked for this splint. However, there was significant polishing required at the anterior section as the supports had somewhat “merged” together

The printing experience:

The Accufab Cel has its own chamber heater which these days seems to be the estandard in dental 3D printers. Unfortunately, the fan during operation is obnoxiously loud, so while it is marketed as a chairside 3D printer, it’s hard to justify running prints while patients are around. Even on stand-by the printer’s fans continue to operate, albeit at a much more reduced level fortunately.

Print times are always used in forms of deceptive marketing – the manufacturer claims orthodontic models can be printed in 14 minutes and surgical guides in 20 minutes – in my experience, this was absolutely possible, but you would have to use Shining3D’s own resins to achieve these blistering print times, combined with some epic trimming of models and clever positioning of surgical guides. Realistically, your average print time is going to be noticeably more than advertised, especially if using non-Shining3D resins.

Printed results were generally accurate and honestly, I can’t really fault anything significantly. I did feel that splints orientated vertically didn’t fit quite as well as the same ones printed on my Asiga Max 2, but we’re really splitting hairs at this stage and there’s a whole range of reasons why that was the case, unrelated to the printer itself. Nevertheless, splints and surgical guides fitted well clinically. 

Unlike its predecessors, the Accufab Cel will have access to HyperClear tanks/trays, which are akin to Asiga’s UltraGLOSS and Sprintray’s Optical Polish. A nice move on Shining3D’s part and I hope other printer manufacturers follow suit. On the subject of trays/vats, the mini plate is accompanied by a corresponding appropriately sized vat – something that only Sprintray has done beforehand. Great to see but I wish they had a more polished finish vs the highly textured result we got – you will find that fibres from paper towel will get stuck onto this textured finish very readily if you plan on

Figure 6: The additional design apps are very welcome, but bugs and limited customisability seriously hamper the experience

As mentioned earlier, the “One-Click” slicing automation, although novel, doesn’t quite work 100% of the time. Default settings also churn out an incredibly thin raft which is very annoying to peel off. In addition, take care wiping your print platform after each print as resin tends to build up in the crevices. These are small details but can hamper a premium experience. I also wish they had a “gentle close” mechanism with the lid – I found myself closing the lid more strongly than anticipated, which can’t be a good thing long-term.

Figure 7: Don’t trust the “One-Click” automation blindly!

Conclusion:

Overall, the Accufab Cel is a strong contender in the “value proposition” section of the dental 3D printer market. It certainly has quite a number of great features to go with it – a nice software workflow, standard and mini plates with corresponding vats/trays, chamber heating, a decent resin library etc. If you’re looking for a great all-rounder without the premium price tag, don’t sleep on this unit. Just keep your expectations relatively tempered.

3 points why you should get it:

  • One of the most cost-effective dental 3D printers in the market
  • Clean software workflow
  • Accessories such as mini plates and minimal post-processing tanks that rival more well-known competitors in the market

3 points why you shouldn’t get it:

  • Additional software apps and AI-automated slicing are underwhelming
  • Noisy during operation (passable on stand-by but noise is still noticeable) 
  • Resin library isn’t as expansive as other similarly priced competitors in the market