HeyGears 2024: A Year-in-Review

 

2024 marks HeyGears’ 9th year of providing smart and innovative 3D printing solutions across multiple industries. As we look to the coming year we remain committed to driving continuous technological innovation and breakthroughs. Let’s take a look at what we’ve achieved so far and some highlights of the last year.

 

HeyGears now has over 400 patents spanning hardware, software, materials, printing processes, and algorithms, solidifying our position in driving forward innovation in 3D printing.

 

This year marked a significant expansion of our vision to empower our customers with 3D printing capabilities across diverse use cases. Following the successful launch of the UltraCraft Reflex 3D printer in 2023, we introduced the UltraCraft Reflex RS in September 2024, the second 3D printer in the Reflex Series available for anyone to buy, providing fast 3D printing features for high-quality prototypes and detailed models. Looking ahead, we remain dedicated to releasing innovative products to meet evolving user needs and bringing more seamless 3D printing workflows for our customers during 2025 and beyond.

 

 

2024 Highlights

 

HeyGears Reflex Series Milestones

 

In March 2024, HeyGears launched the UltraCraft Pulsing Release Module, a 3D printing enhancement module compatible with the UltraCraft Reflex and also the UltraCraft Reflex RS. The module significantly enhances production efficiency by reducing peeling force by approximately 50% for each layer. The module is a game-changer in reducing the number supports and the overall contact area of supports, while improving speed, printability and opening up a wider range of high-performance material options.

 

 

 

In September 2024, HeyGears unveiled the UltraCraft Reflex RS. Designed to meet the swift creation needs of the 3D printing community, the Reflex RS combines speed, precision, and user-friendly operation, making professional-grade 3D printing more accessible to hobbyists and professionals alike.

 

 

 

Alongside the UltraCraft Reflex RS, the release of the UltraPrint Modeling resins—PAS10, PAWW10, and PARP10—as well as the UltraPrint Production PAWR10 resin, expanded the range of materials available for diverse applications. These materials offer excellent printability, easy processing, and durability, enhancing modeling precision and addressing high-performance production requirements.

 

 

 

September this year saw the release of HeyGears’ fully upgraded version 2.0 of Blueprint Studio to meet professional needs. Marking a key development milestone in optimizing the pre-processing steps needed for resin 3D printing. HeyGears has restructured the software architecture to improve its processing efficiency and released several key features, such as Manual Supports, Non-Login Mode, and Remote Printing, meeting the diverse needs of customers.

 

 

 

HeyGears Dental Industry Milestones

 

The launch of UltraPrint Model ES UV resin, HeyGears’ easy separation 3D printing resin for dental applications, revolutionizes processes like creating Hawley retainers. This resin eliminates the need for plaster models as well as the use of separating agents. By streamlining workflows, it allows acrylics to be formed faster and more efficiently, saving up to 30 minutes per retainer. This advancement further cements HeyGears’ position as a leading provider of cutting-edge dental solutions in the global market.

 

 

In a major technical achievement, HeyGears introduced the AI Splint Design Software, streamlining the design process for dental splints with unparalleled AI-driven accuracy and efficiency. This easy-to-use software enables users to transform scanned intraoral data into a 3D night guard file in just 1 minute. With high compatibility for imported models—including intraoral scans and dental model scans—it achieves an impressive success rate close to 100%.

 

 

The auto-generated designs are remarkably accurate, with 70% requiring only minimal fine-tuning, while multiple adjustment tools support personalized revisions for a perfect fit. This smart AI-powered software sets a new standard in dental splint design, combining speed, precision, and user-friendliness.

 

 

Digital Dentistry Partnerships

 

During 2024, HeyGears announced important partnerships in the dental 3D printing industry to provide greater choice for post-processing and resin options.

 

 

PostProcess Technologies Collaboration: HeyGears has partnered with PostProcess Technologies to elevate the quality, safety, and efficiency of 3D printing workflows. This collaboration provides dental labs with complete solutions by combining HeyGears’ automated production capabilities, such as the UltraCraft A3D, with PostProcess’ full-stack post-processing solutions, including hardware, software, and patented AUX-400-RINSE chemistry. The partnership eliminates the need for Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) in resin removal, streamlining workflows and enabling dental professionals to produce high-quality applications safely and efficiently.

 

 

Pac-Dent Collaboration: HeyGears announced a strategic partnership with Pac-Dent. Pac-Dent’s Rodin Titan and Rodin Sculpture 3D printing resins are validated for compatibility with HeyGears’ UltraCraft A2D and UltraCraft ChairSide Pro 3D printers. This ensures seamless workflows using HeyGears’ comprehensive digital dentistry solutions alongside Pac-Dent’s Rodin Resins, delivering exceptional outcomes.

 

 

Dentsply Sirona Collaboration: The Lucitone Digital Print Denture workflow and material system are now validated for HeyGears’ UltraCraft A2D and A2D 4K printers, establishing an advanced solution for digital denture manufacturing.

 

 

Detax Collaboration: HeyGears validated Detax’ s FREEPRINT® temp and FREEPRINT® denture resins with the UltraCraft A2D 3D printer and UltraCraft PCU 3.0 post-curing unit, ensuring seamless compatibility and enhanced performance for dental professionals.

 

 

Event Highlights

 

 

In 2024, HeyGears participated in two of the largest additive manufacturing industry events: Rapid+TCT 2024 in Los Angeles and Formnext 2024 in Frankfurt, showcasing its cutting-edge 3D printing innovations, hardware, and materials.

 

In June at Rapid+TCT 2024, HeyGears showcased the professional 3D printing capabilities of the UltraCraft Reflex Combo. Visitors also had the chance to check out the Pulsing Release Module and the Blueprint Studio smart slicing software for themselves. The booth also displayed a variety of 3D-printed examples, including prototypes, figurines, consumer products, and examples using high-performance materials for properties such as heat resistance, toughness, and elasticity. It was an impressive showcase of HeyGears' versatile material range and the professional level of results made possible with the Reflex Series 3D printers.

 

At Formnext 2024, HeyGears showcased its latest 3D printing innovations across multiple applications, including the recently launched UltraCraft Reflex RS as well as a sneak peek of upcoming printers the UltraCraft A2E, an in-development taller-build volume 3D printer for engineering applications, and the UltraCraft A2D HD, designed for professional desktop dental production.

On show were a wide variety of 3D-printed products and projects: transparent creative prints, durable high-performance parts, elastic 3D-printed products, and more. Additional highlights were the displays for in-development technologies including Color DLP 3D printing and micro-scale printing.

 

 

For digital dentistry 3D printing solutions HeyGears attended numerous events around the world, including in the US, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, UAE, Australia, and more.

 

The events during 2024 mark a bold step forward in demonstrating the innovative capabilities of HeyGears across a wide range of 3D printing possibilities. By connecting with other industry leaders, creators, and professionals, HeyGears is reaffirming its commitment to advancing 3D printing technology and delivering innovative solutions across diverse applications.

 

 

Media Highlights

 

This year, HeyGears had great coverage across industry media outlets, with reviews, news, and articles featured in 3Dnatives, 3D Printing Industry, All3DP, 3D Print, VoxelMatters, Tom’s Hardware, IDT, Bite Magazine, Dental Town and more.

 

Notable articles included:

 

3D Printing Industry: A Closer Look at HeyGears’ New UltraCraft Reflex RS 3D Printers: Technical Specifications and Pricing

 

3Dnatives Lab: Testing HeyGears UltraCraft Reflex RS 3D Printer

 

IDT: Automating the Model Printing Workflow

 

 

In addition to product-specific coverage, HeyGears was recognized in industry rankings, such as:

 

3Dnatives: The Top Wash and Cure Stations of 2024

3Dnatives: The Top Resin 3D Printers in 2024

 

The UltraCraft Reflex was placed first in Fauxhammer's 2024 ranking of the "Best 3D Printer for Miniatures".

 

HeyGears was also featured in notable event reports including 3Dnatives' “The Most Innovative Solutions at RAPID + TCT 2024”.

 

 

 

 

Looking Ahead to 2025

 

 

 

As we move into 2025, HeyGears is poised to redefine the boundaries of 3D printing technology with a range of innovations. From advanced software to cutting-edge hardware and materials, we are committed to delivering solutions that address the diverse needs of various industries.

 

For the evolution of 3D printing software, we will continually develop our smart and easy-to-use AI-powered tools aimed to enhance workflows and efficiency, while hardware advancements will focus on improving printing speeds, broadening compatibility, and ensuring user-friendly experiences for both the dental and consumer 3D printing industries.

 

On the materials front, we aim to introduce innovative resins tailored to specialized applications.

 

At HeyGears, our customers remain at the heart of everything we do. In 2025, we will deepen our commitment to listening to their feedback and using it to create solutions that truly address their needs. We aim to foster even stronger connections with our community and ensure that their voices guide our journey.

 

Partnerships will continue to play a crucial role in our growth. Building on a strong foundation of collaboration, we plan to expand our network of partners and engage across industries to amplify the benefits that smart 3D printing production solutions can bring.

 

As we enter 2025 with a focus on innovation, customer-centricity, and industry leadership, we are excited to help shape the future of 3D printing and provide unmatched value to our customers, partners, and industries worldwide.

 

 

To learn more about our dental 3D printing solutions email: sales@heygears.com

To learn about all the products in our UltraCraft Reflex Series visit: store.heygears.com