(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) EINPresswire/ -- Korean Researchers and Graphy Draw Global Attention with Pioneering Study on 3D-Printed Shape Memory Resin

A research collaboration between Korean academics and Graphy Inc. has drawn significant international attention for its quantitative analysis of the operating mechanism behind the Shape Memory Aligner (SMA) - a 3D-printed clear aligner material developed by Graphy. Experts note that the study's exceptionally high citation and access metrics, relative to its publication scale, indicate its potential to influence both academic research and the global orthodontic materials industry.

Published in Scientific Reports in 2022, the paper titled“Thermo-mechanical properties of 3D printed photocurable shape memory resin for clear aligners” has, as of November 2025, recorded 164 citations on Google Scholar and over 24,000 accesses on Springer Nature, reflecting its strong resonance within the international scientific community.

Led by Prof. Jung-Yul Cha of Yonsei University College of Dentistry (corresponding author), and co-first authored by Dr. Se-Yeon Lee of Yonsei University and Dr. Hoon Kim, Principal Researcher at Graphy, Inc., the study is recognized as the first quantitative analysis to systematically verify the thermo-mechanical properties and shape-recovery behavior of Graphy's 3D printing resin TC-85. The research confirmed that TC-85 maintains stable restorative behavior and consistent orthodontic forces within body temperature conditions.

The paper stands out in the clear aligner field for being one of the few to quantitatively evaluate

1. The mechanism of Shape Memory Aligners (SMA),
2. their activation behavior at intraoral temperature, and
3. thermo-mechanical response analysis with DMA and shape memory cycles.

Given the scarcity of comparable studies, the publication has effectively become a standard reference in scientific and industrial discussions related to advanced aligner materials.

Industry experts have hailed the study as a milestone validating the technological competitiveness of Korean companies.“TC-85 is currently the only commercially available SMP-based resin known to exhibit true shape memory activation at body temperature,” said one orthodontic industry representative.“By scientifically establishing its mechanism, this research highlights the growing technological gap between direct 3D printing and traditional thermoforming methods.”

While several photo-curable resin materials developed both domestically and internationally claim shape memory properties, most are limited to high-temperature activation (above 60°C) and lack scientific verification of intraoral activation mechanisms. For this reason, industry observers consider Graphy's study to represent the first scientific validation of thermo-mechanical and shape memory mechanisms in a clinically applicable aligner material.

Experts further note that this research provides long awaited answers to a fundamental question-“How do 3D-printed aligners actually work?”-and serves as a turning point in redefining the technological paradigm of the global clear aligner industry, driven by Korean researchers and enterprise collaboration.

Paper Information:

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