Welcome to printer software v1.38.

Important Note: This software update includes some behind-the-scenes maintenance to core systems on the printer. This maintenance is critical to the long-term stability of the system. These changes do not impact how your printer prints, and will not alter how you interact with your printer. However, due to the foundational nature and breadth of this maintenance, installing this software update will take longer than usual. Please allow ~45 minutes to install this software update from v1.37. The printer will be unavailable until the software update is complete. Do not restart/power-cycle your printer during the software update. Additionally, if you are currently on an older version of software (eg, v1.36), you will need to update to v1.37 before updating to v1.38. Printer software v1.38 will not be released to your printer until v1.37 has been installed.

In this release, we’ve included the following improvements to your print process:

We look forward to hearing from you about this release. If you have any questions, please contact the Carbon Support Team at [email protected].

Carbon requires that customers update software regularly. With the exception of specified Version Lock-able older version(s), Carbon does not support non-current software versions. If you require support but are running an unsupported software version, note that the first troubleshooting step is to update software to a supported version.

The following are supported printer software versions as of the publication of these release notes (December 2022/January 2023):

Print settings for Keystone KeyDenture Try-In have been adjusted to support printing at 50 um (“fine”) and 25 um (“super-fine”) slice thicknesses. Print behavior for the previously-validated 100 um slice thickness (“standard”) has not been altered. If you have previously attempted to print with this resin at 50 um or 25 um slices and experienced print defects, you may wish to try again after updating to printer software v1.38.

Carbon’s L1 printer now offers more accurate print time estimates to help you plan your workflows more effectively.

The L1 printer uses Force Feedback to take into account real-time print forces while printing. While this functionality is designed to enhance print outcomes, it can also make it challenging to predict when a print will complete (as printer movements are not calculated in advance, but rather respond to real-time force measurements).

Carbon has implemented a machine learning model to improve our ability to predict print times while maintaining the flexibility of printing with Force Feedback. Via this model, the average print time error on L1 printers is meaningfully reduced. Overall, this improved accuracy will help you estimate the cost of parts and plan production processes more effectively.

Note that the above information applies to print time estimates for print plans that use Force Feedback. If you are using a print script or print plan that defines another printing method, your print time estimate will not change with this software update.

Similar improvements to print time estimates for the M3 and M3 Max printers will follow in a future release.



Users can now zoom and pan in one motion with the “zoom toward cursor” setting.

Traditionally, zooming in Carbon’s Print Prep UI has zoomed toward the center of the screen. To zoom in to a particular area of a build, a user has needed to zoom and then pan to see the desired area. “Zoom toward cursor” moves the zoom action in the direction of the user’s cursor, integrating zooming and panning into one view control action.

Image: The animation below shows the difference between the two zoom behaviors

This new zoom behavior is optional. To use “zoom toward cursor,” select it as a user preference from your Printer Dashboard. If you do not alter this user preference, the traditional “zoom to center” functionality will continue.



A new “Gen2” Auto-layout option can provide higher-density packing results, and may be particularly useful for dental labs seeking maximum efficiency from their prints.

In many cases, Gen2 Auto-layout is effective at packing more parts on a build platform than is achieved by Carbon’s existing Gen1 Auto-layout tool. It has been designed and optimized for customers with a high mix of one-off model designs and for whom maximizing the number of parts per build platform is very important. Gen2 Auto-layout aims to out-perform experienced human users by matching build density in less time and with less effort.

Note that not all part sets will see increased packing density. Results depend on part geometry.

Gen2 Auto-layout is available as an option in the Auto Layout control panel. Select “GEN2,” choose the amount of padding you want between parts, and click “AUTO LAYOUT.”



Gen2 Auto-layout is available as a beta feature in software v1.38. This designation indicates that Carbon may identify further improvements that are necessary to optimize the tool. If you encounter unexpected packing results, please reach out to [email protected] to ensure we are aware of the issue.

Gen1 Auto-layout uses Carbon’s existing/previous layout algorithm, which has not been altered. If you wish to continue using auto-layout as it has existed in previous software versions, please use Gen1 Auto-layout.



Improved error-handling

Error-handling for the denture auto-nesting tool has been improved and streamlined for a smoother user experience and greater nesting success.

Carbon’s denture auto-nesting tool relies on an algorithm that identifies the main geometric characteristics of a denture base. Those identified characteristics are then used to orient and support each model. In some cases, one or more uploaded models may not meet the algorithm’s specifications (eg, it may be larger or smaller than expected; tooth sockets may be less clearly defined…). Previously, having just one such model included in a build would cause the entire auto-nesting operation to fail. With printer software v1.38, only the problematic model(s) will be excluded from nesting; others will continue to be oriented, supported, and packed. This creates a more user-friendly workflow, as the user can quickly see which model failed and proceed to manually prepare that model as needed.

Left: On previous software versions, a single problematic model has caused auto-nesting to fail for the entire build.

Right: On software v1.38, all models that passed the algorithmic check are oriented, supported, and (where possible) packed. The operator can clearly see and address the single problematic model.



If auto-nest failures have been a hindrance to your use of this functionality in the past, we encourage you to try it again. Carbon’s denture auto-nesting tool can help make your lab’s denture preparation workflows faster and lower-effort. If you do not have access to denture auto-nesting but would like to try it, reach out to [email protected] for assistance.

New default behavior and flexible user preferences

When the feature is enabled for a printer, denture auto-nesting has historically been set as the default behavior for that printer when creating a new project. While this has worked well for some customers who use a particular machine primarily to print dentures, it has posed a challenge for others who use a single machine for a mix of applications. With printer software v1.38, denture auto-nesting will default to “off” when creating a project. To enable auto-nesting for a particular build, simply toggle the option when uploading files.



Should you wish to have auto-nesting default to “on” for each new build, a new user preference is now available. This can be configured on a per-user basis to reflect individual work patterns and needs.



“Print date” is now available via the part labeling tool.

Date-based labels can be added in the Labeling UI by using the new {date} token. The date that appears on the label will match the date when the user presses “print” (which may be different than the date when the project is prepared and the label token is initially applied). A project that is printed multiple times on different dates will thus show the correct print date on each print, without changing the label within the project. (Note that using the “reprint” functionality will result in a date that does not update, as the project is no longer dynamic in this situation.)

The {date} token supports a wide variety of date formats by altering token details: for example, {date:DD-MM-YYYY}, {date:MM-YY}, {date:MM-DD-YY}, and so on. Time can also be included. For a full list of possible date formats, refer to format documentation for Day.js xxx.

The time zone will default to the browser time zone in which the project was created. If needed, you can select a different time zone from the available drop-down menu.



Did you know? If you use the same label settings regularly (the same token; the same engraving/embossing depth; the same font size), you can set these as your default via the user preferences section of the Printer Dashboard to save time when preparing similar prints.

Bounding boxes for individual parts can now be toggled on or off when viewing a project in the Print Preparation UI. You may find this useful if bounding boxes are a distraction when placing supports or viewing details of a project – particularly if your project contains small parts.

To turn bounding boxes on or off, look for a new control in the bottom bar of the UI or use the keyboard shortcut Shift+B.

Below: A new “Toggle bounding boxes” icon is available in the bottom control bar to hide/show bounding boxes

xxx File size too large for here



While the features described above are the most noticeable and impactful changes in this software release, there are a few more minor changes you might want to be aware of.

The following issues have been resolved with this release.

Addresses several minor bugs.

Resolves several issues:

Resolved an issue that errantly disallowed non-integer values as inputs in Advanced Print Controls.

Addressed the following issues:



We love hearing from you about your workflow, your parts, and how we can improve. You can reach out to the Carbon Support Team at [email protected].