3D-Printed Insert Mouth Guard for Customizable Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mouth guards are limited in shape, thickness, flexibility, and protective coverage due to fixed insert thickness and restricted areas of protection, making them inadequate for various sports and injury patterns.
Innovation Solution
A 3D-printed insert made of light- or laser-curing plastic is used between thermoplastic layers, allowing for adjustable thickness, extended lateral coverage, and varying hardness, enabling better adaptation to different sports and injury patterns without the need for thermoplastic deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional thermoplastic layers are used with fixed thickness inserts, then the mouth guard can be manufactured using traditional thermoplastic processes, but the protective coverage is limited to small areas and the thickness cannot be adjusted for different sports
Solution Approach 1:
The mouth guard is divided into multiple layers with different functions: outer thermoplastic layers for comfort and fit, and a 3D-printed insert for targeted protection. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized independently for its specific purpose.
Solution Approach 2:
The 3D-printed insert provides localized protection with variable thickness and hardness in specific regions, while the thermoplastic layers provide uniform comfort across the entire mouth guard. This local quality differentiation enables sport-specific protection without compromising overall wearability.
2Strength
If the insert is made harder to provide better protection, then the protective effect is improved, but the insert can only be placed in limited regions of the jaw
Solution Approach 1:
The 3D-printed insert enables different hardness levels and thicknesses in different regions of the same component. High-hardness material can be concentrated in impact-prone areas while maintaining softer regions for comfort, thereby extending coverage area without sacrificing protective strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The mouth guard combines different materials with complementary properties: hard 3D-printed plastic for impact resistance in critical areas, and softer thermoplastic layers for comfort and fit. This composite structure allows extended coverage with varied protective characteristics across different regions.
3Strength
If the insert thickness is increased to improve protection, then the protective effect is enhanced, but the insert becomes difficult to incorporate by thermoplastic process
Solution Approach 1:
The traditional thermoplastic deformation process is replaced by 3D printing technology for manufacturing the insert. This substitution enables precise control of thickness and geometry without the manufacturing difficulties associated with thermoplastic forming of thick, complex shapes.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert is pre-manufactured with the exact desired thickness and geometry using 3D printing before being incorporated into the mouth guard assembly. This preliminary action eliminates the need for subsequent thermoplastic deformation and simplifies the overall manufacturing process.
4Ease of operation
If conventional thermoplastic layers are used, then the mouth guard provides good wearing comfort, but the shape and thickness are very limited
Solution Approach 1:
The mouth guard is segmented into comfort-providing thermoplastic layers and a protective 3D-printed insert. This segmentation allows the thermoplastic layers to maintain uniform thickness for comfort while the insert provides variable thickness for protection, decoupling these conflicting requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The 3D-printed insert introduces local quality variations in thickness and hardness only where protection is needed, while the thermoplastic layers maintain uniform properties for comfort. This localized differentiation resolves the conflict between comfort uniformity and protective variability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides enhanced protective coverage over a wider area, improved adaptability to diverse sports, and customizable hardness, thickness, and design features like voids and perforations, enhancing shock absorption and visibility for emergency purposes.
Implementation Method 1
the insert be a molded part of light- or laser-curing plastic produced by a 3D printer
Implementation Method 2
a first thermoplastic layer was then laid on this positive model, heated, and molded onto the positive model
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a teeth protector device (1) consisting of a rail which has a U shape or a channel shape in the cross-section, is adapted to a toothed jaw (5) of a user, and is made of a deep-drawn plastic. The rail has two plastic films (3, 4) which are laminated onto each other and between which an insert (2) is located, said insert being provided in a central front region and having a lateral extension which corresponds to multiple teeth of the user and has a width that corresponds to the distance from an approximately coverable teeth tip region to the gums. The insert (2) is a molded part made of light- or laser-cured plastic using a 3D printer.