CNC Machined Orthodontic Aligners with Variable Wall Thickness
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital orthodontic systems, such as the Invisalign program, require large capital expenditures and central facilities for producing orthodontic aligners, leading to increased costs and delays, and limit the customization of aligner thickness and design, making it difficult to apply varying forces to specific teeth or create features like auxiliaries.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a bench-top CNC milling machine and CAD/CAM software to directly machine orthodontic aligners from a solid block of material, allowing for variable wall thicknesses and the creation of features like tacks, bumps, and windows, which can be customized on-site within a dental clinic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional suck-down processes are used to produce aligners, then the production process is simpler, but the customization of aligner thickness and design is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical suck-down forming process with CNC machining, substituting a simple vacuum-forming mechanism with a computer-controlled milling system. This enables precise control over aligner thickness and design features while maintaining production capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental production parameter from vacuum pressure and heat (suck-down) to controlled material removal through CNC milling. This parameter change enables variable wall thicknesses and complex geometric features that cannot be achieved with traditional forming methods.
2Productivity
If central facilities are used for producing orthodontic aligners, then production capacity is increased, but costs and time delays increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized production process into distributed, bench-top CNC systems that can be placed in individual dental clinics. This segmentation allows each clinic to produce its own aligners, eliminating the need for centralized facilities and reducing shipping and waiting time.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables dental clinics to become self-sufficient by producing their own aligners using bench-top CNC machines. This self-service approach eliminates dependence on external central facilities, reducing both time delays and associated costs.
3Manufacturing precision
If intermediate forming patterns are used in aligner production, then the manufacturing process is more controlled, but the number of production steps increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the intermediate forming patterns from the production process. Instead of creating separate pattern models that require additional forming steps, the CNC machine directly machines the final aligner from a block of material, achieving precision without the intermediate step.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary digital modeling and toolpath programming before the actual machining. This preliminary digital preparation ensures manufacturing precision is built into the process design, allowing direct machining without intermediate physical patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
A system produces orthodontic aligners by CNC machining. A digital model of the patient's dental anatomy is manipulated using CAD software to create a solid CAD model of an aligner. A CNC milling machine is then used to machine the inside and outside surfaces of the aligner from a block of suitable material. A progressive series of aligners can also be designed.