3D Printing Dental Arches With Internal Couplings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stereolithography systems face challenges in improving productivity while maintaining dimensional accuracy, as existing support structures require more material, lead to scarring, and reduce the number of articles that can be printed simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a vertical arrangement of dental arches with internal couplings for support, reducing material usage and scarring, and allowing for longer unattended operation and increased productivity by minimizing the need for frequent support tray changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional external support structures are used, then support stability is improved, but material usage increases and scarring occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is nested within the object itself through internal couplings that form part of the dental arch framework. The couplings are integrated into the object's internal geometry, allowing the object to support itself during printing without external scaffolding. This eliminates the need for separate external support structures and reduces material usage while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful external support structures are extracted from the printing process. Instead of using external scaffolds that require removal and cause scarring, the patent extracts the support function and embeds it within the object through internal couplings. This eliminates the scarring problem and reduces overall material consumption.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional external support structures are used, then support stability is improved, but scarring of the object increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support function is nested within the object's internal structure through couplings that are part of the dental arch framework. This eliminates the need for external support structures that would otherwise leave scars on the object's surface. The internal couplings provide the necessary support without contacting the external surface, thus preventing scarring.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful external support structures are completely extracted from the printing process. The support function is transferred to internal couplings that are integrated into the object itself, eliminating the source of scarring while maintaining structural stability during printing.
3Manufacturing precision
If single article printing is used, then dimensional accuracy is maintained, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple dental arch articles are merged into a single printing job by arranging them vertically on the support tray. The internal couplings allow each arch to be printed as part of an integrated structure, enabling simultaneous fabrication of multiple articles in one continuous printing process. This maintains dimensional accuracy while significantly improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from printing single articles to printing multiple articles in a vertical arrangement dimension. By stacking dental arches vertically and using internal couplings to connect them, the system utilizes the vertical dimension to print multiple articles simultaneously, increasing productivity without compromising the dimensional accuracy of individual arches.
4Manufacturing precision
If frequent support tray changes are required, then article quality is maintained, but labor costs and machine utilization time increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple articles are merged into a single support tray arrangement, allowing them to be printed simultaneously in one continuous process. This eliminates the need for frequent tray changes and reduces machine idle time, while the internal couplings ensure each article maintains its quality throughout the extended printing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The printing process achieves continuity by printing multiple articles in sequence on the same support tray without interruption or tray changes. The internal couplings enable stable printing of vertically arranged articles, allowing the useful printing action to continue uninterrupted for extended periods, thereby reducing loss of machine utilization time.
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
This approach enhances machine utilization, reduces labor costs, and maintains high dimensional accuracy by using internal couplings for primary support, minimizing material usage, and allowing for more efficient printing of dental arches with reduced scarring.
Implementation Method 1
A typical stereolithography system includes a resin vessel holding the photocurable resin, a movement mechanism coupled to a support surface, and a controllable light engine. The stereolithography system forms a three dimensional (3D) article of manufacture by selectively curing layers of the photocurable resin.
Data Source
AI summary
A three-dimensional printing system includes a resin vessel, a support tray, a motorized carriage, a light engine, and a controller. The resin vessel has a lower side with a transparent sheet which provides a lower bound for photocurable resin contained within the vessel. The support tray has a lower face for supporting an object being fabricated. The motorized carriage is for supporting and vertically positioning the support tray. The light engine is for projecting radiation up through the transparent sheet to a build plane. The controller operates the motorized carriage and the light engine to fabricate the object. The object includes a vertical arrangement of dental arches suspended from the lower face and a plurality couplings that connect pairs of the dental arches.