Two-Part Dental Impression Cap with Elastic Fingers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing impression caps for dental implants are costly to produce, difficult to manufacture due to precision requirements, and prone to shifting or sliding off during the impression process, especially when dealing with varying geometries and aesthetic considerations.
Innovation Solution
A two-part impression cap comprising a cylindrical body and a cap-shaped part with elastic fingers that engage the interior of the cylindrical body, providing a snap connection and additional stabilization features like milled recesses and an adhesive step-shaped portion, allowing for easier handling and adaptation to different abutments without the need for specialized tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If impression caps are designed with different shapes to adapt to various abutment geometries, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The impression cap is divided into two separable parts: a cylindrical body and a cap-shaped part. This segmentation allows the cap-shaped part to be removed and replaced with different variants adapted to specific abutment geometries, while reusing the same cylindrical body. This reduces the total number of components needed while maintaining adaptability to various abutment shapes.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylindrical body serves as a universal component that can accommodate multiple different cap-shaped parts. Each cap-shaped part is designed for a specific abutment geometry, but they all interface with the same cylindrical body through standardized engagement features (such as the square opening and insertion). This universal interface allows one cylindrical body to perform multiple functions with different cap variants.
2Ease of operation
If thin-walled flexible portions are added to enable snapping onto implants, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cap-shaped part incorporates elastic fingers that can dynamically deform during insertion and engagement. These flexible fingers bend as the cap is pressed onto the abutment and then spring back to engage with retention features (such as the groove in the abutment). This dynamic behavior allows for easy snap connection without requiring extremely precise thin-walled structures, as the elastic deformation compensates for minor dimensional variations.
3Ease of operation
If clamping devices are used to secure impression caps, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability against torsion decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement interface between the cap-shaped part and abutment incorporates curved or rounded features rather than sharp angular clamping points. The elastic fingers have curved tips that engage with rounded retention features on the abutment (such as a groove with rounded bottom). This curved engagement distributes forces more evenly and provides better resistance to torsional loads compared to point-contact clamping devices.
4Measurement precision
If precise geometric adaptation is ensured, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of manufacture worsens
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cap into a reusable cylindrical body and replaceable cap-shaped parts, the precision requirements are concentrated in the manufacturing of the cap-shaped parts, which are produced in smaller quantities for specific applications. The cylindrical body can be manufactured with standard tolerances and reused multiple times. This segmentation allows high-precision components to be manufactured only when needed for specific abutment geometries.
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 two-part design reduces production costs, enhances stability and ease of use, and allows for precise adaptation to various geometries, minimizing deviations during the impression process and improving the accuracy of dental prosthesis models.
Implementation Method 1
a cap-shaped part (3) which can be plugged onto the cylindrical body (2), the plug-on cap-shaped part (3) being provided with a plurality of fingers (4), which engage the interior of the cylindrical body (2)
Data Source
AI summary
A two-part impression cap for manufacturing a model for a dental implant, comprising: a cylindrical body and a cap-shaped part pluggable onto the cylindrical body, the cylindrical body and the cap-shaped part having a common central axis, the cap-shaped part being provided with elastic elements extending in the direction of the central axis, which elements are adapted to be bent towards the central axis and thus to create a tension in the elastic elements for engaging a groove in the interior of an abutment, adapter or the like, and the cylindrical body being adapted to fit tightly on the outside of the abutment, adapter or the like.