Dental Manufacturing Network for Local Clinic Machine Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing dental products in clinics are time-consuming, costly, and prone to errors due to the need for external laboratories, which also complicate communication and compatibility with different manufacturing machines.
Innovation Solution
Integration of design and manufacturing functionalities within a clinical setting, allowing a clinical computer to interact with local manufacturing machines like 3D printers or milling machines over a computer network, enabling multiple clinical computers to use various machines and facilitating easy adjustments and rapid production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If dental clinics send designs to external laboratories for manufacturing, then manufacturing quality and expertise are ensured, but manufacturing time and communication complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud-based platform as an intermediary that connects dental clinics with multiple manufacturing machines and laboratories. This platform standardizes communication protocols, manages file formats, and coordinates manufacturing workflows, enabling clinics to access remote manufacturing capabilities while reducing communication complexity and tracking time more efficiently
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a universal manufacturing network where a single clinical computer can interact with multiple different types of manufacturing machines (3D printers, milling machines, sintering machines) through standardized interfaces. This universality allows clinics to select from various manufacturing options without needing separate systems for each machine type
2Adaptability or versatility
If dental clinics use multiple different manufacturing machines, then manufacturing capabilities are enhanced, but system compatibility and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal communication platform that enables a single clinical computer to interact with multiple different manufacturing machines through standardized protocols. The system automatically manages file format conversions, material specifications, and machine-specific parameters, allowing clinics to access diverse manufacturing capabilities without increasing operational complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where manufacturing machines report their status, capabilities, and completion status back to the clinical computer through the centralized platform. This automated feedback loop reduces the need for manual coordination and simplifies the management of multiple machines
3Productivity
If dental clinics establish in-house manufacturing, then manufacturing speed and cost are improved, but direct connection requirements and machine sharing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud-based scheduling and management platform that acts as an intermediary between multiple clinical computers and shared manufacturing machines. This platform handles job queuing, machine allocation, and access coordination, allowing multiple clinicians to utilize the same manufacturing equipment without direct connection complications or scheduling conflicts
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a dental component in a dental clinic or laboratory, the method including setting up one or more manufacturing machines for usage by a clinical computer over a computer network; designing, in a design software application on the clinical computer, the dental component to be manufactured; receiving, on the clinical computer, a status message from the one or more manufacturing machines indicating a status of the manufacturing machine(s); responsive to the status message(s), selecting a manufacturing machine for manufacturing the dental component; and sending the designed dental component from the clinical computer to the selected manufacturing machine over the computer network.