Mandibular Plate Bender for Precise Preoperative Implant Shaping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for bending mandibular plates during surgery are manual, lack precision in achieving desired angles, and result in fatigue failures and increased surgical time, which can lead to infections and suboptimal mechanical properties.
Innovation Solution
A semiautomatic, high-precision plate bender with a modular and transportable design, utilizing a synchronous pulley system for accurate plate advancement and a 2:1 transmission ratio to enhance torque and bending strength, along with a bending die system for titanium plates, minimizing human intervention and ensuring precise angulations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual bending is performed during surgery, then the surgeon can adapt the plate to the patient's bone, but the bending process causes multiple folds that reduce mechanical properties due to fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is bent in a preliminary planning phase using the semiautomatic bender before surgery, rather than during surgery. This preliminary action allows precise control of bending parameters and minimizes folds, preserving mechanical properties while still enabling adaptation to patient anatomy through digital planning
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical bending process is replaced with a semiautomatic bending system that uses controlled mechanical advantage through a 2:1 transmission ratio mechanism. This substitution provides precise angular control and reduces the number of folding operations needed, thereby preserving plate strength
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual bending is performed during surgery, then the plate can be adjusted, but the time invested in bending propitiates possible infections and delays surgeries
Solution Approach 1:
The plate bending is performed in advance during surgical planning using the semiautomatic bender, transferring the time-consuming operation from the surgical setting to a preoperative setting. This reduces surgical time and minimizes the risk of infection while maintaining plate adaptability through digital customization
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows for self-contained plate customization through digital planning and preoperative bending, reducing the need for time-consuming intraoperative adjustments by surgeons
3Ease of operation
If manual bending is performed without guaranteeing final bending angle, then the process is simple, but the precision in achieving desired angles is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The semiautomatic bender incorporates feedback mechanisms through digital planning and controlled transmission systems that provide visual and mechanical feedback on bending progress. The system monitors and controls the bending angle throughout the process, ensuring precise achievement of desired angles while maintaining ease of operation through automated control
Solution Approach 2:
The simple manual bending mechanism is enhanced with a controlled mechanical system featuring a 2:1 transmission ratio that provides mechanical advantage and precise angular control. This substitution maintains operational simplicity while dramatically improving bending angle precision
4Force
If a semiautomatic bender with 2:1 transmission ratio is used, then torque and bending strength are enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an intermediary mechanical transmission mechanism with 2:1 ratio to amplify the applied force. This intermediary system converts small input forces into large bending torques through controlled mechanical advantage, enhancing bending capability while keeping the overall device design relatively simple through the use of basic mechanical principles
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 reduces the number of bending operations, ensures accurate and strong plate deformation, improves mechanical properties, and streamlines the surgical process, reducing fatigue failures and infection risks while maintaining high-quality output.
Implementation Method 1
a feeding system (2), comprising an advance mechanism by synchronous pulleys (21), operated by a feeding servo (24)
Implementation Method 2
a power transmission system (52) formed by synchronous pulleys in transmission ratio 2:1, and a toothed belt (53)
Implementation Method 3
a bending dice system (4)... ensuring precise angulations
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
The present invention relates to a plate bender for mandibular implants and the process employing it, which is intended for improving the bending process of mandibular plates or implants, reducing the number of folds (bents) until obtaining the desired geometry, further reducing fatigue failures, costs and streamlining the process, by providing a high-precision, semiautomatic bender, with modular and transportable assembly.