Shape Memory Orthodontic Wire Baking Mold
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complex and expensive process of deforming orthodontic wires made from shape-memory materials into a target geometry for orthodontic treatment, which is not efficiently addressed by existing methods.
Innovation Solution
A method involving creating a patient-specific target setup, photographing and processing the bracket positions, and using CNC milling to create a baking mold with wire fixation sections, allowing the orthodontic wire to be shaped into the desired geometry through heating and cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If orthodontic wires made from shape memory material are deformed into target geometry using conventional methods, then the desired geometry can be achieved, but the process becomes very complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming the wire into the desired target geometry using a custom-made mold before insertion into the patient's mouth. The mold is designed based on the patient's specific dental model to pre-position the wire in the correct configuration, eliminating the need for complex deformation processes during treatment. This preliminary preparation simplifies the overall process while maintaining high manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a custom-made mold as an intermediary tool between the wire manufacturing process and the final application. This mold serves as a mediator that imparts the target geometry to the wire through a simple heating and shaping process, avoiding direct complex deformation operations on the wire itself. The mold acts as a temporary fixture that guides the wire into the correct position during the forming process.
2Manufacturing precision
If orthodontic wires made from shape memory material are deformed into target geometry using conventional methods, then the desired geometry can be achieved, but the production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By pre-forming the wire in a custom mold based on the patient's specific dental model, the patent eliminates the need for expensive, complex deformation equipment and procedures. The preliminary preparation of the wire in the correct geometry before insertion reduces production costs by using simpler, more straightforward manufacturing steps while maintaining the precision required for effective orthodontic treatment.
3Manufacturing precision
If steel wires are used for precise tooth movement, then precise positioning can be achieved, but they can only be used towards the end of treatment and not for initial alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by exploiting the temperature-dependent properties of shape memory materials. The wire is heated to a specific temperature to activate its shape memory effect, allowing it to transform from a deformed state back to its pre-programmed target geometry. This temperature parameter change enables the wire to provide both initial alignment forces and precise positioning capabilities throughout different stages of treatment, combining the advantages previously available only at different treatment phases.
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 method simplifies and cost-reduces the process of producing orthodontic wires in target geometry, enabling precise tooth alignment with reduced complexity and expense.
Implementation Method 1
The shape memory effect is based on a thermoelastic martensite transformation, a reversible phase transformation caused by shearing of the lattice planes. The cooling of the high-temperature phase, called austenite, below the alloy-specific martensite start temperature leads to the phase transformation without shape change and without irreversible plastic deformation
Implementation Method 2
Heating to a temperature above the alloy-specific austenite start temperature then leads to recovery of the original shape
Implementation Method 3
In the patient's mouth, the orthodontic wire is reheated and remembers its target geometry, into which it then wants to reshape. During this deformation, the orthodontic wire exerts a force on the brackets, causing the associated teeth to move
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for shaping an orthodontic wire made of a shape memory material into a target geometry for proper insertion into a patient-specific orthodontic appliance, comprising the following steps: a. Creating a patient-specific target setup of the patient's upper or lower jaw, b. Arranging brackets on the teeth to be treated in the target setup, c. Creating a 2D image of the target setup with brackets in a top view, d. Loading the image into a data processing system, e. Identifying the position of the bracket slots in the image, f. Exporting data on the position of the slots from the data processing system, g. Creating a baking mold for the shape memory wire, whereby wire fixation sections are generated in the baking mold using the data, which hold the wire in the areas corresponding to the slots during baking, h. Inserting the wire into the baking mold, and i. Baking the wire.