Ceramic processing for the direct manufacture of customized labial and lingual orthodontic brackets
AssigneeLightForce Orthodontics, Inc.
InventorAlfred Charles Griffin, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of manufacturing customized ceramic labial/lingual orthodontic brackets by digital light processing, said method comprises measuring dentition data of a profile of teeth of a patient, wherein measuring dentition data is performed using a CT scanner or intra-oral scanner, based on the dentition data, creating a three dimensional computer-assisted design (3D CAD) model of the patient's teeth using reverse engineering, and saving the 3D CAD model on a computer, designing a 3D CAD bracket structure model for a single labial or lingual bracket structure, importing the 3D CAD bracket structure model into a Digital Light Processing (DLP) machine, directly producing the bracket by layer manufacturing.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket by digital light processing, said method comprising:
- accessing data related to a 3D CAD bracket structure model for the customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket into a photo-reactive slurry-based Digital Light Processing (DLP) machine;
- and
- directly producing the customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket in the DLP machine by layer manufacturing, wherein a manufacturing accuracy is from 2 to about 60 micrometers (μm), and wherein a thickness of manufactured layers is from 5 to 100 μm based on resolution requirements of the customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket.
A customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket produced by digital light processing, the bracket comprising:
- a plurality of layers directly produced in a Digital Light Processing (DLP) machine by layer manufacturing, a shape of each layer consistent with a 3D CAD bracket structure model for the customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket;
- wherein a manufacturing accuracy of the bracket is from 2 to about 60 micrometers (μm), and wherein a thickness of the manufactured layers is from 5 to 100 μm based on resolution requirements of the customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket.
A non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors on a computing device, are operable to cause the one or more processors to:
- access data related to a 3D CAD bracket structure model for a customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket into a photo-reactive slurry-based Digital Light Processing (DLP) machine;
- and
- directly produce the customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket in the DLP machine by layer manufacturing, wherein a manufacturing accuracy is from 2 to about 60 micrometers (μm), and wherein a thickness of manufactured layers is from 5 to 100 μtm based on resolution requirements of the customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.