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 additive manufacturing, said method comprising:
- accessing data related to a 3D CAD bracket structure model for the customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket into an additive manufacturing machine;
- and
- directly producing the customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket in the additive manufacturing machine by layer manufacturing, wherein a manufacturing accuracy is from 2 to about 60 micrometers (μm) and is achieved by predicting, using between layer additive error compensation, an amount of polymerization shrinkage, and wherein a thickness of manufactured layers is from 5 to 100 μm based on resolution requirements of the customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket.
At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform:
- accessing data related to a 3D CAD bracket structure model for a customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket into an additive manufacturing machine;
- and
- directly producing the customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket in the additive manufacturing machine by layer manufacturing, wherein a manufacturing accuracy is from 2 to about 60 micrometers (μm) and is achieved by predicting, using between layer additive error compensation, an amount of polymerization shrinkage, 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 additive manufacturing, the bracket comprising:
- a plurality of layers directly produced in an additive manufacturing 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 is from 2 to about 60 micrometers (μm) and is achieved by predicting, using between layer additive error compensation, an amount of polymerization shrinkage, and wherein a thickness of manufactured layers is from 5 to 100 μm based on resolution requirements of the customized labial/lingual orthodontic bracket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.