Loading patent…
OwnerMarco Brandestini, Werner H. Moermanninventors
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus for machining a custom-shaped dental restorative part from a blank of dental material yield the entire part in a single operation, and include a workpiece being mounted on a support member which facilitates rotation and axial movement of the workpiece. A separating disk is used for almost the entire machining operation, and an additional tool in the shape of a burr can optionally be provided to shape more elaborate pieces. The disk and burr are supported by a tool holder which is supported for movement parallel to and rotationally about an axis. The disk and burr are powered by a closed loop fluid supply arrangement. A tool velocity sensing scheme is utilized for adaptive feed and to compensate for tool wear. The machining mechanism and associated control circuitry are enclosed in a common cabinet so as to provide a mobile unit suitable for use in a dentist's office.
A method of fabricating a custom shaped dental implant which has an external surface, comprising the steps of removably supporting a workpiece blank on a workpiece support, and then completely machining said implant, including all of said external surface thereof, from said prefabricated workpiece blank without removing said workpiece blank from said workpiece support during the machining of said implant, said machining step terminating with the step of detaching said implant from a portion of said workpiece blank remaining on said workpiece support.
A method of machining from a workpiece a dental implant having a three-dimensional external surface, comprising the steps of rotating said workpiece about a first axis, and machining the entire external surface of said implant by moving a machining part relative to said rotating workpiece in a direction parallel to said first axis and by selectively effecting movement of said machining part in directions radially of said first axis.
A method of fabricating a custom-shaped dental implant for an irregularly shape cavity in a tooth, comprising the steps of rotating a prefabricated workpiece blank about an axis of rotation and machining therefrom said implant, said machining step including the step of machining axially facing external surfaces on opposite sides of said implant which are each intersected by said axis of rotation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.