Laser cutting

• US 10,421,152 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2019
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Culp, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Jason
• Application Number:
  US16/265,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20190160590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 235 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/0006 Production methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/08 Mouthpiece-type retainers or positioners, e.g. for both the lower and upper arch arch-shaped medicament applicators for teeth or gums A61C19/063; mouthguards for protecting the teeth of sportsmen A63B71/085
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0626 Energy control of the laser beam B23K26/0622 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/064 by means of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors or prisms
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/08 Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/083 Devices involving movement of the workpiece in at least one axial direction
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0853 Devices involving movement of the workpiece in at least in two axial directions, e.g. in a plane
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0861 in at least in three axial directions
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/142 for the removal of by-products
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/38 by boring or cutting
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45041 Laser cutting

Abstract

Laser cutting systems and methods are described herein. One or more systems include a laser generating component, an optical component, a fixture for holding a support with a part positioned on the support, and a control mechanism for adjusting at least one of the laser generating component, the optical component, and the fixture such that a ratio of a laser energy applied to the part and a part material thickness is maintained within a predetermined acceptable range at each point along a cut path to cut through the part while maintaining the integrity of the support. Other systems and methods are disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a mold associated with a virtual treatment plan for incrementally moving teeth;

providing a sheet of material to be formed over the mold;

identifying a cut path for defining a dental appliance associated with the virtual treatment plan;

identifying at least one thickness of the sheet of material along the cut path;

forming a sheet of material over the mold to create a conformed sheet of material including the dental appliance and excess material to be removed from the conformed sheet of material;

formulating, based on the identified at least one thickness of the conformed sheet of material along the cut path, instructions to guide a laser along the defined cut path while maintaining integrity of the mold and while maintaining physical characteristics of the dental appliance;

trimming, using the laser, the conformed sheet of material to separate the formed dental appliance from the excess material along the defined cut path according to the formulated instructions; and

removing the dental appliance from the mold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the conformed sheet of material comprises a variable thickness due to the forming of the sheet of material over the mold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one thickness of the conformed sheet of material along the identified cut path comprises measuring or sensing the at least one thickness.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one thickness of the conformed sheet of material along the defined cut path comprises estimating the at least one thickness based on a virtual mold associated with the provided mold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying the thickness of the conformed sheet of material along the defined cut path comprises virtually modeling the formation process of the conformed sheet of material over the provided mold, estimating the thickness based on experiential data stored in memory, or some combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the thickness along the cut paths is determined or estimated for each point along the cut path or for certain lengths along the cut path.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the formulated instructions maintain a ratio of laser energy applied to the material and the identified thickness of the sheet of material along the defined cut path within a predetermined range at each point along the cut path.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined range of the ratio allows the laser to cut through the sheet of material along the cut path while maintaining mold integrity and preserving physical characteristics of the dental appliance.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the formulated instructions comprise a set of movement and speed adjustment instructions for moving the fixture relative to a laser generating component.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mold can be reused after removing the dental appliance from the mold.

11. A method comprising:

providing a series of specialized molds, each specialized mold of the series of specialized molds associated with a virtual treatment plan for incrementally moving teeth;

forming a respective series of sheets of material over the series of specialized molds, each sheet of the series of sheets conforming to respective molds of the series of specialized molds to create a series of conformed sheets of material, the series of conformed sheets of material forming a respective series of dental appliances associated with the virtual treatment plan and a respective series of excess material to be removed from the series of conformed sheets of material;

for each specialized mold of the series of specialized molds;

defining a cut path for removing the respective excess material from the respective conformed sheet of material;

formulating instructions to guide a laser from a laser generating component to cut through the respective conformed sheet of material along the cut path;

trimming, using the laser, the respective conformed sheet of material to separate the respective formed dental appliance from the respective excess material along the cut path according to the instructions; and

removing the respective dental appliance from each specialized mold.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining, for each specialized mold of the series of specialized molds, a thickness of the respective conformed sheet of material along each of the defined cut paths.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining, for each specialized mold of the series of specialized molds, the thickness of the respective conformed sheet of material along each of the defined cut paths comprises estimating the thickness based on virtual molds associated with each of the specialized molds.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining, for each specialized mold of the series of specialized molds, the thickness of the sheet of material along each of the defined cut paths comprises estimating the thickness by virtually modeling the forming formation process of the sheet of material over each of the specialized molds and/or estimating the thickness based on experiential data stored in memory.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the adjustment instructions maintain a ratio of laser energy applied to the material and the determined thickness of the sheet of material along each of the defined cut paths within a predetermined range at each point along the cut paths.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined range of the ratio allows the laser to cut through the sheet of material along the cut path while maintaining an integrity of the mold and/or maintaining physical characteristics of the dental material.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the adjustment instructions maintain the ratio within the predetermined range at each point along the cut paths by defining a set of movement and speed adjustment instructions for moving the fixture.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the series of specialized molds comprises creating a treatment plan, creating a virtual version of each of the specialized molds based on the created treatment plan, creating each of the specialized molds based on the virtual versions of each of the specialized molds;

and forming the sheet of material over the specialized molds.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the specialized molds can be reused after removing each of the dental appliances from each of the specialized molds.