Method and apparatus for manufacturing and constructing a physical dental arch model

• US 20060093992A1
• Filed: 11/02/2004
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Wen, Huafeng
• Granted Patent: US 7,384,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/213
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 9/002 Means or methods for correctly replacing a dental model, e.g. dowel pins; Dowel pin positioning means or methods
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

A method produces a physical dental arch model based on a three-dimensional (3D) digital dental arch model. The method includes smoothening the digital dental arch model to make the digital dental arch model suitable for CNC based manufacturing, segmenting the digital dental arch model into at least two manufacturable digital components, producing manufacturable physical components using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) based manufacturing in accordance with the manufacturable digital components, and assembling the manufacturable physical components to form the physical dental arch model.

Claims

1. A method for producing a physical dental arch model based on a three-dimensional (3D) digital dental arch model, comprising:

smoothening the digital dental arch model to make the digital dental arch model suitable for CNC based manufacturing;

segmenting the digital dental arch model into at least two manufacturable digital components;

producing manufacturable physical components using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) based manufacturing in accordance with the manufacturable digital components; and

assembling the manufacturable physical components to form the physical dental arch model.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the smoothened digital dental arch model satisfies one or more predetermine criteria for CNC based manufacturing.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising running a CNC simulator to determine if the smoothened digital dental arch model satisfies one or more predetermine criteria for CNC based manufacturing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein smoothening the digital dental arch model includes removing sharp gaps and divots in the teeth arch in the digital dental arch model.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the manufacturable digital components include a portion of a tooth, a whole tooth, a plurality of teeth, or a complete teeth arch.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the manufacturable digital components and the manufacturable physical components include features that permit the manufacturable physical components to be assembled into the physical dental arch model.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the features include one or more of a pin, a notch, a protrusion, a hole, an interlocking mechanism, a jig, and a pluggable or an attachable feature.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising

attaching or plugging the manufacturable physical components into each other to form the physical dental arch model.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the CNC based manufacturing includes milling, stereolithography, laser machining, and molding.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical dental arch model comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polymers, urethane, epoxy, plastics, plaster, stone, clay, acrylic, metals, wood, paper, ceramics, and porcelain.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a cast for a teeth arch from a patient; and

scanning the cast to obtain the digital data for the digital dental arch model.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a digital model for a base compatible with the digital dental arch model; and

producing the base that can be assembled with the manufacturable physical components.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the base comprises one or more features to assist the assembling with the manufacturable physical components, said features comprising one or more of a pin, a notch, a protrusion, a hole, an interlocking mechanism, a jig, and a pluggable or attachable feature.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising

attaching or plugging the manufacturable physical components into the base to form the physical dental arch model over the base.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

producing the physical base using CNC based manufacturing.

16. A system for producing a physical dental arch model, comprising:

a computer storage device that stores a three-dimensional (3D) digital dental arch model;

a computer processor that can smoothen the digital data in the digital dental arch model and segment the digital dental arch model into at least two manufacturable digital components suitable for CNC based manufacturing; and

an apparatus that can produce manufacturable physical components in accordance with the manufacturable digital components, wherein the manufacturable physical components can be assembled to form the physical dental arch model.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the apparatus can produce manufacturable physical components in accordance with the manufacturable digital components using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) based manufacturing.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

an apparatus that can produce a physical base that is adapted to receive the manufacturable physical components form the physical dental arch model on the base.

19. A physical dental arch model assembled from a plurality of manufacturable physical components, comprising:

two or more manufacturable physical components produced by Computer Numerical Control (CNC) based manufacturing in response to manufacturable digital components segmented from a three-dimensional (3D) digital dental arch model; and

a base adapted to receive the manufacturable physical components.

20. The physical dental arch model of claim 19, wherein the base is produced by Computer Numerical Control manufacturing.