SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR CASTING PHYSICAL TOOTH MODEL

• US 20090053669A1
• Filed: 09/16/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: WEN, HUAFENG, LIU, FRANK ZHENHUAN
• Application Number:
  US12/211,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20090053669A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/34
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/0027 Base for holding castings
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/16 Curing flasks; Holders therefor
• 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 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

A casting chamber for casting a physical tooth model representing a patient'"'"'s tooth includes a chamber body and a lid. The chamber body includes a cavity adapted to hold a negative impression of the patient'"'"'s tooth and to receive a cast material, wherein the negative impression and the chamber body are registered by a registration unit. The chamber lid is configured to seal the cast material in the casting chamber to permit the casting material to solidify in the casting chamber to form a physical tooth model representing the patient'"'"'s tooth.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A casting chamber for casting a physical tooth model comprising:

a lid comprising a first alignment element mated,

a body comprising a cavity and a mounting plate disposed inside said cavity, wherein said mounting plate comprises one or more position references and is configured to accept a negative impression of a patient'"'"'s tooth or arch and to be detachably connected to a surface of said cavity, and

a base, wherein said lid and base are configured to be precisely mated to said body repetitively.

22. A method for casting a physical tooth model comprising the steps of:

attaching a negative impression of a patient'"'"'s tooth or arch to a mounting plate of a casting chamber,

pouring a cast material over said negative impression of the patient'"'"'s tooth or arch, and

solidifying the cast material to produce a physical tooth model.