3-D printing

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Oh wow! That's pretty cool. My local public library actually has a pretty nifty "learning center" in it with a Makerbot 3D printer, a laser printer and a few other nifty gizmos that are free for the public to use (if you attend their orientation classes to learn how). I took my family to the orientation class for the laser printer (real laser - cuts/etches wood, metal, acrylic, cardboard, etc.) and it was pretty interesting. Haven't managed to attend the class for the 3D printer yet though.
 
That's pretty cool. The closest thing my library has to that is a Lego club. Unfortunately I'm too old for it. :paperbag: My youngest has gone several times though. I've seen some pretty amzing things built with the 3-d printers, usually the big expensive ones, this seemed kind of like a hack to make the stuff the bigger ones make using a more moderate sized/priced one. The article is a ~2 years old but it was new to me, and I thought it still seemed pretty hi-tech, even in this world where after 6 months every things is out of date. :loco:
 
I'm a dental lab tech. We a getting our first printer next month. We are going to use it to construct metal frameworks. Instead of hand waxing the framework on a cast of the patients mouth, the cast will be laser scanned, designed and then printed on to the cast. The printed cast will then be invested, burned out and cast in metal similar to the tech in the video in 11CP1s post.
Even though its not in my department I going to try to get some time on it. It will be tough because us oldtimers are usually last in line for training on the new technology.
 
Chigg said:
I'm a dental lab tech. We a getting our first printer next month. We are going to use it to construct metal frameworks. Instead of hand waxing the framework on a cast of the patients mouth, the cast will be laser scanned, designed and then printed on to the cast. The printed cast will then be invested, burned out and cast in metal similar to the tech in the video in 11CP1s post.
Even though its not in my department I going to try to get some time on it. It will be tough because us oldtimers are usually last in line for training on the new technology.
Click to expand...

That's very interesting. If you would indulge my ignorance what all are the metal frameworks for? Is this for dentures, braces, retainers? What do they make stuff like crowns and caps from? I know when I had a root canal it took weeks for them to get the replacement tooth in, and even then some more on the spot fitting, shaping and whatever else he did to it. Would it be possible, do you think, to make stuff like that and cut down on the waiting time and also maybe reduce costs?
 
heh

select a completely new head from a brochure and overlay the original (-:

While you wait / in your lunch break
 
good point !

Depends on how well the nerve endings connect to the overlay I reckon
 
Sorry 11C1P, I have been down with back issues, haven't been online this week. The framework is for partial dentures that will have replacement teeth bonded onto it.
Because teeth are mobile the longer the time between the prep of the tooth and the seating of the crown the more likely chairside adjustments will be needed.
As far as crowns we still do some old school porcelain fused to metal, then you have all porcelain with no metal substructure. Most of the crowns we do now the model of the prepped tooth is scanned, the crown designed and then milled out of blocks of Zirconia. Some docs can scan right in the mouth, design and mill crown right in the office. One office visit crown.
For posterior teeth the milled crown gets a little touchup and is ready to bond in the mouth. Because the blocks of Zirconia are one color/shade, for anterior teeth, the milled crowns are cut back and custom stained to match natural teeth.
We are doing a lot of dentures over titanium implants. Digital dentures are available now but they still have a lot of bugs to work out.
The technology is moving so fast it seems that by the time you get a system worked out where prices would start to come down, it has become obsolete and you have to invest in the new tech which keeps prices up.
 
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