Patent ID: 11931223
Assignee: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  B  G | IPC A  B  G

Claim 0:
1. An A three-dimensionally (3D) printed aligner comprising:
a plurality of additively manufactured layers;
a 3D printed body comprising forming a plurality of tooth-receiving cavities shaped to receive and to reposition a corresponding plurality of a patient's dentition from a first arrangement toward a second arrangement, wherein all of the tooth-receiving cavities are formed only from the plurality of additively manufactured layers;
a one or more interproximal areas integral to the 3D printed body, wherein the one or more interproximal areas form an interproximal region of at least two tooth-receiving cavities, the one or more interproximal areas composed of a first 3D printed cellular structure composed of the plurality of additively manufactured layers, wherein the first 3D printed cellular structure includes a first network of interconnected unit cells, the first network of interconnected unit cells having a first elongation characteristic corresponding to a first apparent Young's modulus within a range from 100 MPa to 5000 MPa, wherein the first 3D printed cellular structure has a porosity selected from a range from 25% to 75%, wherein the porosity is the volume of void space of the first 3D printed cellular structure divided by the volume of the first 3D printed cellular structure, and wherein the one or more interproximal areas comprise a non-linear force-strain profile comprising a force within a range from 5 N to 12.5 N over a strain within a range from 0.02 to 0.12; and
a one or more remainder areas integral to the 3D printed body, wherein the one or more remainder areas form a remainder of the 3D printed body in view of the at least two tooth-receiving cavities, at least a portion of the one or more remainder areas being proximate to the one or more interproximal areas, the one or more remainder areas having a second elongation characteristic corresponding to a second apparent Young's modulus different from the first apparent Young's modulus.