Patent ID: 6126521
Filing Date: 2000-10-03
Classification: A61C,B21C,B21F,B21K,B23B,B23P,B24B

Abstract:
In a process of producing an endodontic instrument with a predetermined taper having a plurality of flutes each with a predetermined number of spirals over a predetermined length of the instrument wherein a first grinding wheel having a plurality of flute grinding ribs extending from a periphery thereof is rotated about a first axis, a rotating wire stock is fed past the plurality of flute grinding ribs at a controlled feed rate along a second axis so that a separate spiraled flute is ground on the wire stock by each of the flute grinding ribs and the grinding wheel or the wire stock is simultaneously translated such that a distance between the first and second axes increases as the wire stock is fed whereby a single pass of the wire stock past the plurality of flute grinding ribs produces a tapered multi-fluted endodontic instrument, the improvement which comprises:providing a rolled deformed metal grinding rib on said first grinding wheel positioned to make grinding contact with said wire stock after each of said flute grinding ribs have made grinding contact with said wire stock and to follow the spiraled path of the first flute grinding rib to make grinding contact with said wire stock whereby rolled deformed metal extending from the flute last ground on said wire stock is removed therefrom.