Patent ID: 8694142
Filing Date: 2014-04-08
Classification: A61C,B22F,B33Y,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing customized lingual orthodontic brackets by selective laser melting, said method comprising: (1) measuring dentition data of a profile of teeth of a patient, wherein measuring dentition data is performed using a CT scanner; (2) based on the dentition data, creating a three dimensional computer assisted design (3D CAD) model of the patient's teeth using reverse engineering, and saving the 3D CAD model on a computer; (3) designing a 3D CAD model for a single lingual bracket structure, wherein the model includes at least a) the bottom plate in contact with a particular tooth's surfaces, b) slots for ideal positioning according to the orthodontia needs of the patient, c) a bracket material, and d) the particular tooth's profile; (4) importing the 3D CAD bracket structure model into a Selective Laser Melting (SLM) machine, wherein the SLM machine comprises a molding compartment and a material compartment, and the molding compartment comprises a platform and a plunger, and directly producing the bracket by layer manufacturing, wherein the bracket is produced in a sealed chamber filled with inert gas and wherein a fiber laser is used for selective laser melting, wherein producing the bracket by layer manufacturing comprises using slicing software to separate the 3D CAD bracket structure model into layers and to get a horizontal section model for each layer to ensure that the shape of each layer produced by the SLM machine is consistent with the 3D CAD structure data, wherein directly producing the bracket by layer manufacturing further comprises a) spreading a powder on the platform of the molding compartment; b) scanning the powder with the fiber laser; c) descending the plunger of the molding compartment by one layer distance and raising the plunger of the material compartment by one layer distance; d) repeating steps a)-c); and e) removing the bracket from the SLM machine; and wherein each layer produced by the SLM machine comprises a different alloy or composition of powder, such that the bracket has a gradient; and (5) processing the bracket surface based on clinical demand.