Patent ID: 9107725
Filing Date: 2015-08-18
Classification: A61C,B22F,B23K,B33Y,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing an orthodontic appliance comprising: guiding a laser beam over a surface portion of a green body composed of particles held together by a binder in the shape of the orthodontic appliance to vaporize, melt, and/or decompose the binder at a point being hit by the laser beam; removing particles from the surface portion of the green body where the binder has been vaporized, melted, and/or decomposed to yield a laser-cut portion defined by the remaining particles of the green body, the laser-cut portion having a shape that is related to a negative shape of a lingual side or a buccal side of a tooth; and heating the green body to remove additional binder following removal of the binder during guiding of the laser beam over the surface portion, wherein heating includes sintering the particles together to form a sintered body including a sintered laser-cut portion that has the negative shape of the lingual side or the buccal side of the tooth so as to form a bonding surface of the orthodontic appliance, and wherein guiding the laser beam forms the laser-cut portion having at least one of a plurality of protrusions, recesses, and undercuts.