ULTRASONIC TOOTH MAKING MACHINE

Abstract

An ultrasonic tooth making machine comprises: a tooth making machine, a work table, and a vibration device. The tooth making machine has a machine tool to perform machining operation. The work table is mounted on the tooth making machine to hold a rough blank tooth, and the work table and the machine tool are able to move with respect to each other. The vibration device is located between the work table and the rough blank tooth to put the rough blank tooth in an ultrasonic vibration environment. When the machine tool is controlled to move with respect to the work tale while the vibration device is powered on, the rough blank tooth, in the ultrasonic vibration environment, is capable of being machined into at least one artificial tooth at one time.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic tooth making machine which offers the advantages of quick tooth making, high precision size, resistant to deformation and high efficiency of powder waste and scraps removing.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] A conventional tooth making process generally comprises the following steps:

[0005] 1, the patient goes to a dental clinic, the dentist grinds down the patient's tooth and makes an imprint (negative mould) of the tooth by dental impression.

[0006] 2. injecting plaster into the negative mould, and the plaster dries to form a plaster tooth model (positive mould).

[0007] 3. grinding the plaster model and implanting positioning pins into the plaster tooth model.

[0008] 4. injecting plaster into the base model and joining the base model to the plaster tooth model which has been coated with releasing agent.

[0009] 5. after the plaster dries, sawing open the tooth model, grinding and trimming the single tooth model which is to be made into an artificial tooth, then the preparation for making a ceramic artificial tooth is finished.

[0010] 6. using sculpture wax to sculpture a shape of a metal base of the ceramic artificial tooth on the tooth model.

[0011] 7. fixing wax strips which stand in an upright position on a conical rubber base, fixing the wax strips with iron sleeve and injecting high-temperature embedding material into the iron sleeve to cover the artificial tooth.

[0012] 8. heating the iron sleeve which surrounds the wax strips by putting it into a dewaxing oven.

[0013] 9. when the iron sleeve is heated to a predetermined temperature, using propane oxygen torch to melt down the denture alloy, using a centrifugal casting machine to inject the melted alloy into the tooth model.

[0014] 10. after the iron sleeve cools down, breaking the embedding material and taking out the metal artificial tooth model, using a sandblasting machine to clean the surface of the metal tooth base.

[0015] 11. forming a metal base of the ceramic artificial tooth by grinding the metal tooth base.

[0016] 12. treating the metal tooth base with sandblasting, ultrasound and high temperature steam cleaning, coating it with an opaque layer and heating it putting into an electromagnetic oven, coating with a second opaque layer after the metal tooth base cools down, then heating by putting it back into the electromagnetic oven again.

[0017] 13. after the metal tooth base cools down, piling ceramic powder onto the metal tooth base, the ceramic powder includes the dentin color ceramic powder forming the body, the enamel color ceramic powder, and the translucent ceramic powder, then heating the metal tooth base by putting it into the electromagnetic oven to form the ceramic artificial tooth.

[0018] 14. after forming the ceramic artificial tooth, grinding, cutting and trimming the ceramic artificial tooth to fit it into the plaster model.

[0019] 15. glazing and putting into the electromagnetic oven again.

[0020] 16. after the ceramic tooth cools down, polishing the ceramic tooth and cleaning the ceramic tooth and the plaster model with high pressure steam.

[0021] In general, the conventional tooth making process is time consuming and will suffer the problem of thermal expansion and contraction, and therefore, the resultant tooth is likely to be deformed.

[0022] The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic tooth making machine which offers the advantages of quick tooth making, high precision size, resistant to deformation and high efficiency of powder waste and scraps removing.

[0024] To achieve the above objective, an ultrasonic tooth making machine in accordance with the present invention comprises: a tooth making machine, a work table, and a vibration device.

[0025] The tooth making machine has a machine tool to perform machining operation.

[0026] The work table is mounted on the tooth making machine to hold a rough blank tooth, and the work table and the machine tool are able to move with respect to each other.

[0027] The vibration device is located between the work table and the rough blank tooth to put the rough blank tooth in an ultrasonic vibration environment.

[0028] When the machine tool is controlled to move with respect to the work tale while the vibration device is powered on, the rough blank tooth, in the ultrasonic vibration environment, is capable of being machined into at least one artificial tooth at one time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] FIG. 1 is an illustrative view of an ultrasonic tooth making machine in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] FIG. 2 is a front view of the ultrasonic tooth making machine of FIG. 1;

[0031] FIG. 3 is a side view of the ultrasonic tooth making machine of FIG. 1;

[0032] FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded view of a part of the ultrasonic tooth making machine of FIG. 1;

[0033] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a part of FIG. 4;

[0034] FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view of a final product of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of FIG. 6;

[0036] FIG. 8 is an illustrative view of an ultrasonic tooth making machine in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] FIG. 9 is a front view of the ultrasonic tooth making machine of FIG. 8;

[0038] FIG. 10 is an enlarged exploded view of a part of the ultrasonic tooth making machine of FIG. 9;

[0039] FIG. 11 is an illustrative view of a final product of the second embodiment of the present invention; and

[0040] FIG. 12 is an enlarged exploded view of a part of the ultrasonic tooth making machine of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] The present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

[0042] Referring to FIGS. 1-5, an ultrasonic tooth making machine in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises: a tooth making machine 10, a work table 20, and a vibration device 30.

[0043] The tooth making machine 10 includes a machine tool 11 to perform machining operation.

[0044] The work table 20 is mounted on the tooth making machine 10 to hold a rough blank tooth 91, and the work table 20 and the machine tool 11 are movable with respect to each other.

[0045] The vibration device 30 is located between the work table 20 and the rough blank tooth 91 to put the rough blank tooth 91 in an ultrasonic vibration environment.

[0046] When the machine tool 11 is controlled to move relative to the work tale 20 while the vibration device 30 is powered on, the rough blank tooth 91, in the ultrasonic vibration environment, can be machined at one time into at least one artificial tooth 92.

[0047] In real application, the tooth making machine 10 includes the machine tool 11, a movable device 12 and a tool magazine 13. The movable device 12 includes an X axis movable portion 121, a Y axis movable portion 122 and a Z axis movable portion 123. The movable device 12 controls the machine tool 11 to move along the X axis, Y axis and the Z axis, so that the machine tool 11 can move with respect to and machine the rough blank tooth 91 at predetermined positions. The machine tool 11 is received in the tool magazine 13.

[0048] In the first embodiment, the work table 20 takes the form of a rotary device to drive the vibration device 30 and the machine tool 11 to rotate in a vertical manner, so as to enable the machine tool 11 to machine the rough blank tooth 91 which vertically rotates in the ultrasonic vibration environment into the artificial tooth 92.

[0049] The rough blank tooth 91 includes a glass-ceramic head 911 mounted on a glass-ceramic base 912, as shown in FIGS. 4-7.

[0050] The artificial tooth 92 can be ceramic tooth for tooth implant.

[0051] Referring to FIGS. 8-10, an ultrasonic tooth making machine in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is similar to the first embodiment except that: the work table 20 is a fixed stationary device, the vibration device 30 is located between the work table 20 and the rough blank tooth 91 to the machine tool 11 to machine the rough blank tooth 91 which is in the ultrasonic vibration environment into a plurality of artificial teeth 92 at one time.

[0052] The rough blank tooth 91 includes a glass-ceramic head 911, as shown in FIGS. 10-12.

[0053] The plurality of artificial teeth 92 are ceramic artificial teeth.

[0054] When the machine tool 11 is performing vibration machining on the rough blank tooth 91, the (ultrasonic) vibration device 30 can be used in combination with cleansing liquid (which is of conventional art) to carry away the machining-caused powder or scraps with the cleansing liquid.

[0055] In general, the present invention offers the following advantages:

[0056] 1) the rough blank tooth can be machined at one time into a ceramic artificial tooth (for this machining method, the work table is a rotary device, the rough blank tooth includes a glass-ceramic head mounted on a glass-ceramic base), or the rough blank tooth can be machined into a plurality of artificial teeth (for this machining method, the work table is a stationary device and the rough blank tooth is a unitary glass-ceramic structure), hence, tooth making by using the device of the present invention is real quick.

[0057] 2) the rough blank tooth is directly machined into an artificial tooth by using the machine tool without the thermal expansion and contraction problem caused by molding process, the size of the tooth formed by the present invention is precisely controlled and the formed tooth is resistant to deformation.

[0058] 3) the whole tooth making process is carried out in a ultrasonic environment, namely, there is no powder or scraps left in the tooth making process.

[0059] While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it is clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic tooth making machine comprising: a tooth making machine having a machine tool to perform machining operation, a movable device and a tool magazine; a work table mounted on the tooth making machine to hold a rough blank tooth, and the work table and the machine tool being able to move with respect to each other; and a vibration device located between the work table and the rough blank tooth to put the rough blank tooth in an ultrasonic vibration environment; wherein the movable device including an X axis movable portion, a Y axis movable portion and a Z axis movable portion, the movable device controls the machine tool to move along the X axis, Y axis and the Z axis, so that the machine tool is able to move with respect to and machine the rough blank tooth at predetermined positions, and the machine tool is received in the tool magazine, when the machine tool is controlled to move with respect to the work tale while the vibration device is powered on, the rough blank tooth, in the ultrasonic vibration environment, is capable of being machined into at least one artificial tooth at one time.

2. The ultrasonic tooth making machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the work table takes the form of a rotary device to drive the vibration device and the machine tool to rotate in a vertical manner, so as to enable the machine tool to machine the rough blank tooth which vertically rotates in the ultrasonic vibration environment into the artificial tooth.

3. The ultrasonic tooth making machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rough blank tooth includes a glass-ceramic head mounted on a glass-ceramic base, the artificial tooth is a ceramic tooth for tooth implant.

4. The ultrasonic tooth making machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the work table is a fixed stationary device, the vibration device is located between the work table and the rough blank tooth to the machine tool to machine the rough blank tooth which is in the ultrasonic vibration environment into the artificial tooth at one time.

5. The ultrasonic tooth making machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the rough blank tooth includes a glass-ceramic head, and the plurality of artificial teeth are ceramic artificial teeth.

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