Maxillofacial Applications of Advanced Manufacturing Systems
Preliminary research at Loughborough has explored many imaging techniques and included laser surface scanners. Surface scanners have the advantage of being relatively inexpensive, fast, accurate, non-invasive, non-contact, and non-ionizing consisting of a low power laser beam which is moved along the face to be scanned. It is followed from an offset angle by a video camera that calculates the coordinates of the surface by triangulation and saves the data to a computer.
Direct writing technologies are able to use this data after processing to form three dimensional objects by addition of layers of material. These manufactured objects are thus custom designed for the patient but are engineered as compared with craft-based models. The processes developed reduces the number of steps and integrates into the traditional manufacturing methods improving speed of manufacture and the quality of the therapy.
Rapid Manufacturing
Takes 3D computer images for layer by layer construction of objects, using various Processes and Materials.
- Stereolithography Resins - e.g. epoxy
- Laser Sintering - Powdered thermoplastics
- Fused Depostion Modeling -Fused thermoplastics e.g. ABS
- Thermojet - Wax
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| Stereolithography | Laser Sintering |
Development of Technique - CAD Process
Integration of -
1. Laser Scanning: Use of a portable laser scanner - Polhemus FastScan digital scanner.
2. CAD processing: Converting cloud point data into STL file.
3. Rapid Manufacturing: Tooling using Thermojet Fused Deposition Modeling and Stereolithograpy.
4. Anaplastology: in clinics for fitting on to patients.
Cad Processing - Cloud Point Data
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Cad Processing - Cad Model Splint
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Rapid Manufacturing - Fused Model |
Rapid Manufacturing - Final Mould |
Partners
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