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March 2009 | Dental Lab Products
Forward trends: Digital Outsourcing


Concept: CAD/CAM

By Pam Johnson


A number of new CAD/CAM technologies still in the research stage may emerge in the next 5 to 10 years or sooner to yet again change the face of dental technology.

Femtosecond laser technology: Ultrashort laser pulses lasting just 50 to 1,000 femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second) offer the possibility to cut through hard and soft materials with extreme 0.1-mm precision. The ultrashort pulses are too brief to transfer heat or shock to the material being cut unlike conventional cutting and machining technologies and offer minimal collateral damage. Not only does this technology hold promise for CAD/CAM applications but also for chairside drilling and soft-tissue applications.

To see an image of a restoration manufactured using femtosecond technology, click here.

Direct write technology: This technology encompasses a range of energy-efficient, rapid prototype (RP) fabrication technologies that can be used to progressively manufacture complex, customized, or personalized structures layer by layer using specialized “inks” such as liquid, acrylic, wax, powders, or suspensions. The ink is delivered through specialized nozzles along the “tool path,” defining the designed restoration to create the complex 3D part. As the ink leaves the nozzle, it freezes instantaneously into the desired shape.

Ceramic injection molding (CIM): This technology uses very fine ceramic powders mixed with thermoplastic binders to form a liquid medium that can carry the ceramic powder to the mold during the injection stage. The liquid ceramic is forced into a mold cavity forming the final shape. Following injection, the mold is then put through pyrolysis to remove the binder and then sintered to achieve full density. Moran Technical Ceramics is one of the leading companies in this field and will be exhibiting at this month’s International Dental Show (IDS) in Cologne, Germany. 

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