Patent Application
20220175501
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for three-dimensional laminating and coloring a dental ceramic crown, in particular to an apparatus and method for forming and coloring a ceramic green body during three-dimensional lamination, simultaneously.
The color of dental crowns varies with race, region, and lifestyle. In general, the homonymous teeth of the upper jaw are not consistent with those of the lower jaw in color. In addition, the color of teeth is also closely related to age. The brightness of the natural teeth gradually decreases, and the color gradually becomes thicker along with grow in age. Furthermore, the natural teeth of the human kind are not of a single color, and the dental cervical portion, body, and incisal portion or an occlusal portion are different from each other in color. The incisal portion or the occlusal portion are brightest while the dental cervical portion has the maximum chroma. It is thus apparent that, in the traditional process of manufacturing dental ceramic crowns, coloring the dental ceramic crowns is a very important and complicated work, and it is a task that challenges the experience and ability of dental technicians.
In existing art for coloring zirconia ceramic articles, there are primarily two coloring techniques, namely an internal dyeing technique and an external dyeing technique. According to the internal dyeing technique, colored oxides are directly added into the raw ceramic material uniformly, or the ceramic article is pre-dyed, so that the raw ceramic article is colored before formation. According to the external dyeing technique, after the ceramic article is processed to form the dental prosthetic, it is immersed in a dyeing solution and then dried before sintered.
For example, as disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Publication No. I562972 entitled “Gradient ceramic block of dental mold and manufacturing method thereof”, the ceramic block that is processed by CAD/CAM is usually dyed in advance, so that the ceramic block has a color gradient. However, this method can only produce ceramic crowns with a standard gradient staining effect, and the boundaries between different stained layers are distinct, and are stacked regularly and unnatural. Moreover, after turning and shaping to form the dental prosthetic, it is still necessary to match the dental prosthetic with the patient's natural side teeth and colored before sintered. Accordingly, it is still a task that challenges the dental technician's experience and ability in color matching and coloring.
It is thus urgently needed to provide a manufacturing apparatus and method for dental ceramic crowns that may automatically form and color the dental ceramic crowns.
The main object of the present invention is to provide a method for forming and coloring a dental ceramic crown during three-dimensional lamination, wherein the color is quite natural, with good light transmittance, and can be customized to gradient coloring according to the color of the patient's remaining natural teeth, thereby eliminating or greatly reducing the color matching and coloring operations after the dental crown has been formed according to the traditional manufacturing process. The hardness and service life of the crown produced are not compromised, and the coloring process can be easily controlled.
To achieve the above objects, an apparatus for three-dimensional laminating and coloring a dental ceramic crown according to the present invention mainly includes a slurry layering module having a slurry tank receiving a slurry therein; a coloring module having at least one colorant tank storing a colorant therein; a light curing module; and a main controller electrically connected to the slurry layering module, the coloring module and the light curing module. The main controller comprises a memory module storing a plurality of laminated graphics and a plurality of coloring parameter data corresponding to the plurality of laminated graphics, the laminated graphics are obtained by slicing a three-dimensional image for the dental ceramic crown in a predetermined direction at a predetermined thickness. The slurry layering module is controlled by the main controller to uniformly lay the slurry from the slurry tank to form a slurry layer. The coloring module is controlled by the main controller according to the plurality of coloring parameter data to color the slurry layer with the colorant in the at least one color tank to form a colorant layer. The light curing module is controlled by the main controller to cure the slurry layer according to a plurality of laminated graphics.
According to the present invention, after a slurry layer is layered by the slurry layering module, the slurry layer is colored, and is then cured to form a predetermined shape. As such, the present invention can color each slurry layer, and can also change the coloring effect of each colorant layer as desired. As such, the coloring effect of the dental ceramic crown is quite natural, with good light transmittance, and the color is saturated without any blooming formed between the adjacent colored layers. It is possible to form various fine patterns on an outer surface of the dental ceramic crown in this manner.
Preferably, the main controller of the present invention may categorize the plurality of coloring parameter data into a plurality of coloring groups. The coloring groups may color the slurry layer with different amounts or colors. In other words, the present invention may use the coloring parameter data to categorize all the colorant layers into a plurality of coloring groups, in which the colorant layers in the same coloring group have the same color or the same spray coating amount, while the color formation performance among different coloring groups is designed to be different. As such, the gradient effect or other diversified display effects may be presented. In addition, the main controller of the present invention can categorize a plurality of coloring parameter data into a plurality of coloring groups based on different RGB color codes, so as to be readily compatible with existing inkjet control methods.
On the other hand, the spray coating amount of the plurality of coloring groups to color the slurry layer gradually decreases from the cervical portion toward the incisal portion or an occlusal portion of the crown to be formed. Accordingly, the present invention may present the color gradient of natural teeth by controlling the spray coating amount of the colorant that decreases from the crown cervical portion to the incisal portion or an occlusal portion.
In addition, the colorant used in the present invention can be a solution mixture of a solvent and at least one material selected from the group consisting of ferric nitrate, ferric chloride, praseodymium nitrate, and praseodymium chloride, or a solution mixture of a solvent and at least one material selected from the group consisting of erbium nitrate, erbium chloride, neodymium nitrate, neodymium chloride, cerium nitrate, and cerium chloride. The solvent can be selected from the group consisting of water, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, n-propyl alcohol, polar aprotic liquid and ethyl acetate.
To achieve the above object, a method for three-dimensional laminating and coloring a dental ceramic crown of the present invention includes a step (Sa) of preparing a slurry, at least one colorant, a plurality of laminated graphics and a plurality of coloring parameter data, wherein the plurality of laminated graphics are obtained by slicing a three-dimensional image for the dental ceramic crown to be formed in a predetermined direction at a predetermined thickness, and the plurality of coloring parameter data correspond to the plurality of laminated graphics; a step (Sb) of laying the slurry uniformly on a substrate to form a slurry layer; a step (Sc) of coloring the slurry layer with at least one colorant according to one of the plurality of coloring parameter data to form a colorant layer; a step (Sd) of curing the slurry layer according to one of the plurality of laminated graphics; a step (Se) of repeating the step (Sb) to the step (Sd) to form a ceramic crown green body; and a step (Sg) of sintering the ceramic crown green body at a high temperature to form a dental ceramic crown.
Preferably, in the step (Sc), the coloring module uses at least one colorant to color at least a portion of the circumference of the slurry layer to form the colorant layer according to one of the plurality of coloring parameter data. In other words, according to the method of the present invention, in the coloring step, it is not necessary to color the entire slurry layer, but only a partial area is colored. For example, only the surface layer that may be exposed from an oral cavity after the dental ceramic crown is installed shall be colored. Further, the colored region can also be colored with different colors to form various fine patterns.
In addition, the method of the present invention may comprise a step (S0) before the step (Sa), in which a coloring image is obtained by scanning or photographing a reference crown or an original crown to be replaced, and the plurality of coloring parameter data being obtained by slicing in a predetermined direction. In other words, in order to present the original appearance and color of the natural teeth, and to promote the color consistency between the dental ceramic crown and the other adjacent natural teeth, the present invention may first scan or take photos of the natural teeth, side teeth, or homonymous teeth to form a coloring image, and use this coloring image to produce the plurality of coloring parameter data. As such, the process may be fully automated, and no human intervention is required to draft or edit the color images or data for the dental ceramic crown. The color performance resulted is natural.
The present invention is related to an apparatus for three-dimensional laminating and coloring a dental ceramic crown. In the description, similar elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, the drawings of the present invention are illustrative, and are not necessarily drawn to scale, and all details are not necessarily be shown in the drawings.
Reference is made to
The powder material may comprises at least one of alumina powder, zirconia powder, and glass ceramic powder. The photo-curing resin may include at least one of a water-soluble resin and a water-dispersible resin. In this embodiment, the photo-curing resin is mainly composed of 30 wt % to 55 wt % of acrylate monomers, 30 wt % to 40 wt % of acrylate oligomers, 1 wt % to 4 wt % of photoinitiators, and 0 to 2 wt % of additives. The additive may be omitted and can be optionally added. The solvent can be 100% water or a mixed solvent of water and alcohol. For example, the mixed solvent contains water and at least one of ethanol (ET), isopropanol (IPA), propylene glycol (PG) and hexylene glycol (HG). The water is preferably deionized water.
The additives comprise at least one of a dispersant, binding agent, and plasticizer. In particular, the dispersant comprises at least one of polycarboxylate, polymer ammonium salt (such as ammonium polyacrylate), and polymer sodium salt (such as sodium polyacrylate). The plasticizer contains at least one of polyethylene glycol (such as PEG#200, PEG#400) and glycerin (glycerol) having a molecular weight in the range of 150 to 450. The plasticizer is mainly used to reduce the glass transition temperature of the binding agent so that the binding agent has better flexibility at room temperature. In addition, the binding agent comprises at least one of polyethylene glycol (such as PEG#2000, PEG#4000, PEG#6000), polyvinyl alcohol and polyethylene oxide having a molecular weight in the range of 1500 to 8000. The binding agent provides the strength of the ceramic green body after drying to resist the shearing force caused by the flat scraper 22 during laying, and adjusts the viscosity of the slurry to prevent particle sedimentation.
In addition, the bottom surface of the feeding portion 21 is provided with an elongated feeding trough (not shown). The feeding trough has a cross-section substantially in the shape of a funnel, which facilitates the uniform distribution of the slurry on the substrate 6. The flat scraper 22 comprises a blade-like member, and may flatten the slurry laid by the feeding portion 21. As shown in the drawings, the feeding portion 21 and the flat scraper 22 are both arranged on a chassis that can move in the X direction. As such, the slurry layering module 2 performs the layering operation while it is moving in the X direction. That is to say, the slurry is supplied through the feeding portion 21 on one hand, and is scraped over by means of the flat scraper 22 on the other hand.
The coloring module 3 includes a colorant tank 31 and an inkjet head 32. The colorant tank 31 accommodates a colorant which is a solution mixture of a solvent and a first solute group. The first solute group can be ferric nitrate, ferric chloride, praseodymium nitrate or praseodymium chloride. The solution mixture comprises 5 wt % to 20 wt % of the first solute group. The solvent can be water, alcohol (such as methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, and n-propanol), polar aprotic liquid (such as ketone and acetone), ethyl acetate and a mixture of water and alcohol, and/or a mixture of water and ketone. The solution mixture comprises 50 wt % to 95 wt % of the solvent.
Alternatively, in another aspect, the colorant may be a solution mixture of a solvent and a second solute group. The second solute group can be erbium nitrate, erbium chloride, neodymium nitrate, neodymium chloride, cerium nitrate or cerium chloride, and the second solute group is in an amount of 25 wt % to 50 wt %. The solvent may be water, alcohol (such as methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, and n-propanol), polar aprotic liquid (such as ketone and acetone), ethyl acetate, and a mixture of water and alcohol, and/or a mixture of water ketone, and the solvent is in an amount of 50 wt % to 95 wt %.
Alternatively, in a further aspect, the colorant may be a solution mixture of the first and second solute groups and solvents, for example, a mixture of ferric nitrate, erbium nitrate and solvent; a mixture of ferric chloride, erbium chloride and solvent; a mixture of praseodymium nitrate, neodymium nitrate and solvent, or a mixture of praseodymium chloride, neodymium chloride and solvent. In this case, the weight percentage of the solute may be similar to the case mentioned above, while the solvent can be presented in an amount of 30 wt % to 70 wt %. Furthermore, the inkjet head 32 according to this embodiment is a piezoelectric inkjet head, which is superior in its control ability of the colorant ink droplets. As such, high-precision coloring may be readily achieved.
The light curing module 4 according to this embodiment is a DLP (Digital Light Processing) UV optical machine, which is capable of emitting UV light on the slurry according to the laminated graphics to cure the slurry layerwise. It is noted that the substrate 6 of this embodiment is made of a material or structure having a water absorption rate of 5% or more, which is for example, a diatomaceous earth or a ceramic plate having porous medium. As a result, when the slurry is laid on the substrate 6, the substrate 6 may immediately and quickly absorb the moisture in the slurry, thereby greatly reducing the evaporation time of the moisture in the slurry to increase the production efficiency.
The main controller 5 of this embodiment is electrically connected to the slurry layering module 2, the coloring module 3 and the light curing module 4. The main controller 5 comprises a memory module 51 adapted to store a plurality of laminated graphics 511 and a plurality of coloring parameter data 512. The plurality of laminated graphics 511 are obtained by slicing a three-dimensional image for the dental ceramic crown in a predetermined direction at a predetermined thickness. The predetermined thickness corresponds to the layering thickness of the slurry, and the plurality of coloring parameter data 512 correspond to the plurality of laminated graphics 511.
In particular, each laminated graphic 511 is a cross-sectional image formed by slicing the three-dimensional image data for the dental ceramic crown in a horizontal direction at a predetermined thickness. That is, firstly, the three-dimensional image for the dental ceramic crown is transversely sliced layer by layer by an image processing unit to obtain a plurality of laminated graphics 511 based on a given thickness of the reaction layer (layering thickness of the slurry) of a subsequent process. Then, the laminated graphics can be used in the subsequent layerwise curing processes for forming the dental ceramic crown. The three-dimensional image data can be obtained through an optical 3D scanning system or through computer CAD drawing.
On the other hand, the plurality of coloring parameter data 512 generally correspond to the plurality of laminated graphics 511, that is to say, each laminated graphic 511 corresponds to a respective coloring parameter data 512. The coloring parameter data 512 of this embodiment are obtained by matching the colors of the patient's original teeth to be replaced or adjacent teeth. Now, reference is made to
In general, teeth are colored with gradient, that is, thick color gradually transitions to light color from the dental cervical portion to the incisal portion or the occlusal portion. It is given that the predetermined color code of the dental ceramic crown to be formed in this embodiment is A3, the color codes of the six coloring groups Gc1-Gc6 may be A4, A3.5, A3, A2, A1, and white (that is, not colored), and the percentage of the spray coating amount and RGB color codes of each group are as shown in the table below. As shown in the table below, the colorant in the colorant tank 31 is A4 color forming ink, and thus as long as the percentage of the spray coating amount (volume) is controlled, different colors can be presented. For example, if the percentage of the spray coating amount of A4 color forming ink in coloring group Gc1 is 100%, the spray coating amount of A2 color forming ink in coloring group Gc4 is half (50%) of that of the spray coating amount of the coloring group Gc1. However, it is noted that the method of controlling the specific spray coating amount can be realized simply through the inkjet control method of the grayscale graphics. In this embodiment, RGB value control is adopted. That is, RGB values are used to present different grayscale levels.
The following describes the manufacturing process of this embodiment: Firstly, the main controller 5 controls the slurry layering module 2 to uniformly lay the slurry from the slurry tank 20 on the substrate 6 to form a slurry layer Ls. the slurry layer Ls is dried in such a manner that the substrate 6 absorb a portion of the moisture in the slurry layer Ls for a few seconds. Next, the main controller 5 controls the coloring module 3 to color the slurry layer Ls with a colorant according to the corresponding coloring parameter data 512 to form a colorant layer Lc. In this step, if the predetermined thickness t of the sliced layer is comparatively thick, a few seconds may be needed to allow the colorant to gradually precipitate into the slurry layer Ls, so that the color formation of the slurry layer Ls is uniform. On the contrary, if the predetermined thickness t of the sliced layer is comparatively thin, no waiting time is needed.
Furthermore, the main controller 5 controls the light curing module 4 to emit UV light on the slurry layer Lc according to a corresponding laminated graphic 511, so as to cure the portion to be formed. As such, it is only necessary to repeat the steps of laying the slurry layer Ls, coloring, and light curing until the crown ceramic green body is formed. Finally, after the uncured slurry is removed, the crown ceramic green body is sintered at a high temperature to form a dental ceramic crown. The sintering temperature for ceramics is in the range of 1100° C. to 1700° C. (in general, the sintering temperature is 1100° C. to 1300° C. for glass ceramics, 1300□-1600□ for zirconia, and 1300□-1700□ for alumina) to produce a colored dental ceramic crown having a smooth and flat surface.
Reference is made to
Taking
In particular, as shown in
The preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrative only, and the claimed inventions are not limited to the details disclosed in the drawings and the specification. Accordingly, it is intended that it have the full scope permitted by the language of the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 109142993 | Dec 2020 | TW | national |
