Patent Application
20080070186
The invention concerns a holding apparatus, in particular a holding apparatus which can be fastened to a carrier plate of a copy milling device, for fixing a dental object, in particular a model body, wherein the in particular disk-shaped holding apparatus has a through opening for receiving the dental object.
Copy milling devices are used in particular for the production of workpieces of a complicated three-dimensional shape. In that respect, a model body of a dental object is mechanically scanned by means of a scanning device, the deflections of the scanning pin being transmitted synchronously to a motor-driven machining tool and the machining tool, in a cutting machining operation, for example by milling or grinding, machining a shaped body identical to the model body, from a shaping blank. A copy milling device of that kind is described by way of example in the present applicant's Austrian patent application No A 1992/2004.
In that case the holding apparatus serves for fixing or fastening the model body and in general, just like the shaping blank to be machined, is fastened to the carrier plate of a copy milling device of that kind.
In the previously known holding apparatuses the dental object is glued into a receiving opening of a disk-shaped holding element of plastic material, wherein the receiving opening is generally milled and the outline of the receiving opening is matched to the contour of the model body.
Holding apparatuses of that kind admittedly represent a certainly satisfactory fastening option for the model body, but in particular the operation of milling out the receiving opening which is matched to the contour of the model body has proven to be complicated and time-consuming.
Therefore the object of the invention is to develop a holding apparatus of the kind referred to in the opening part of this specification, in such a way that fastening of the dental object in the holding apparatus is simplified.
That object is attained with the holding apparatus according to the invention in that at least one preferably movably mounted fastening means which projects into the through opening for fixing the dental object is arranged or can be arranged at the holding apparatus.
That measure according to the invention permits fastening of a dental object in the through opening of the holding apparatus by way of fastening means which are movable into the through opening so that, in contrast to the state of the art, the size of the through opening no longer plays an essential part, that is to say the outline of the through opening no longer has to be matched to the contour of the model body. In other words, the preferably movably mounted fastening means allow adaptation of the outline of the through opening to the contour of the model body.
A simple possible way of positioning the fastening means is achieved if, as an embodiment of the invention provides, the substantially flat holding apparatus has at least one guide path opening into the through opening for receiving the at least one, preferably bar-shaped fastening means, wherein, in accordance with a preferred embodiment, the holding apparatus at its top side has at least one guide path in channel or groove form.
It is particularly advantageous in that respect if the holding apparatus at its top side has a plurality of differently oriented guide paths which are in channel and/or groove form and which respectively open into the through opening and are adapted to receive a fastening means, so that this ensures that the dental object is held in the through opening by way of a plurality of fastening means engaging the peripheral surface of the model body at different points.
If in accordance with a further embodiment the holding apparatus is of an at least region-wise magnetic nature and the fastening means are formed by metal pins, that affords a solution which is particularly simple to handle and which prevents the fastening means from uncontrolledly slipping to and fro in the guide paths.
In that respect it is immaterial whether magnets are or can be arranged on the underside of the holding apparatus, preferably in opposite relationship to the guide paths provided on the top side or whether the guide paths themselves are magnetic.
In order also to reliably prevent the fastening means which are mounted in the guide paths from slipping in the scanning operation during a copy milling procedure, a further embodiment of the invention provides that the fastening means which are mounted in the guide paths and which project into the through opening for fixing the dental object are stationarily fastened in the guide paths, wherein in accordance with a preferred embodiment the fastening means are glued in position in the guide paths.
In contrast to the state of the art in which the receiving opening for the model body had to be laboriously milled out, having regard to the contour of the model body, the holding apparatus according to the invention represents a particularly simple fastening option for a dental object as the dental object can be introduced in a simple fashion into the through opening which has already been produced at the factory and then glued to the fastening means which are moved into position. In other words, with the holding apparatus according to the invention, the user only has to correctly position the fastening means in the guide paths while in the case of the holding apparatuses in accordance with the state of the art he had to carry out complicated and expensive and accurate milling operations.
The invention further concerns a copy milling device having a holding apparatus of the aforementioned kind, wherein the copy milling device advantageously includes a carrier plate to which the holding apparatus can be fastened.
The present invention also concerns a carrier plate for a copy milling device, to which a shaping blank can be fastened in particular by means of a holding element, and which has a holding apparatus according to the invention. Preferably in that case the holding apparatus can be fastened to the carrier plate by two-part inserts.
Furthermore the invention concerns a method of fastening a dental object in a holding apparatus of the kind set forth hereinbefore, wherein the dental object is introduced into the through opening, thereafter the fastening means mounted in the guide paths are positioned in such a way that they project into the through opening and extend with their free end to directly at the surface of the dental object or touch same, and in a further succession the fastening means are glued fast in that position in the guide paths before the dental object is glued to the free ends of the fastening means.
Further advantages and details of the invention are described more fully by means of the specific description hereinafter with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawing in which:
Arranged on the carrier plate 2 is a holding element 6 for fastening a shaping blank as well as a holding apparatus 21 according to the invention for fixing a model body.
In
The holding apparatus 21 according to the invention can be seen in detail from the different views shown in
Therein
In order to prevent the fastening means 23 uncontrolledly moving in the guide paths 24, a plurality of magnets 27 are arranged on the underside 26 of the holding apparatus 21 according to the invention, as can be seen in particular from
For reasons of clarity, the adhesive means with which on the one hand the fastening means 23 are glued in the guide paths 24 and on the other hand the dental object 22 is glued to the free ends of the fastening means 23 are not shown.
The illustrated embodiments of holding apparatuses for dental objects as well as the described example of a possible method of fastening a dental object in a holding apparatus according to the invention are obviously not to be interpreted in a restrictive sense but are only individual examples of numerous possible ways of implementing the concept of the invention of a holding apparatus for in particular dental objects with an irregular surface.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| GM 615/2006 | Aug 2006 | AT | national |
