Re: Medical Reconstruction - Especially Dental Reconstruction using RP.

From: Brad Fox (rdt@visi.com)
Date: Wed Jun 10 1998 - 00:52:08 EEST


Yakov wrote:
>I checked this a few years ago. Dental implants and dental surgery need
>very precise models, which RP processes were not able to deliver at that
>time. Also, the cost for models was too high. But the dentists were very
>interested nevertheless.
>
>----------------------
>Yakov Horenstein
>Milano, Italy
 
Times have changed! I have been actively involved with a company who will be
revolutionizing some of the applications in this area. They are releasing
what they call the 'e-model' which is an electronic 3D database of a persons
upper and lower dentures. The e-model is also exported to an 'enhanced'
Actua 2100 for replication. This is in lieu of the traditional plaster cast
models.

Our work has brought us to the point now where the Dentist is claiming his
process to be (at the least) as accurate as the traditional plaster...if not
more so. Furthermore, appliances are taken DIRECTLY off the Actua model and
the feedback so far is great.

There are admittedly limitation to the scope of the 'appliances'. Some
require higher tolerance. We don't know yet if his process will suffice
because we just haven't tested in yet. One step at a time.

Another example of how an industry is being changed by RP! And yes, thank
you Mr. Chuck Hull for your outstanding contribution!

Regards,

Brad Fox
Rapid Design Technologies

For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 22:45:53 EEST