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Friday, January 17, 2014

Delcam’s latest Dental Milling Software at Lab Day Chicago

Delcam will demonstrate the latest releases of its DentMILL software for the milling of dental restorations at the Lab Day Chicago meeting to be held at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel on February 21st and 22nd.   A range of enhancements mean that DentMILL users can work to unprecedented levels of accuracy and can be even more productive when manufacturing all types of dental restoration, including crowns, bridges, customised abutments and dental bars. 

The main enhancement in DentMILL 2014 is a set of new tools that enable the machining of absolutely precise geometry.  The great majority of design data from dental CAD systems is output as STL files. Since this format is based on triangles, there is a limit to the accuracy that can be achieved in the model and, therefore, in the machined restoration.  In particular, it is difficult to achieve a precision fit of the implant interface onto the implant

The new tools in DentMILL overcome these limitations by allowing geometrically perfect shapes to be superimposed on the critical areas of the STL file and then used as the basis for machining.  The shapes can be taken from a library, for example, of the range of interfaces from each manufacturer. Alternatively, the intended sizes can be determined from key sections of the STL data and precise geometry created for those areas.

These new options will be particularly important for the machining of abutment interfaces, where an exact fit is required, both for the performance of the overall restoration and to ensure that the optimum patient outcome is achieved.

DentMILL can also import the vector information that defines the required alignment of the interface, another important factor in ensuring a precise fit.  Using the vector defined in the CAD model gives much greater accuracy than determining the direction from geometry in the STL file.

The second major area for improvement is DentMILL’s intelligent stock-management system.  This allows the user only to select sizes of material block that are currently in stock and that are suitable for the specified milling machine and fixture.  In DentMILL 2014, the system has been redeveloped to make it even easier to create the library of fixtures, block sizes and machine parameters that are needed. 

Once the material has been selected, the software applies automatically the appropriate shrinkage allowance and milling templates.  Once machining has been completed, partly-used blocks can be added back into the stock-management system so that the material remaining can be used on future projects.

DentMILL has also benefited from enhancements to the latest version of Delcam’s PowerMILL CAM system on which it is based.  These include a number of new strategies, including additional five-axis options, that offer smoother machining to give the best possible surface finish. 

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