Equipment Updates
JetCenter for Dental Implants
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MicroBlasting is an ideal process for creating the textured finish on dental implants to promote better osseointegration. For more than 40 years Comco has been working with dental implant manufacturers to refine this process. Our automated systems produce the most consistent and repeatable surface textures on dental implants.
Specified Ra Finish
You need more than just “rough.” The patented modulated feed of our AccuFlo blaster combined with the JetCenter’s precision automation means a specified surface roughness (Ra, Sdr) can be obtained consistently. Automated systems are capable of creating surfaces as smooth as 10 µin or as rough as 200 µin.
Precise Delineation with No masking
Maintaining a smooth surface on the apex of the implant helps prevent bacteria growth where the implant sits at the gum line. Any method used to roughen the surface of the threads must not affect this area.
Comco’s automated MicroBlasting platforms achieves full coverage with a transition zone of 0.007″.
Batch Loading
Load and go – new improvements to parts handling frees up your operator to do other tasks, processing hundreds of parts per cycle.
Customizing the JetCenter for Dental Implants
For several years we have used the JetCenter to deburr and texture bone screws. On these implants we are able to pick them up individually by the drive socket to avoid shadowing on any exterior surfaces. Because dental implants are much smaller than bone screws, this approach was not viable. In order to handle these parts, serious modification was needed.
The basic process is the same: pick up parts and bring them to the blast area. How that is accomplished, is a bit different. Using the bone screw as a foundation, we developed a brand new adaptation for dental implants. With the internal threads too small to hold like a bone screw, we had to come up with a whole new method to handle these small parts. Specifically for this unit we created the Maglev spindle, Transfer station and an array of sensors. The implants are picked up by vacuum, transferred to the Gripper, loaded onto the spindle and then brought to the blast area. The benefit is uninterrupted blasting for a tray of up to 700 parts.
Maglev Spindle
When an operator screws an implant onto a spindle, they can feel if the threads are aligned and adjust the position of the screw so that it aligns properly. They also feel the resistance when the implant is fully in place and know to stop turning the screw. The Maglev spindle was developed specifically for dental implant applications to address these challenges to automation:
• The spindle is not affected by where the threads start on the implant. It will spin freely until it engages.
• The spindle is able to control the amount of torque applied between the spindle and the implant
• Once the implant is threaded on completely, the spindle spins freely to avoid damage
• To remove the implant, the process runs in reverse.
Transfer station
The fastest way to process implants is by picking them up directly with the PEEK Gripper. Up to 250 implants can be loaded into the machine on a single tray.
With the addition of the transfer station, capacity is increased to over 700 implants. This machine uses a small diameter vacuum chuck to pick up individual implants and move them to the transfer station where they can be captured by the PEEK Gripper. The handling of the parts increases individual part process time, but with the benefit of much greater capacity for longer uninterrupted operation.
Error-checking Sensors
Systems checks give you the peace of mind to walk away once parts are loaded into the cycle and started
• RFID tags ensure that the proper part tray, vacuum chuck, and spindle are installed for a given program
• The vacuum chuck verifies that it actually picked up an implant and released it onto the transfer station
• The Gripper is clamped down on an implant when it takes it off the transfer station
• The implant is screwed completely on the spindle; if not, it will make a second attempt
• The implant unscrews from the spindle properly and does not remove the spindle with it.
Get the Precise Surface You need
The surface texture of a dental implant determines how quickly and smoothly the implant integrates into a jaw bone. Studies indicate that the surface of a dental implant needs to be more than just “rough.” MicroBlasting controls two important characteristics: Ra/SA and developed surface. Do you need help figuring out how to engineer the perfect surface for your application?
Applications Lab
Let our experts help find the right solution for your part. We know no two applications are the same. Our Technical Specialists manage sample-part testing and processing from start-to-finish. They actively collaborate with our Sales and Engineering Teams while remaining completely accessible to you throughout the process.
