A watertight 3D model of an individually-customized mouthguard that provides better protection and comfort for the athlete. Using 3D digital technologies, creation time is reduced from a day to an hour or less.
Beth is correct. The current manual process is tedious, messy and time-consuming. This is a natural application for 3D scanning and digital processing.
Chuck, the type you mention is pretty old, just past the ones you heat in boiling water and bite into. The next stage, which comes before the one described in this article, is what I've got. I bite into some truly disgusting gloppy pink stuff in a form and almost choke on it for a minute or two while it's hardening--but that's only the mold. Then I wait two weeks while a lab does I don't know what--twiddle their thumbs?--and then I get the clear plastic, looking just like the one in the photo to this story. The one described here would be a lot better than what I've got for the speed alone, and much better than the earlier-stage ones (I've used them, too).
I agree, NadineJ. The traditional method for making a mountguard was to bite into a a mouthguard filled with a soft gel, then let it harden overnight. Could this be much better?
I'm waiting with bated breath for this to come to dentists for mouth-guards. Two weeks, the standard time for making them from molds, is much too long if you're having trouble sleeping due to snoring or teeth grinding.
3D scanning is a critical part of this whole effort. With it, companies like Fight-Bite no longer have to go through the time consuming and messy mold making process required by mouth guards and other products. The customization angle is huge--that's why this has traditionally been a manual, one-off development process.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
An analysis of what’s needed to implement Design for Disassembly and Design for Recycling results in eight strategies engineers can use to design an intentional end-of-life stage into their products.
Government regulations, coupled with growing consumer sensitivity about data and identity theft, require that data storage organizations demonstrate proper protection and due diligence in protecting sensitive information stored inside datacenter enclosures.
When a crane doesn't have a monitoring system, crane owners schedule service every six months and simply scrap the parts they replace, even if a part has had little use and doesn't need replacing. This can cost thousands.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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