AE-LNBD-H carbide end mill demonstrates superior surface finish and simplifies manufacturing process in titanium denture application
Kai Sun | OSG Shanghai
The dental industry has embraced digitalization and intelligent manufacturing in contemporary times. CAD/CAM software is one of the best representations of what is now considered new technologies in dentistry. CAD/CAM refers to the integration of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), which is used to improve the precision and effectiveness of dental restorations. Digital transformation allows dental professionals to expedite procedures, make more accurate diagnoses, and provide higher quality personalized care to patients. Manufacturers today are pressured to reduce costs in all aspects while ensuring product quality, which is also a challenge for cutting tools used in dental manufacturing.
Recently, a denture manufacturer located in northern China, whose name cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality reasons, was seeking to simplify the manufacturing process of its production. Founded in 2003, this company specializes in the production of customized dentures with an annual output of approximately 30,000 pieces, which they have been producing for about 10 years. This denture manufacturer currently employs 150 staff in its 15,000-square-meter facility and has a close working relationship with many dental hospitals in China.
The dentures produced by the customer are made of titanium alloy. Each batch needs to be customized according to the oral cavity of the individual patient. To ensure comfort when fitted into the mouth, the workpiece has high requirements for precision, shape and roughness.
Titanium alloy metal base dentures. They serve as the base of a completed denture. The advantage of using metal is that it can be made thinner, and feels less uncomfortable when fitted into the mouth. Titanium alloys are less likely to cause metal allergies, so an increasing number of patients are choosing this material.
The customer initially used a black coating 2-flute long neck ball nose end mill from a domestic cutting tool brand. However, after profile milling, the surface finish was not smooth enough and needed to be polished. The customer’s requirement for smoothness is between Ra 3.2 to 1.6.
In search of application improvement, the customer consulted with a tooling distributor, who introduced OSG to provide technical support. Once in contact, OSG sales representative Hongyan Zhang and applications engineer Kai Sun immediately followed up by visiting the customer’s factory. The customer uses a BT30 machining center with water-soluble coolant and special fixtures. Upon a detail evaluation of the application, Sun recommended OSG’s AE-LNBD-H R1 x 8 x 4 2-flute long neck ball end mill (EDP# 3056277) for a test trial.
The AE-LNBD-H is a 2-flute long neck carbide ball end mill designed for high-precision finishing. The AE-LNBD-H features a thick center core to help prevent deformation of the ball tip to improve chipping control. Its teardrop-shaped outer periphery strong back taper geometry enables milling by point, which prevents chattering and chipping, resulting in improvement of surface accuracy. This carbide ball end mill series is coated with OSG’s original DUROREY coating with superior heat resistance and high toughness optimized for titanium alloys and high-hardness steels with hardness up to 70 HRC.
The AE-LNBD-H is a 2-flute long neck carbide ball end mill designed for high-precision finishing in high-hardness steels.
The AE-LNBD-H was used under identical cutting conditions as the competitor end mill, with a cutting speed of 138 m/min (22,000 min-1), a feed rate of 2,200 mm/min and at an axial depth of cut of 0.25 mm. The radial depth of cut varies with the curved surface by profiling. In this application, the AE-LNBD-H end mill demonstrated long and consistent too life, machining up to 250 workpieces with fine and desirable surface lines, eliminating the need for polishing. The competitor tool originally used by the customer could only process up to 200 workpieces. The tool life of the AE-LNBD-H is 25 percent longer than that of its competitor. Moreover, by switching to the AE-LNBD-H end mill, subsequent polishing is no longer required, enabling the customer to simplify manufacturing process while ensuring quality.
For more information on OSG’s AE-LNBD-H carbide ball end mill and OSG Shanghai
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