Manufacturing of a maxillofacial prosthesis from an axial tomography using simulation technologies with a virtual machine tool and four-axis machining

• Published in: Dyna (Medellín, Colombia) Vol. 83; no. 196; pp. 100 - 105
• Main Authors: García Barbosa, Jorge Andrés, Arroyo Osorio, José Manuel, Córdoba Nieto, Ernesto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: Bogota Universidad Nacional de Colombia 20.04.2016
• Subjects: free-form surface machining; multi-axis machining; process planning; prosthesis manufacturing; simulation and verification of processes
• ISSN: 0012-7353; 2346-2183
• DOI: 10.15446/dyna.v83n196.49662

The surfaces of a personalized maxillofacial prosthesis were manufactured in a relatively short time with moderate cost. The topography of the surface was generated with a Computer-Aided Design system from a Computerized Axial Tomography of a maxillofacial area. The design of the machining manufacturing process, its simulation and verification were facilitated by the use of a virtual machine tool equivalent to the real machine tool available. Finally, the manufacturing process was successfully achieved by using a conventional 3-axis vertical machining center equipped with a fourth external rotational axis. Using a 3-axis machine tool with an additional axis is less expensive than using a 5-axis machine. There is abundant literature about machining of free-form surfaces using a 5-axis machine tool, but there are few precedents for the manufacturing of this kind of surface using a 4-axis machine.