While dental implants may have a simple appearance, they require complex manufacturing technology. WorkNC Dental from Vero Software (www.workncdental.com) is automating two vital parts of the production process for DESS (Dental Smart Solutions) — a leading company in the field (founded in Barcelona in 1947, it specialises in the manufacture of implants and prosthetic solutions for customers in 30 countries).

The design of DESS’s product line is based on its own CAD/CAM libraries, available on the market as 3Shape, Exocad and Dental Wings.

During the process of prototyping and prosthesis milling, the company uses WorkNC Dental software to automate both the machining process and the positioning of parts on a disk or pre-milled blank, along with the placement of support connectors.

With this software, DESS generates machining strategies for the implant abutment before creating the final product (these strategies are stored in the CAD/CAM library for use with future projects).

WorkNC Dental incorporates an Implant Manager function, which allows a Brep — exact surface definition — to be connected automatically to STL prostheses of all dental CAD systems.

Meanwhile, DESS uses Roland and Robodrill CNC machine tools to develop prototypes and testing products, to mill customised prostheses, and to undertake the final machining process.

Highlighting the production process, Ramon Terrats — head of DESS’s technical department — says: “First, we receive an e-mail with the CAD prosthesis designed with the DESS CAD library.

Then, a DESS technician includes this STL CAD file in the WorkNC environment, with the Implant Manager application within WorkNC recognising the implant connection and position in the prosthesis, before placing it the right way in the blank.

"The software automatically applies a previous configured CAM strategy to the customised geometry, generates the CAM program and sends it to the milling machine.”