DEVELOPMENT OF PLASTIC DENTAL BRACKETS BY MICROINJECTION: MECHANICAL AND REOLOGICAL SIMULATION, PROTOTYPES PRODUCTION BY MICROMILLING AND PRODUCTION BY MICROINJECTION

摘要

Although plastic dental brackets are available on the market, they are all made out of plastic materials with poor mechanical properties. This project sought to develop plastic dental brackets with better mechanical properties than the metallic ones in order to enlarge the aesthetic treatment market. The project started by selecting the material, PSU from BASF, and then focused on prototype production by direct micro milling in order to check the design and mechanical properties experimentally. Once the design was tuned, rheological simulation took place to be produced by microinjection. A first micro mould was produced to check microinjection feasibility. The remaining micro moulds were produced and the first production series obtained. The product was patented and launched on the market.