Diamond-coated precision tools for the dental market

Diamond-coated tools are indispensable in the production of zirconium oxide dental restorations. This is because only diamond-coated milling cutters guarantee reliable and economical processing.

Dentures in record time - directly from the CAD/CAM milling unit instead of laboriously produced in the laboratory: Current developments in dental technology open up innovative possibilities. And they call for superior technologies: Because diamond-coated precision tools in the smallest dimensions are indispensable for the production of dental prostheses from zirconium oxide blanks - for example from the leading Taiwanese manufacturer IDI.

The demand is huge: in Germany alone, around eight million people need dentures every year; this number will continue to grow as the population's life expectancy increases. Globally, the prospects are also "future-proof": increasing prosperity is accompanied by the desire for esthetic teeth in all economically growing regions of the world. As a result, the market for flawlessly manufactured dentures is growing steadily and reliably.

A change is noticeable in the manufacture of dentures. The signs are pointing towards efficiency: what for a long time was almost artisanal manual work in the dental laboratory is now produced automatically. Dental laboratories, but above all dental practices themselves, are increasingly relying on CAD/CAM milling units to produce crowns, bridges and inlays from zirconium oxide blanks with a precise fit. In a digitized process, the dentition is scanned and the data record is transferred directly to a milling program. The dental prosthesis is then precisely milled from the prefabricated blank - quickly, efficiently and to the highest quality. The ceramic material used, zirconium oxide, impresses with its durability, outstanding aesthetics and excellent biocompatibility. However, it is also very abrasive and therefore highly wear-intensive for the milling tools. Conventional milling cutters quickly reach their limits here. Only diamond-coated tools guarantee reliable and economical machining. They are the only technically convincing solution in this field of application.

For tool manufacturers who already use diamond coatings for their quality tools for machining graphite, this opens up a major market opportunity in dental technology. This is because they can transfer their expertise in the manufacture of carbide milling cutters to dimensions of a few tenths of a millimeter.

The demanding dental technology market can also be perfectly served with high-performance coatings. In terms of tool geometries, material stress and dimensioning, the requirements of graphite and zirconium oxide machining are comparable. For CemeCon partners, the step into this constantly growing future market is therefore a small one. The transfer of knowledge to the new industry is quick and easy to implement.

The example of the successful Taiwanese tool manufacturer IDI Precision Machinery Ltd. shows how rewarding the step into the dental market can be. As one of the leading manufacturers of CAD/CAM milling tools for mold making and dental technology, it supplies the Asian market as well as the USA in particular. In the dental sector, IDI's product range includes milling tools in diameters from 3 to 0.3 millimetres, each in precisely fitting variants for the milling units of common industry suppliers.

IDI relies entirely on quality from CemeCon for the diamond coating of its high-performance tools. IDI consistently uses the service of the world's largest coating center in Würselen for all tools and thus achieves outstanding coating quality. With perfectly coordinated logistics, the partners master the transportation routes that the tools travel from Taichung to Germany. This is because the constant uniformity and homogeneity of the CemeCon coating on the delicate tools ensures an otherwise unrivaled high milling quality with the lowest possible tolerances. A powerful argument that IDI uses to impress its customers, who in turn convince their customers - dentists and dental technicians with specialist knowledge and high quality standards. Thanks to tools with CemeCon diamond coatings, they can rely on high-quality, dimensionally accurate machining results with maximum reliability and extremely easy handling. CemeCon even coats tools with a diameter of just 0.2 millimetres for specific applications - this is where the world market leader for diamond coatings can put its more than two decades of experience in the development of this technology to good use, even for the most specific requirements.

CemeCon is very proud to be able to help its customers achieve success in new and future-oriented business areas. "The dental sector is much more than a niche market - it is a fast-growing technology driver that combines industrial thinking with medical requirements," summarizes Gerhard Hagedorn, CemeCon Product Manager, Diamond. "For tool manufacturers with experience in the mini and micro range for graphite processing, this offers the opportunity to transfer their expertise to another high-margin sales market - without having to reinvent the wheel." CemeCon is also happy to supply "newcomers" with the decisive coating materials for machining the highly abrasive material. In any case, the right tools with the right diamond coating create an excellent starting point for success (OM-3/26).