Five-Axis Dental Machining

Version 5 of Delcam’s DentMill includes an expanded range of five-axis machining options, including easier programming for manufacturing dental bars, implant bridges and customized abutments. Another enhancement, multithreading technology, is said to reduce calculation times for users with multi-processor computers.

According to the company, the software makes it easy for technicians with minimal CAM experience to produce restorations using the latest machining technology. The software is based on the PowerMill CAM system to enable a wider range of proven machining strategies than in common dental CAM programs. Along with restorations, five-axis machining also reduces material waste, minimizes hand-finishing operations by removing undercut regions and adds flexibility when machining difficult parts and materials such as hard-state Zirconia.

While DentMill is often used alongside DentCAD dental design software, the program can accept data from virtually any dental design system or scanner capable of exporting data in the STL format. Similarly, it can output tool paths to virtually any CNC machine, the company says.

Designed with a simple interface, the software uses icons that can be recognized easily by dental technicians. The process is completely automated, so no prior machining experience is required to produce high-quality components, the company says.