KR20170034032A - Mouthpiece forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mouthpiece forming apparatus. According to the present invention, the thickness-direction temperature deviation of a thermoplastic sheet, which is an object undergoing heating, can be minimized, and thus the forming stability of the thermoplastic sheet and its form stability after forming can be significantly improved. The mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the present invention, which is to produce a mouthpiece for tooth protection or orthodontic procedures by bringing the thermoplastic sheet into close contact with an oral cavity model following a tooth arrangement shape after the thermoplastic sheet is softened by heat, includes: a sheet supporter supporting the thermoplastic sheet; an upper heater applying heat to an upper surface of the thermoplastic sheet from above the sheet supporter for the softening of the thermoplastic sheet; and a forming platform where the oral cavity model is laid. The forming platform is capable of applying heat to a lower surface of the thermoplastic sheet for the softening of the thermoplastic sheet. By the thermoplastic sheet being suctioned after the softening is completed and being brought into close contact with the surface of the oral cavity model, the thermoplastic sheet is formed into a structure to which the shape of the oral cavity model has been transferred.

Description

[0001] Mouthpiece forming apparatus [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for forming a dental mouthpiece for orthodontic and / or dental care purposes, and more particularly to a dental mouthpiece forming device for dental mouthpiece, Thereby improving the structural stability and durability of the mouthpiece by reducing or eliminating heating unevenness.

In general, a mouthpiece is an intraoral structure that is detachably attached to a tooth and performs functions such as tooth protection, jaw joint protection, correction function, for example, movement of a tooth or maintenance of a tooth position.

The mouthpiece is also referred to as a mouth guard, and specifically includes an orthodontic mouthpiece including a splint for orthodontic treatment and a retainer, and a mouthpiece for sports (including a leport) .

More specifically, the mouthpiece, for example, sports mouthpiece is attached to a tooth and protects teeth and temporomandibular joints from a shock applied to the face by a fist or a ball during exercise such as fighting or ball game, , Silicon or latex.

For reference, a human tooth forms an arch-type dental arch, which is divided into normal occlusion and malocclusion according to the positional relationship of the dentition when the lower and upper teeth are engaged.

Conventional dental mouthpieces are provided for sports or orthodontic treatment, and are divided into ready-made products and personalized dental hygiene products. Since ready-made dental hygiene products are poor in functionality, custom dental hygienic dental hygiene products customized to individual oral structures Is attached to the teeth to prevent damages to teeth, gums, and lips from impacts applied from the outside of the face, protects the jaw joints and jaws (jawbone), and further prevents brain damage. The orthodontic mouthpiece is attached to the teeth to improve the dentition or to maintain the dental state in the final stage of the orthodontic treatment.

On the other hand, when a person is in a state of tension or has to exert a great deal of force, the muscles near the mouth are tightened and tightened, and the strong occlusal force generated at this time is absorbed and dispersed by the jaw joint and the teeth, Large or repetitive occurrences have adverse effects on the teeth and jaw joints.

Examples of situations in which teeth are damaged by strong occlusal force include maternity and exercise or labor that should exert a great deal of power. During maternity, And the occlusal force generated at this time may damage the tooth of the mother and may adversely affect the jaw joint.

The conventional mouthpiece is effective for protecting the teeth from external shocks applied to the face. However, it is difficult to prevent the teeth from being damaged due to the irritation of the dorsal and upper teeth It is not enough to prevent the teeth from being damaged due to the occlusion, and the mouthpiece is torn due to the strong occlusal force, the occlusal force due to the imperfection is not fully buffered, and the tooth is easily transferred to the teeth. There are a number of problems that are weakened and cause dental changes in the lower and upper teeth, resulting in abnormalities in occlusion.

A thermoplastic sheet is used for manufacturing a dental mouthpiece excellent in durability and dental fitness. After heating the thermoplastic sheet in a formable state, a tooth model, that is, a tooth model having a shape mimic tooth arrangement, is coated with a thermoplastic sheet, The mouthpiece can be manufactured by molding the structure transferred with the shape and finishing the process of hardening and repairing the appearance of the structure.

However, in the conventional method of manufacturing a mouthpiece using the above-described thermoplastic sheet, it is difficult for the entire region of the thermoplastic sheet to be uniformly heated, and in particular, the temperature deviation in the thickness direction may be a limiting factor for stable molding of the thermoplastic sheet and for maintaining the shape of the mouthpiece As a result, there is a risk that a large amount of deformation may occur during use of the mouthpiece.

Further, even when a dental mouthpiece having a multi-layer structure is formed by using a multi-layered thermoplastic sheet having different materials laminated, the temperature deviation in the thickness direction, that is, the uniformity of heating contents, There is a possibility that a phenomenon may occur. As a result, there is a limit to realize excellent structural stability and durability.

Korean Patent No. 10-1427016, August 5, 2014 Announcement, Mouthpiece-forming substrate for dental treatment and preforming method thereof Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0378012, March 10, 2005 Announcement, Dental vacuum molding device

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a thermoforming apparatus and a thermoforming method, It is an object of the present invention to provide a mouthpiece forming apparatus capable of realizing a mouthpiece having higher molding stability by uniform heating of a thermoplastic sheet by minimizing a temperature deviation in the thickness direction of the thermoplastic sheet even in the case of a multi-layered material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a mouthpiece forming apparatus having a forming platform for both heating and suction of a thermoplastic sheet.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouthpiece forming apparatus for producing a dental mouthpiece for tooth protection or correction by bringing a thermoplastic sheet softened by heat into close contact with an oral model having a shape simulating a tooth arrangement, supporter; An upper heater for applying heat to the upper side of the thermoplastic sheet at an upper side of the sheet supporter for softening the thermoplastic sheet; And a molding platform on which the oral cavity model is placed.

The shaping platform may apply heat to the lower side surface of the thermoplastic sheet and may attract the softened thermoplastic sheet to adhere to the surface of the oral cavity model so that the thermoplastic sheet is transferred to the structure And is configured to be molded.

The seat supporter comprising: A sheet holder for supporting the edge of the thermoplastic sheet and exposing an upper surface side of the thermoplastic sheet toward the upper heater and exposing the lower surface of the thermoplastic sheet toward the molding stage and a holder support for supporting the sheet holder . The sheet holder clamps the edge of the thermoplastic sheet to support the thermoplastic sheet.

Further, the seat supporter may be movable so as to be positioned between the upper heater and the molding stage. More specifically, the seat supporter is configured to be vertically movable.

And, the seat supporter can be realized to be horizontally movable between the upper heater and the molding platform. More specifically, the seat supporter can horizontally move between the upper heater and the forming platform by rotational movement.

The upper heater may be configured to be movable in at least one of a rotational movement and a linear movement.

The thermoplastic sheet is formed on the upper surface of the molding platform and functions as a hot air outlet for supplying hot air to the lower side of the seat during heating for softening the thermoplastic sheet. After the softening is completed, the thermoplastic sheet is molded into a structure At least one hot air outlet port serving as a sheet adsorption port is provided.

The hot air supply channel and the air suction channel are connected to each other in a state where the hot air supply channel and the air suction channel are connected to each other so that hot air or air suction force is transmitted to the hot air supply port. A three-way valve for controlling the hot air or the vacuum suction force to be selectively transmitted to the hot air discharge port seat combination port side is provided at a point where the air suction path and the hot air supply path are merged, .

According to another embodiment of the forming platform, the forming platform may be provided on an upper part of a platform base separately provided or integrally formed, the platform base may include an air suction device for generating a suction force, A hot air supply passage for transmitting heat generated from the heating element to the hot air discharge port seat and a hot air supply passage for discharging heat generated by the air suction port, The supply passage is joined and connected to the hot air discharge port seat suction port side so that a vacuum suction force or hot air is selectively transferred to the hot air discharge port seat combination port side at a point where the air suction flow path and the hot air supply path are merged Way valve is provided.

On the other hand, according to another structural example of the forming platform for providing the hot air or suction force to the thermoplastic sheet, a hot air outlet for supplying hot air to the lower side of the seat at the time of heating for softening the thermoplastic sheet, And after the softening of the thermoplastic sheet is completed, there is separately provided a sheet adsorption port for applying a suction force for forming the thermoplastic sheet into a structure in which the shape of the oral cavity model is transferred.

According to another example of the structure of the forming platform, a hot air supply passage connected to the hot air discharge port; A heating element provided on the hot air supply path; An air suction passage connected to the sheet suction port; And an air aspirator provided on the air intake flow path.

The mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the present invention has the following advantages.

The mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the present invention can minimize the temperature variation in the thickness direction of the thermoplastic sheet as the object to be heated, and can greatly improve the stability during molding and the shape stability of the thermoplastic sheet after molding.

The dental mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the present invention can minimize the heating unevenness due to the difference in thickness of the layers of the thermoplastic sheet or the difference in the material of the layer, so that the interlayer separation phenomenon of the multi- And heating of the thermoplastic sheet and handling of the mouthpiece forming apparatus are easy.

More specifically, the mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the present invention can prevent the thermoplastic sheet from being damaged by overheating one surface of the thermoplastic sheet compared to the other surface, and can heat the thermoplastic sheet evenly Therefore, the time required for manufacturing the mouthpiece can be shortened and the workability can be improved.

In the mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the present invention, the apparatus for heating the lower surface of the thermoplastic sheet is embedded in the forming platform, so that the appearance and system configuration of the mouthpiece forming apparatus can be simplified.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The features and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention,
1 is a schematic side view of a heater for a thermoplastic sheet for dental mouthpiece molding according to an embodiment of the present invention and a dental mouthpiece molding apparatus having the same.
Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1;
Fig. 3 is a front view of the mouthpiece forming apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a molding process of a thermoplastic sheet; Fig.
5 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a seat supporter;
6 (a) and 6 (b) show the action of the molding platform of the mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the present invention, wherein (A) is an operation state view at the time of heating the lower surface of the seat, (B) State diagram;
FIG. 7 is a side view schematically showing a mouthpiece forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
8 is a plan view of the mouthpiece forming apparatus shown in Fig. 7; Fig. And
9 is a plan view showing another embodiment of a flow path structure for providing hot air and suction force of a forming platform according to the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the present embodiment, the same reference numerals and symbols are used for the same components, and additional description and overlapping description thereof will be omitted below.

[Example 1]

First, referring to Figs. 1 to 6, an embodiment of a mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

A dental mouthpiece molding apparatus 10 according to an embodiment (first embodiment) of the present invention comprises a sheet supporter 110 for supporting the thermoplastic sheet 1, An upper heater 120 for applying heat to the upper surface of the thermoplastic sheet 1 on the upper side of the seat supporter 110 for the oral cavity model 10 and a molding platform 210 on which the oral cavity model 10 is placed.

At this time, the shaping platform 210 may provide heat to the lower side for softening the thermoplastic sheet 1, and the softened thermoplastic sheet 1 may be sucked to the surface of the oral model 10 The thermoplastic sheet 1 is configured to form the shape of the oral model 10 into a transferred structure.

More specifically, when the thermoplastic sheet 1 is heated for softening the thermoplastic sheet 1, the molding platform 210 functions as a hot air outlet for supplying hot air to the lower side of the seat (see FIG. 6 (a)), A plurality of hot air discharge port seat adsorption openings 211 functioning as a sheet adsorption openings for forming the thermoplastic sheet 1 into a structure in which the shape of the oral cavity model 10 is transferred after the completion of the operation, .

The molding platform 210 is provided on the platform base 150 and the platform base 150 is provided with a device for applying hot wind or suction force to the hot air outlet combination seat 211. That is, the molding platform 210 is provided with a sheet suction port 211 serving as a hot air discharge port and a branch flow path connected to the sheet suction port 211, and the platform base 150 is provided with devices for providing hot air and suction force to the branch flow path side .

That is, on the side of the platform base 150, a heating element 190 and a hot air supply passage 191 for supplying hot air to the sheet through the sheet suction opening 211 serving as a hot air discharge port and an air suction force for applying a suction force to the sheet A three-way valve 300 for controlling the hot air supply passage 191 and the air suction passage 181 to selectively apply the hot air supply and suction force to the air suction device 180, the air suction passage 181, do.

The air suction passage 181 and the hot air supply passage 191 are joined to each other to be connected to the hot air discharge port seat 211. The air suction passage 181 and the hot air supply passage 191 Way valve 300 for controlling the opening and closing of the flow path so that the suction force and the hot air are selectively transmitted to the hot air discharge port seat suction port 211 side.

The platform base 150 may be provided separately from the molding platform 210 and may be assembled with the molding platform 210 or may be integrally formed with the molding platform 210.

The mouthpiece is not limited to a dental mouthpiece for protecting teeth such as for sports or leisure, but is a concept including a mouthpiece for medical treatment or orthodontic treatment, for example, And is detachably attached to the teeth and installed inside the oral cavity.

The sheet supporter 110 is a component supporting the thermoplastic sheet 1. More specifically, the upper supporter 120 and the forming platform (not shown) are disposed on both sides of the thermoplastic sheet 1, 210) of the thermoplastic sheet (1).

A thermoplastic sheet is a sheet that is plasticized by heat and solidified as a deformed shape upon cooling, and various types are commercially available in the form of a circle or a square in the market.

For example, a variety of hard resins and soft resins sold in various companies such as ERKODENT (Germany) and FORESTADENT (Germany) as a dental resin for dental mouthpiece molding are known

Specific examples of the hard resin include PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol), and specific examples of the soft resin include EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and the like, but the material of the thermoplastic sheet However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a multi-layer thermoplastic sheet (for example, TRACK B, manufactured by FORESTADENT, Germany) having different materials laminated is also available as a thermoplastic sheet for mouthpiece molding.

The thickness of the thermoplastic sheet 1 may vary depending on the use of the mouthpiece, and a multi-layer structure other than a single layer may be used, or a different material may be applied to each layer depending on the layer. The present invention relates to a dental mouthpiece molding apparatus capable of heating and thermally softening the thermoplastic sheet 1 more uniformly and more rapidly as a whole, The heat is supplied to the upper surface of the thermoplastic sheet 1 and the heating element 190 built in the platform base 150 supplies heat to the bottom surface of the thermoplastic sheet 1 from below the sheet supporter 110 do.

In this embodiment, heating of the thermoplastic sheet 1 is performed in a state that the upper heater 120, the sheet supporter 110, and the molding platform 210 capable of supplying hot air are arranged in a line from top to bottom .

That is, in the embodiment of the present invention, a mouthpiece forming apparatus is exemplified based on a state in which one surface of the thermoplastic sheet 1 faces upward and the other surface faces downward, that is, a state in which the thermoplastic sheet 1 is horizontally installed It is not.

In other words, the heating of the thermoplastic sheet 1 proceeds in a state where the thermoplastic sheet 1 is positioned between the upper heater 120 and the forming platform 210 by the sheet supporter 110.

In the present embodiment, the upper heater 120 is linearly movable. More specifically, the upper heater 120 moves along the arrow direction to heat the thermoplastic sheet 1 when the thermoplastic sheet 1 is heated. (Sheet heating position), and can be escaped to the other position in the sheet heating position after the heating of the thermoplastic sheet 1 is completed.

In this embodiment, as described above, the upper heater 120 is mounted on the heater support 140, and is linearly reciprocally movable together with the movement of the heater support 140. In this embodiment, the heater support 140 is provided on the platform base 150.

More specifically, the heater support 140 is movably provided on the platform base 150, and the actuator 160 for moving the heater support 140 is installed on the platform base 150 .

In this embodiment, the heater support 140 is a component capable of linear reciprocating motion. Various types of actuators for linear motion such as a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, a linear motor, or a rack-pinion may be used as the actuator 160 And various types of devices are known as actuators for generating linear reciprocating motion, so that further explanation thereof is omitted.

The upper heater 120 may heat the thermoplastic sheet 1 by a radiant heating method, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the upper heater 120 may heat the thermoplastic sheet 1 by heating by hot air. The upper heater 120 may include a heat source 121 such as a heater that generates heat by electric resistance or a light source that emits light including a specific wavelength, That is, a blower (not shown) for emitting hot air.

The heating element 190 provided in the platform base 150 may also be applied to the same structure as the upper heater 120. In the present embodiment, as a heating method for the lower surface of the seat, a heating method by hot air is applied, but it is not necessarily limited thereto.

The forming platform 210 is made of hot air by a blower (not shown) for forcing the air flow to generate heat generated from the heating element 190 provided in the platform base 150 when the sheet is heated by the upper heater And is discharged toward the lower side of the thermoplastic sheet 1 through the sheet suction opening 211 serving as the hot air discharge port.

At this time, the three-way valve 300 installed at the confluence point of the air suction passage 181 and the hot air supply passage 191 provided in the platform base 150 is connected to the hot air supply passage 191 are connected to the side of the sheet suction opening 211 serving as the hot air discharge port.

The sheet supporter 110 includes a sheet holder 111 for fixing the thermoplastic sheet 1 and a holder support 112 for supporting the sheet holder 111. The sheet holder 111 supports the edge of the thermoplastic sheet 1 and exposes an upper surface of the thermoplastic sheet 1 toward the upper heater 120, And exposed to the platform 210 side.

More specifically, the sheet holder 111 clamps the edges of the thermoplastic sheet 1 to support the thermoplastic sheet 1. In this embodiment, the sheet holder 111 is vertically movable The edge of the thermoplastic sheet 1 is fixed by the sheet holder 111 as a ring shape (ring shape) such as a circle or a rectangle penetrating through the thermoplastic sheet 1. In this embodiment, the sheet holder 111 is a circular ring structure so as to correspond to the shape of the thermoplastic sheet 1.

The seat supporter 110 may be movable to be positioned between the upper heater 120 and the molding platform 210. For example, the seat supporter 110 can be configured to be movable in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and / or the horizontal direction (X-axis and / or Y-axis direction).

That is, in the present embodiment, the seat supporter 110 is installed on the platform base 150 so as to be vertically movable on one side of the forming platform 210.

Specifically, the seat supporter 110 may include a retractable post which is manually expanded and retracted by the holder supporter 112, and the seat supporter 110 may be pulled downward to closely contact the molding platform 210 in a hermetic state / RTI > and / or < RTI ID = 0.0 > automatically < / RTI >

The seat supporter 110 can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction and the seat holder 111 is lifted up to the above-described seat heating position, that is, in a line between the upper heater 120 and the forming platform 210 . Of course, the thermoplastic sheet 1 may be moved to one side in the sheet heating position for easy loading.

In this embodiment, the molding platform 210 is a part where the thermoplastic sheet 1 is molded, and the oral model 10 is placed on the upper side of the molding platform 210, Is placed so as not to block or interfere with the hot air outlet seat adsorption port (211) exposed on the upper surface of the molding platform (210).

The oral model (10) is a model of a tooth-shaped model, which is also referred to as a tooth model or a tooth model, and is also called a tooth plaster model because it is generally made of gypsum. The oral cavity model 10 is installed on the upper side of the molding platform 210 so that the tooth part is directed upward. When the seat supporter 110 is lowered, the thermally softened sheet 1 softened by heat is transferred to the oral cavity model 10)

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the molding platform 210 is provided with at least one sheet suction opening 211 for heating the thermoplastic sheet 1 and for sucking the sheet.

Thus, after the sheet holder 111 is arranged in a line between the upper heater 120 and the forming platform 210, the forming platform 210, along with the heating action of the upper heater 120 on the upper side of the sheet, The softening of the thermoplastic sheet 1 proceeds by the heating action of the hot air discharged to the lower side of the seat (see Fig. 6 (a)) through the sheet suction opening 211 serving as the hot air discharge port on the upper surface.

4 and 6 (B), when the heating of the thermoplastic sheet 1 is completed, the sheet supporter 110 is immediately lowered to proceed with the mouthpiece forming process, The suction force is applied to the thermoplastic sheet 1 through the hot air outlet port 211 of the thermoplastic sheet 1 and the thermoplastic sheet 1 is brought into close contact with the surface of the oral cavity model 10 to form the shape of the oral cavity model 10 Transferred.

That is, after the heating of the thermoplastic sheet 1 is completed, when the sheet holder 111 is lowered and hermetically attached to the rim of the molding platform 210, the operation of the air absorber 180 causes the thermoplastic sheet 1 is adhered to the surface of the oral cavity model 10, and a structure in which the shape of the oral cavity model 10 is formed is formed.

After the structure is cured, the mouthpiece is completed through an appearance finishing process such as cutting of the structure.

5, the sheet holder 111 of the sheet supporter 110 includes a holder base 111a for supporting the bottom surface of the thermoplastic sheet 1 and a holder base 111b for supporting the top surface of the thermoplastic sheet 1, And a sheet fixing ring 111b for fixing the thermoplastic sheet 1 to the holder base 111a.

The holder base 111a also has a ring shape penetrating the holder base 111a in the up and down direction. On the inner side surface of the holder base 111a is formed a support step 111c for supporting the edge of the thermoplastic sheet 1 from below, The fixing ring 111b is mounted on the upper side of the base plate 111c to press the edge of the thermoplastic sheet 1 from above.

A fixing slot 111d in the spiral direction for fixing the seat fixing ring 111b is formed on the peripheral wall of the holder base 111a to have a predetermined length and the edge of the seat fixing ring 111b is fixed to the fixing slot 111b 111d, respectively.

Therefore, after the seat fixing ring 111b is mounted on the holder base 111a such that the locking member 111e is positioned at the entrance of the fixing slot 111d, the locking member 111e is inserted into the fixing slot 111d, The seat fixing ring 111b is fixed to the holder base 111a and the thermoplastic sheet 1 is clamped by turning the seat fixing ring 111b so as to enter the holder base 111a.

[Example 2]

Next, a mouthpiece forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view schematically showing a mouthpiece forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a plan view of the mouthpiece forming apparatus shown in FIG.

The basic configuration and operation of the dental mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the present embodiment are the same as those of the dental mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the first embodiment described above, but differ in the configuration and operation of the upper heater.

Specifically, referring to Figs. 7 and 8, the mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the second embodiment (Embodiment 2) is configured such that the upper heater 120 rotates.

That is, the upper heater 120 according to the present embodiment is installed such that the heater support 140 is supported by the support base 141 such as a bearing on the platform base 150, .

In this embodiment, the seat supporter 110 may also be configured to be horizontally movable in a plane between the upper heater 120 and the forming platform 210. [

For example, the seat supporter 110 may be configured to move horizontally between the upper heater 120 and the forming platform 210 by rotational movement.

Of course, the seat supporter 110 may be configured to move linearly by an actuator or a manual operation that generates a linear movement.

Other than the contents described in the present embodiment (second embodiment), since the contents described in the above-described embodiment (first embodiment) can be applied to the respective constituent elements of the embodiment in the same manner, Is omitted.

[Example 3]

Next, another embodiment (third embodiment) of the mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig.

9 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the flow path structure for providing the hot air and the suction force of the molding platform 210 as another embodiment of the mouthpiece forming apparatus according to the present invention.

Specifically, according to the present embodiment, on the upper surface of the molding platform 210, a hot air discharge port 211a for supplying hot air to the lower surface of the seat at the time of heating for softening the thermoplastic sheet 1, After the softening of the thermoplastic sheet 1 is completed, a sheet suction opening 211b for applying a suction force for molding the thermoplastic sheet 1 into a structure in which the shape of the oral cavity model 10 is transferred is separately provided.

In the platform base 150, an air suction device 180 for generating a suction force, an air suction passage 181 for transmitting the suction force of the air suction device 180 to the hot air discharge port 211a, A heating element 190 for heating and a hot air supply passage 191 for transmitting heat generated from the heating element 190 to the sheet suction port 211b.

9, it is preferable that the hot air outlet 211a and the sheet suction port 211b are separately formed, and each of them is formed to have a geometrical arrangement structure capable of providing hot air or suction force evenly to the lower surface of the seat Do.

The hot air discharge port 211a and the sheet suction port 211b according to the present embodiment may be disposed so as to be close to each other on a straight line and may be arranged in such a manner that the hot air outlet 211a is connected to the sheet suction port 211b, The supply passage 191 and the air suction passage 181 are formed to have a flow path structure that avoids mutual interference within the forming platform 210 and the platform base 150.

The operation according to the present embodiment configured as above is as follows.

First, when a sheet holder 111 to which a thermoplastic sheet 1 is fixed is arranged in a line between the upper heater 120 and the molding platform 210 and heating for sheet softening is performed, The heating action against the sheet bottom side by the hot air outlet 211a of the forming platform 210 progresses together with the heating action to the sheet upper surface side.

That is, according to the present embodiment, hot air is discharged through the hot air outlet 211a provided separately from the sheet suction port 211b on the upper surface of the molding platform 210, so that the heating action of the lower surface of the thermoplastic sheet 1 Can proceed.

After the heating of the thermoplastic sheet 1 is completed, the sheet supporter 110 is immediately lowered and the mouthpiece forming process proceeds. At this time, the sheet suction port 211b provided on the upper surface of the molding platform 210 And the shape of the oral cavity model 10 is transferred to the thermoplastic sheet 1 as the thermoplastic sheet 1 is brought into close contact with the surface of the oral cavity model 10.

That is, according to the present embodiment, when the suction force is applied to the sheet through the sheet suction opening 211b provided separately from the hot air outlet 211a on the upper surface of the molding platform 210, 10, the shape of the oral cavity model 10 is transferred to the thermoplastic sheet 1.

The third embodiment can also be applied to the constituent elements of the present embodiment in the same manner as described in the above embodiments (first embodiment and second embodiment) Repeated descriptions of the same technique are omitted.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It is obvious to them.

For example, unlike in [Example 1] and [Embodiment 2] described above, the upper heater 120 may be an immovable component that is fixed in place and does not move.

Therefore, the above-described embodiments are to be considered as illustrative rather than restrictive, and thus the present invention is not limited to the above description, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

1: thermoplastic sheet 10: oral model
110: Seat supporter 111: Seat holder
112: holder support 120: upper heater
121: heat source 140: heater support
141: support member 150: platform base
160: actuator 180: air sucker
181: Air intake flow path 190: Heating element
191: Hot air supply channel 300: Three-way valve
210: forming platform 211: combined hot air outlet seat
211a: hot air outlet 211b: sheet suction port

Claims (13)

A mouthpiece forming apparatus for manufacturing a mouthpiece for tooth protection or correction by closely adhering a thermally soft sheet softened by heat to an oral model having a shape similar to a tooth arrangement,
A sheet supporter for supporting the thermoplastic sheet;
An upper heater for applying heat to the upper side of the thermoplastic sheet at an upper side of the sheet supporter for softening the thermoplastic sheet; And
And a forming platform on which the oral cavity model is placed,
The molding platform can apply heat to the lower side surface of the thermoplastic sheet and attract the softened thermoplastic sheet to adhere to the surface of the oral cavity model to form the thermoplastic sheet into a structure in which the shape of the oral cavity model is transferred And the mouth piece forming device is constituted by the mouth piece forming device. The method according to claim 1,
The seat supporter comprising:
A sheet holder for supporting an edge of the thermoplastic sheet and exposing an upper surface of the thermoplastic sheet toward the upper heater and exposing a lower surface of the thermoplastic sheet toward the molding stage;
And a holder support for supporting the seat holder. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the sheet holder clamps the edge of the thermoplastic sheet to support the thermoplastic sheet. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sheet supporter is movable so as to be positioned between the upper heater and the molding stage. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the seat supporter is vertically movable up and down. 6. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 5,
Wherein the sheet supporter is horizontally movable between the upper heater and the forming platform. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the sheet supporter horizontally moves between the upper heater and the forming platform by rotational movement. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the upper heater is movable in at least one of a rotational movement and a linear movement. The method according to claim 1,
On the upper surface of the forming platform,
And serves as a hot air outlet for supplying hot air to the lower side of the seat when the thermoplastic sheet is heated for softening and functions as a sheet adsorbing unit for molding the thermoplastic sheet into a structure in which the shape of the oral cavity model is transferred after the softening is completed Characterized in that at least one hot air outlet port and a sheet suction port are provided. 10. The method of claim 9,
In the hot air outlet combination seat,
A hot air supply channel and an air suction channel for delivering hot air or air suction force are connected in a combined state,
The hot air supply passage is provided with a heating element for heating the sheet,
Wherein the air suction passage is provided with an air suction device for generating a vacuum suction force,
Wherein a three-way valve is provided at a point where the air suction flow path and the hot air supply path are merged to control the hot air or vacuum suction force to be selectively transmitted to the hot air discharge port seat adsorption port side. 10. The method of claim 9,
The forming platform is provided on an upper portion of the platform base,
An air intake flow path for transmitting a vacuum suction force of the air suction device to the sheet suction opening serving as the hot air discharge port, a heat generating element for generating heat, and a heat generating element for generating heat generated in the heat generating element, A hot air supply passage for transferring the mixed air to the combined sheet adsorption port is provided,
The air suction passage and the hot air supply passage are joined and connected to the hot air discharge port seat suction port side,
And a three-way valve is provided at a point where the air suction flow path and the hot air supply flow path join together to control the vacuum suction force or the hot air to be selectively transmitted to the hot air discharge port seat suction port side. The method according to claim 1,
On the upper surface of the forming platform,
A hot air outlet for supplying hot air to the lower surface of the seat at the time of heating for softening the thermoplastic sheet,
Wherein after the softening of the thermoplastic sheet is completed, a sheet adsorption port for applying a suction force for forming the thermoplastic sheet into a structure in which the shape of the oral cavity model is transferred is separately provided. 13. The method of claim 12,
A hot air supply passage connected to the hot air discharge port;
A heating element provided on the hot air supply path;
An air suction passage connected to the sheet suction port;
And an air suction device provided on the air intake flow path.

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