Grinding Options for Dental Burrs and Rotary Instruments

Dental burrs and related rotary instruments present grinding and automated production challenges. Rollomatic, a leading Switzerland-based machine tool manufacturer, has recently introduced five upgraded grinding machine models that are said to be well suited for these medical industry applications.

The various Rollomatic CNC grinding machines can be used for high-volume geometry grinding and blank preparation of a number of dental cutting tools, including surgical and laboratory dental burrs, implant twist drills and taps, dentistry end mills and more.

For example, dental tool grinding on the five-axis GrindSmart Nano5 grinding machine is said to offer flexibility in comparison to conventional single-purpose grinders. With its five fully interpolating CNC axes and a pick-and-place automatic tool loader, the machine can be readily adapted for many types of dental cutting instruments for both short and long runs.

Compared to five-axis machines, the model CNC246F is an example of a dedicated, productive three-axis fluting machine suitable for flute and relief grinding of rotary files. The machine is equipped with two grinding stations and a pick-and-place automatic loader. Highest productivity can be achieved due to its compact design. The machine is equally suited for flute/relief grinding of drills, taps, reamers and other rotary cutting tools.

The GrindSmart model 530XW 5-axis tool grinding machine with new capabilities for production grinding of dental burrs and rotary files is equipped with a pick-and-place automatic loader and a wheel/nozzle changer. The compact and versatile design is said to enable user-friendly interchangeability between different tool types as well as industrial tools such as inserts and round-shank tools. The machine is suited for grinding carbide end mills for the CAD/CAM dentistry applications.

With a choice of fourth and fifth axes, both the ShapeSmart NP30 and NP50 precision pinch and peel grinding machines are based on the proven method of pinch grinding, a technology invented by Rollomatic, that can deliver polished surface finishes and micron precision. The machines are suitable for cylindrical grinding or blank preparation of CAD/CAM end mills, drills and burrs. Quick-change attachments can also be ground with these machines.

The RPG is a hydraulically operated precision plunge grinding machine for cylindrical grinding operations and blank preparation for dental burrs. The machine is equipped with a V-type magazine loader making it suitable for unattended, high-volume production grinding. Its shank guidance and following steady rest are said to enable precise grinding results with a total indicator runout of less than 1 micron.

Rollomatic five-axis CNC tool grinders are equipped VirtualGrindPro tool design software which runs the multi-axis GrindSmart series machines. In addition to the already extensive tool diversity, further tool geometries have been added both for dental tools as well as industrial cutting tools. The company says its strategy with this expansion is based on helping operators and programmers be more efficient and collaborative within their manufacturing organization.

In addition to the software expansion, Rollomatic’s three-dimensional simulator has been updated to a faster and more accurate version, the company says. The stability and instantaneous rendering of 3D images is said to save valuable programming time and effort.