Rochester Hills, Michigan - Rapid prototyping business Auburn Engineering Inc. has recently supplied both tooling and moulding for dental equipment manufacturer, D4D Technologies.
"Auburn Engineering completed these production tools for D4D Technologies shortly after the urethane prototypes proved out their designs," said Reid Scott, president of Auburn Engineering, in a 26 April company announcement.
The time spent during the project on design improvements of the prototype meant that, "the production tools provided high quality parts from day one," he added.
Auburn Engineering joined with D4D's designers to build selective laser sintering (SLS) prototypes for the numerous components of the innovative dental equipment. The SLS glass-filled nylon prototypes proved more durable than stereolithography (SLA) epoxy prototypes. After an initial design review, the D4D designers asked Auburn Engineering to make silicone moulds and cast urethane prototypes for the first functional plastic prototypes that were to be installed on working units.
"We selected Auburn because they could meet our high quality standards and rapid response requirements," commented Dennis Britt, vice president of operations with D4D, in the announcement.
D4D Technologies of Richardson, Texas, specialises in 3D digitising applications and in commercialising new technologies in dental restoration, using its E4D CAD/CAM restorative system for dental offices and laboratories. This system uses high-speed laser scanning technology to produce digital 3D impressions of teeth prepared for crown, inlay, onlay, or veneer restorations.
Rochester Hills-based Auburn Engineering provides low-volume production molding and assemblies to automotive, consumer appliance, office furniture, medical and a variety of product manufacturers, with a service which is on-time and cost effective, the company claims. epw"
