Shape definition and parameters validation through sheet metal feature for CNC dental wire bending

Abstract

The present study is conducted to validate the calculated computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) data, or the bending code (B-code) according to the theory of 3D linear segmentation algorithm. The theory uses Cartesian coordinates of the segmented 3D lines and produces the desired bending parameters in terms of feeding length (L), the plane rotation angle (β) and bend angle (θ). The parameters are intended to control and drive the computer numerical control (CNC) dental wire bending machine. This paper aims to give an early theoretical result of the wire bending operation and does not consider material properties in the calculation. By a reverse engineering approach, the design of the pre-fabricated dental wire is done in sheet metal feature to virtually simulate the wire bending operation. As a result, the generated sheet metal bending parameters are compared with the calculated bending parameters. To conclude, the introduced theory has been validated in the present work.