Die-based Rapid Bending Robotic System for Orthodontic Archwires

In the orthodontic treatment of malocclusion, fixed orthodontic techniques are widely used and effective orthodontic methods, and the bending of orthodontic archwires is a key step in this technology. Traditional manual bending of orthodontic archwires has many drawbacks. With the rapid development of automation and robotics technology, the orthodontic archwire bending process is undergoing a profound transformation from traditional manual operation to intelligent manufacturing. Based on the comparative analysis of existing research results and combined with mold design methods, this article proposes a new design concept and structure based on molds, aiming to ensure the accuracy of functional bending while meeting the personalized adjustment of functional bending positions. The new structure uses a robotic arm to adjust the bending position of the archwire, and a specific mold is used to bend the functional curve. The specific mold is designed to simplify the bending process based on manual bending steps. A specific bending mold was made using 3D printing, and a rapid bending robot system for orthodontic archwire was built. The function was verified by bending a shoe shaped curve using ordinary iron wire with a circular cross-sectional diameter of 0.5mm. The results indicate that bending a single boot curve only takes 20 seconds, while bending 8 boot curves on the same archwire takes approximately 180 seconds (including position adjustment when bending two different boot curves). Although specific molds need to be designed for multiple functional curves, this method has been experimentally proven to be effective and feasible, ensuring both bending accuracy and meeting personalized bending requirements. There is a significant flaw in this study, as the rebound characteristics of nickel titanium alloy archwires and stainless steel archwires commonly used in orthodontics were not considered due to research limitations.