EP1058595A1 - Multi-pass grinding method - Google Patents

Abstract

A multi-pass grinding method for fabricating an endodontic instrument. A tapered rod (10) is sucessively advanced past a rotating grinding wheel (12) to remove layers (14, 16, 18, 20) of material from the rod (10) until attaining a desired flute depth. The method is characterized by relatively shallow cutting depths, relatively high feed rates and low grinding wheel wear. The method reduces the process time and operator supervision required for fabricating nickel-titanium endodontic instruments. A further process is disclosed for automatically compensating for wear on the grinding wheel (12) so that periodic recalibration of the grinding wheel (12) may be eliminated or reduced.

Description

MULTI-PASS GRINDING METHOD

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to an improved method for

fabricating endodontic files and reamers and, more particularly, an improved

multi-pass grinding method for forming flutes and associated cutting edges

in a tapered rod of nickel titanium alloy material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As part of a conventional root canal procedure, decayed

material is removed from the root canal and the canals themselves are

reshaped before a filler material is inserted into the canal. The crown of the

tooth is removed to provide access to the root canal. Specialized

endodontic instruments, such as files and reamers, are used during the root

canal therapy to clean out and shape the root canal.

These instruments are typically very flexible files or reamers

that are manually rotated and/or reciprocated by the practitioner in the root

canal. The practitioner begins with very small files and proceeds with larger

and larger files until the canal is properly shaped and cleaned. After this -2- stage of the root canal therapy is complete, the tooth is typically filled with

an inert filling material, such as gutta percha, followed by cement. A crown

may then be fitted to the tooth.

In the past, such endodontic instruments were made from

tapered rods of stainless steel which were fluted along a working portion

thereof to form helical flutes each flanked by one or more cutting edges.

The flutes on the instruments are generally formed in one of two ways. A

first method involves twisting a rod of a particular cross section, such as

triangular or rectangular, so that the edges of the rod form spirals along the

length of the rod. These spiraling edges act as the cutting edges of the

instrument. Another method is to pass the tapered rod under a grinding

wheel and simultaneously rotate and translate the rod to form one or more

continuous flutes along the length of the rod. The rod may be indexed and

rotated and the process repeated to form additional flutes spaced apart

from one another by a predetermined angle, as desired.

The present invention relates to an improved grinding method

particularly suited for forming flutes in tapered rods comprising nickel-

titanium (Nitinol™) and/or similar alloys. These alloys have superior flexing

ability and resistance to fracture when compared to conventional stainless

steel alloys and, therefore, have found favorable application in the

endodontic field and, particularly, endodontic files and reamers. See, for

example, "An Initial Investigation of the Bending and the Torsional

Properties of Nitinol Root Canal Files," Journal of Endodontics, Vol. 14, No.

7, at 346-51 (July 1 988). Such instruments can more easily follow the -3- curved and/or convoluted contours of a tooth's root canal system, and are

less likely than stainless steel to break when placed under stress. These

advantages allow faster and more efficient root canal procedures with less

likelihood of damage to the wall of the root canal than with stainless steel

instruments.

The peculiar material properties and superelastic nature of

nickel-titanium alloys make it a particularly difficult material to machine

using conventional grinding techniques. For example, U.S. Pat. No.

5,464,362 to Heath et al. discusses some of the difficulties encountered in

forming a fluted endodontic instrument from nickel-titanium alloys using

conventional grinding techniques. To alleviate some of these difficulties,

Heath discloses a grinding method which uses a reduced feed rate of about

3-8 inches per minute and a reduced grinding wheel speed of not more than

3000 surface feet per minute to achieve instruments of acceptable quality.

However, the method of Heath is slow and inefficient and

requires shutting down and redressing the grinding wheel at relatively

frequent intervals to remove build up of nickel-titanium material on the

wheel and/or to reshape or recalibrate the wheel. These operations are

slow and labor intensive and, therefore, undesirable for high-production

manufacturing of nickel-titanium endodontic instruments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a high-speed, multi-pass

grinding method for fabricating files and reamers and/or other instruments

from tapered rods of nickel-titanium or other material. The preferred -4- method produces instruments of acceptable quality and clinical efficacy,

while reducing manufacturing time, wheel wear, and frequency of required

wheel redressing. Utilizing the multi-pass grinding method of the present

invention, high-quality nickel-titanium endodontic instruments can be

fabricated more quickly, with improved manufacturing tolerances and

reduced operator supervision and maintenance. The invention also

provides, in one embodiment, a method and apparatus for automated

recalibrating of the grinding wheel as it wears in order to maintain desired

manufacturing tolerances over long production runs and without operator

intervention.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides an

improved grinding method in which flutes, and associated cutting edges, are

formed in a tapered rod of nickel-titanium alloy by a multi-pass grinding

operation. The tapered rod is subjected to successive passes of a grinding

wheel which removes more and more material on each pass, until the final

desired flutes are formed. Because the depth of the flutes typically varies

along the length of a tapered instrument, a multi-pass grinding operation

allows the feed rate of each pass to be optimized according to the depth of

cut for the particular grinding pass. This is a significant advantage over

conventional grinding techniques which utilize only single pass, constant

feed-rate grinding wheel. This is because in a single pass system, the feed

rate must be slow enough to effectively remove the material in the deepest

portions of the flute, even though a higher feed rate could be used to

remove material from the shallower portions of the flute. The present -5- invention overcomes this limitation by utilizing multi-pass grinding and

variable feed-rates.

Another advantage of the multi-pass grinding method of the

present invention is that the depth of cut and the feed rate for each grinding

pass can be optimized to impart minimal wear to the grinding wheel. In

contrast, a single pass grinding method generates wear on the grinding

wheel at a relatively fast rate because the depth of cut is always at a

maximum (at least over a portion of the instrument) in order to remove all

of the material in one pass. As the edge of the grinding wheel wears under

these conditions, it becomes wider or flatter and, thus, the flutes become

wider and more shallow. Conventionally, when this occurs an operator

must reform or "redress" the edge of the grinding wheel and recalibrate it to

maintain manufacturing tolerances. The method of the present invention,

however, adjusts the depth of cut for each pass in order to minimize wheel

wear, while maintaining high-speed production. Accordingly, the method of

the present invention significantly reduces the amount of down-time and

skilled labor required to monitor and maintain manufacturing operations.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a

method and apparatus for automated recalibrating of the grinding wheel as

it wears. Conventional grinding operations require periodic recalibration and

adjustment of the grinding wheel in order to compensate for gradual

wearing away of the grinding wheel and the resulting reduction in wheel

diameter. This requires temporary shut-down and interruption of the

manufacturing process and increases monitoring and supervision costs of -6- the overall manufacturing process. In accordance with one method of the

present invention, however, automatic sensing and/or adjustment of the

position of the grinding wheel relative to the work piece (ie. tapered rod)

compensates for gradual wearing of the grinding wheel. This reduces the

amount of manufacturing time and operator supervision required, which is

especially advantageous for long production runs.

In accordance with another embodiment, the present invention

provides an adjustable head that holds the grinding wheel, enabling the

angle between the axis of the grinding wheel and the axis of the rod to

vary. This allows further correction for wear on the grinding wheel and the

ability to independently vary the rake angle, depth and width of the flutes

as the grinding wheel moves along the instrument.

These and other features and advantages of the present

invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the

following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to

the accompanying drawings, the invention not being limited, however, to

any particular preferred embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 A is an elevational view of a rod and a grinding wheel,

schematically showing the paths and different starting points of the grinding

wheel on consecutive passes over the rod;

Figure 1 B is a view similar to Figure 1 A, but illustrating the

grinding wheel having a common starting point for each pass; -7-

Figure 2A is a front view of one type of file being ground by a

wheel in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2B is a top view of the file and grinding wheel shown in

Figure 2A;

Figure 3A-1 shows an enlarged view of an unworn grinding

wheel cutting edge;

Figure 3A schematically illustrates a cross section of rod

formed with the grinding wheel of Figure 3A-1 ;

Figure 3B-1 shows an enlarged view of a worn grinding wheel

cutting edge;

Figure 3B schematically illustrates a cross section of rod

formed with the grinding wheel of Fig. 3B-1 ;

Figure 4 is an elevational view of a file ground in accordance

with the invention;

Figure 4A shows a transverse cross section of the distal end of

the ground rod shown in Fig. 4; and

Figure 4B shows a transverse cross section of the proximal

end of the ground rod shown in Fig. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figures 1 A, 2A and 2B illustrate a multi-pass grinding method

in accordance with present invention. A rod 1 0 is passed over by a

grinding wheel 1 2 to remove a first layer 14, a second layer 1 6, a third

layer 1 8, and a fourth layer 20, as shown in Figure 1 . The grinding wheel -8- is shown on its second pass where it will remove the second layer 1 6,

forming a flute.

The rod 10 generally comprises a shank 22, a distal end 24,

and a working portion 26. The working portion 26 extends from a proximal

end 28 adjacent the base of the shank 22 to the distal end 24. The rod 1 0

may be rotated along a longitudinal axis 30. The shank 22 may also

contain calibrated depth markings 32, a handle 34, knurling or grooves for a

chuck (not shown) to accommodate either manual manipulation or use with

a motorized handpiece, as desired.

The rod 1 0 may be of any cross sectional shape, but a circular

cross section is preferred. The rod 1 0 may or may not be tapered, but a

taper 40 along the working portion 26, as shown in Figure 1 A in

exaggerated form, is preferred. The rod 10 may be composed of titanium

alloy or stainless steel. Such titanium alloys typically have a titanium

content of at least 40%. Nickel-titanium alloys, which are preferred for

endodontic work, typically consist of about at least 40% titanium and at

least 50% nickel. In one preferred embodiment, the alloy consists of 44%

titanium and 56% nickel and no appreciable amount of other materials

which could adversely effect the purity required for endodontic instruments.

The dimensions of various rods formed into endodontic instruments may be

conventional.

The grinding wheel 1 2 generally comprises a first side 50, a

second side 52, and a bevelled side 54. The second side 52 and the

bevelled side 54 form a corner 56 with an included angle of about 32° in -9- one preferred embodiment. A cutting edge 58 is formed at the tip of the

corner 56. The second side 52 of the grinding wheel 1 2 and longitudinal

axis 30 of the rod 10 form a head angle 70. The grit size on the grinding

wheel 1 2 may range from about 200 to about 800, more preferably about

250 to about 550, and most preferably about 400. The grinding wheel

surface may be composed of a Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) material, supplied

and manufactured by Norton Superabrasives. A grinding wheel 1 2

composed of diamond ore has also shown to be satisfactory. The speed of

the grinding wheel 1 2 may range from about 2000 rpm to about 1 0000

rpm and more preferably from about 5000 rpm to about 8500 rpm.

Currently, the preferred speed is 5730 rpm for a six inch wheel. High¬

speed grinding has been achieved with favorable results using a Rollomatic

600x 6-axis machine. A Rollomatic 24F3 3-axis machine has also shown

satisfactory results, but cannot be used with head angle variation,

discussed in more detail below.

In one multi-pass grinding method in accordance with the

present invention, the grinding wheel 1 2 first contacts the rod 1 0 at a first

pass entrance point 60, somewhere between the distal end 24 and the

proximal end 28. The path of the cutting edge 58 of the grinding wheel 1 2

forms a cutting angle 72 with the longitudinal axis 30 of the rod 10. The

cutting angle 72 is preferably greater than or equal to about 0°, to provide a

neutral or positive rake angle cutting edge, although the method is not

specific to a particular instrument geometry. The depth of the first pass or

"cut" 14 is preferably less than a total maximum flute depth, which includes -10- the first cut 14, the second cut 1 6, the third cut 1 8, and the fourth cut 20.

Although the depth of any of the cuts is not critical, the depth of the final

cut or grinding pass (the fourth cut 20 in Figure 1 A) is preferably about 5

microns to 30 microns deep, and more preferably about 10 microns deep,

to provide a fine surface finish quality of the flutes and associated cutting

edges. The depth of the other cuts may range from just greater than a few

microns to a depth of about 100 microns or more, with about 40 microns

per cut being most satisfactory.

Figure 1 A depicts a multi-pass grinding method using four

passes. The system may also operate satisfactorily with as few as two

passes, and as many as ten or more passes. Most preferably, between

about three to five grinding passes should be suitable for most applications.

Instruments formed from tapered rods of smaller diameters will generally

require less grinding passes than those formed from larger diameter rods.

While moving between the distal end 24 and the first pass entrance point

60, the grinding wheel 1 2 may move at a rapid feed rate, such as 1 800

mm/min. (approx. 72"/min.). Just before contacting the rod 10 at the first

pass entrance point 60, the feed rate is preferably slowed to a rate suitable

for cutting the material. A grinding feed rate, ranging from about .5"/min.

to about 35"/min., and most preferably about 10"/min to about 1 5'7min.

and most preferably about 1 2"/min. (approx. 300 mm/min.) provides

satisfactory results. This grinding feed rate can vary while the grinding

wheel 1 2 is removing material along a pass or from pass to pass, but is -1 1 - more preferably held constant while the grinding wheel 1 2 is removing

material from the rod 10.

After the first cut 14, the grinding wheel 1 2 can move at a

more rapid feed rate to the second cut entrance point 62 and begin

removing the second layer of material 1 6 at a selected grinding feed rate.

The process is repeated until reaching the desired flute depth. A third layer

entry point 64 and fourth layer entry point 66 are located at the distal end

24. By employing this multi-pass system, significant savings in time and

materials are achieved. This is possible because a single pass system must

operate at a grinding feed rate from the distal end 24 to the proximal end

28, and that rate must be relatively slow because the single pass system

removes a maximum amount of material at the proximal end 28. A multi¬

pass grinding method can use faster grinding feed rates because less

material is removed per pass. It can also utilize even more rapid feed rates

when it is not removing material (or removing only minimal material) from

the rod, such as after the initial pass and before the second pass. A four

pass system with a grinding feed rate of 1 2"/min. has approximately a 20%

savings in time over a single pass system operating at 3"/min. In addition,

when the final layer in a multi-pass system, the fourth layer 20 in Figure

1 A, is kept relatively thin, an improved surface finish is obtained.

Referring now to Figure 1 B, the multi-pass method of this

invention may also be practiced by starting from approximately common

starting points at distal end 24. In Figure 1 B, like numerals refer to like

structure as between Figures 1 A and 1 B, and numerals having prime marks -1 2-

(') refer to elements modified according to this alternative principle. The

method will be essentially the same as described above, except that layers

14', 1 6', 1 8' and 20' will each be ground off with wheel 1 2 starting at

points 60', 62', 64, 66. It will be appreciated that points 60' and 62' have

been moved distally from the respective points 60, 62 shown in Figure 1 A.

These points may vary in depth. Also in accordance with this invention,

grinding passes can vary in axial feed rate throughout their entire length.

For example, the feed rate at the start of a flute grinding pass may be 1 0"

per minute or greater and the feed rate through the remainder of the

grinding pass may become progressively greater, often exceeding 1 2" per

minute but preferably not exceeding 30" per minute.

Referring now to Figures 3A, 3A-1 , 3B and 3B-1 , the multi¬

pass system not only saves manufacturing time and costs, but it also

reduces the wear on the grinding wheel 1 2. The unworn cutting edge 58 of

grinding wheel 1 2 produces a flute 1 00 on the rod 10, as illustrated in

Figure 3A. The flute 100 must be maintained within specifications in order

to produce instruments of acceptable quality and clinical efficacy. The

width "a" of the flute and depth "b" of the flute, among other physical

properties, can be measured to gauge the acceptance of the shapes and

dimensions of the flutes. Figure 3B-1 depicts a worn cutting edge 58' and

a cross section of its corresponding rod 10 and flute 100'. As illustrated, a

worn cutting edge 58' will produce a shallower and flatter flute so that a' is

greater than a and b' is less than b. Eventually the worn edge 58' will

prevent the flutes 100' from meeting specifications. The manufacturing -1 3- process will then have to be interrupted so that an operator can reform the

cutting edge 58' and recalibrate the grinding wheel 1 2 by moving the

cutting edge 58' by a distance "c" in the direction of arrow 59 in Figure 3B-

1 so that it will produce a flute 100 of proper dimensions. The multi-pass

system lessens the need for this recalibration because the grinding wheel

1 2 wears more slowly in a multi-pass system as compared to a single pass

system.

As just described, the need to stop the manufacturing process

for recalibration of the wheel increases process time and the need for

operator supervision. Therefore, any increase in the length of time between

recalibrations increases the efficiency of the process. This remains the case

whether a single pass or multi-pass system is utilized. The present

invention, in one embodiment, increases the time between necessary

recalibrations significantly by automatically feeding the grinding wheel 1 2

and its cutting edge 58 toward the rod 10 as edge 58 wears. By tracking

the wear of cutting edge 58, it is possible to adjust the location of the

cutting edge 58 to account for the wear. By repeatedly readjusting the

location of the cutting edge 58 as it wears, the flute 100 is kept within

specifications for a much longer period of time. Even after fabricating 50

parts, grinding wheel 1 2 used in accordance with the invention was still

producing flutes 1 00 well within specifications. The infeeding is

accomplished by programming a computer (not shown) that will move the

grinding wheel 1 2 along an axis parallel to its second side 52, so that the

head angle 70 remains constant. -14-

The present invention, in another embodiment, is also capable

of adjusting the head angle 70 shown, for example, in Figure 1 A. This

process is similar to the infeeding process discussed above, except that in

this case the head angle 70 is altered to correct for wear on the cutting

edge 58, rather than the distance between the axes of the grinding wheel

1 2 and rod 10. The result is decreased down time because the head angle

correction maintains more symmetrical flutes 100 for a longer period of

time.

Referring now to Figures 4, 4A and 4B, adjustment of the head

angle 70 can also be utilized to improve and control other variables of the

flutes 100. As one skilled in the art is aware, material can be removed

from the rod 1 0 to produce one or a plurality of flutes 100. These flutes

1 00 are helical, and form leading edges 102 that cut away decayed material

as the rods 10 are maneuvered in the root canal. The flutes 1 00 also form

trailing edges 104. As Figures 4A and 4B illustrate, the leading edges 1 02

form rake angles which may be 0°, positive, or negative, as desired. As

one can see from these two figures, the cross section at distal end 24 has a

rake angle of approximately 0° and the rake angle at proximal end 28 is on

the order of about 20 degrees. The varying rake angle between distal end

24 and proximal end 28 is caused by the fixed head angle employed in

present systems. The fixed head angle produces different rake angles

depending on the depth of cut. By varying the head angle, the rake angle

can be kept constant if desired, or varied at a controlled rate. The same is

true for the web thickness. The head angle can be adjusted with a -1 5- programmable computer or other expedients, as will be readily apparent to

those skilled in the art.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the

context of certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those

skilled in the art that the present invention extends beyond the specifically

disclosed embodiments to other equivalent and obvious alternative

embodiments. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention

herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed

embodiments herein, but shall be defined only by a fair reading of the claims

which follow, including the full range of equivalents to which they may be

entitled by law.

Claims

-16-WHAT IS CLAIMED IS

1 . A multi-pass grinding method for fabricating an endodontic

instrument used during root canal therapy, the method comprising:

axially moving a metallic rod relative to and against a rotating

grinding wheel to grind off an amount of metallic material from the outer

surface of said rod along a path and during a first pass, and

axially moving said metallic rod relative to and against said rotating

grinding wheel during at least one additional pass over at least a portion of

said path to grind off a further amount of metallic material from the outer

surface of said rod until reaching a desired depth.

2. The method of Claim 1 wherein the metallic material includes at least

about 40% titanium.

3. The method of Claim 1 wherein the number of passes made by the

grinding wheel is between 3 and 1 0.

4. The method of Claim 1 wherein the rod is moved relative to the

grinding wheel during each pass at an axial feed rate of between about 10

and 30 inches per minute.

5. The method of Claim 1 wherein the amount of material removed in

each pass is between about 10 microns and 100 microns. -17-

6. The method of Claim 1 wherein the amount of material removed in

each pass is about 40 microns.

7. The method of Claim 1 wherein the speed of the grinding wheel is

between about 5000 rpm to about 8500 rpm.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a flute of said desired depth and

with a spiral cutting edge is formed along said path.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein each pass is started from

approximated the same starting point along the length of said rod.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first pass and said additional

pass are started from different points along the length of said rod.