DACOS | Digital Antonello Croce Occlusal System

DESCRIPTION

Experience DACOS by Antonello Croce: an all-in-one solution that optimizes your work with a traditional articulator of all types.

CATEGORY

3D Printing

CONTRIBUTOR

Antonello Croce

DATE

06/12/2024

A dental articulator is a crucial tool for diagnostic and treatment planning in prosthodontics and restorative dentistry. Recently, Metadac, in collaboration with its industry partners Ruthinium and Blender For Dental, presented the Dacos system, an all-in-one solution that optimizes your work with a traditional articulator of all types. Enter DACOS—the Digital Antonello Croce Occlusal System—an innovative system conceived by Antonello Croce, a renowned expert in digital solutions and software development. DACOS is transforming dental laboratory practices by seamlessly bridging the gap between digital and analog articulators, offering universality and ease of use like never before.

With DACOS, it’s truly “One Click, All Set.” This revolutionary system provides a “universal in one click” experience, enabling dental professionals to integrate it effortlessly into any workflow. Its design reflects Antonello Croce’s expertise, emphasising both precision and efficiency, which are paramount in modern dentistry. By allowing the precise repositioning of 3D-printed models within articulators through a magnet-based system, DACOS ensures that every detail of your digital design is accurately replicated in the physical articulator.

The system’s universality means it works seamlessly with all articulators and CAD software, embodying the philosophy that advanced technology should be accessible to all designer.

What Does DACOS Do?

Dacos contains two parts – hardware and software components, focusing on reposition of any 3D-printed model in an articulator using using cutting-edge CAD technologies and ... magnets!

Let's review how this novelty works.

The magnet-based system lies at the core of DACOS’s functionality. By placing magnets into specific attachments on the 3D-printed models, DACOS allows for easy and secure placement within the articulator. This means that once your digital design is printed, you can confidently attach it to the articulator without worrying about misalignment or manual adjustments. The magnets ensure a snug fit, maintaining the integrity of your original digital coordinates.

DACOS is optimized for 3D model printing, addressing common challenges that professionals face during the printing process. Its design takes into account the need for interference-free support, meaning that the printing supports do not negatively impact the final result. This optimization ensures that every detail of the model is preserved, and the structural integrity remains uncompromised throughout the printing and attachment process.

Hardware – simple, workable and elegant

The neat part of the physical half of the system – the DACOS Plate – is equipped with magnets that can effectively fix printed models in a quick, simple move and just as easily removed.

These plates are presented in two variations according to the articulators' minimum Z height:

DACOS 40mm – for 65mm height
DACOS 60mm – for 90mm height

Thus, the DACOS system may be equipped with any articulator, especially considering that it has an integrated auto-calibrating option that adapts your DACOS to the specific options of the particular tool. Install it once and use it as much as you need until you change your articulator.

Software – universal and easy to use

So how will magnets from your plate attach to the 3D printed model? DACOS Module – a Blender For Dental module – can transform any existing 3D model from various software, including Exocad, 3Shape, and other CAD solutions, equipping it with special caps for a magnet that is precisely aligned to your placed DACOS plate.

DACOS module software is developed and supported by Blender for the Dental platform, a leader in the design software industry.

A few clicks, and you receive a ready-to-print model!

Place a magnet in one move

DACOS System also includes a special tool – Glue Jet – to correctly place the magnets on printed models. This pen-like device will help you to install the magnets in appropriate sockets, designed by software, in the right direction to avoid repulsion between the model and the DACOS Plate.

After that, you should glue magnets, and you can start using your articulator with a DACOS system.

DACOS – is an effective solution to upgrade your dental toolset with modern CAD software and flexible magnet-equipped attachments.

DACOS Plate | One-time Installation

Before designing your model, you’ll install the DACOS Plate into your physical articulator. This plate is a one-time installation that calibrates the system into your articulator for future use. The DACOS Plate is compatible with all types of articulators due to its self-installation feature. It involves embedding the plate into your articulator with plaster, and it’s available in different heights—DACOS 40mm and DACOS 60mm—to accommodate various articulator sizes.

The combination of the DACOS module, DACOS Plate, and the Self Installation provides unparalleled precision, versatility and spatial accuracy. By maintaining the integrity of your digital coordinates throughout the process, DACOS ensures that the physical model in the articulator is a true representation of your digital work. This level of accuracy is crucial for high-quality dental restorations, where even minor deviations can have significant impacts on the fit and function of prosthetics.

DACOS BENEFITS

Self-Installation Made Simple

The self-installation process is straightforward and user-friendly. You begin by embedding the DACOS Plate into your articulator using plaster. This one-time setup calibrates the system specifically to your articulator, ensuring precision from the very first use. The design of the DACOS Plate mirrors the geometry and coordinates specified in the DACOS module, providing a perfect alignment between your digital models and the physical articulator.

Install Once, Use Forever

One of the most significant advantages of DACOS is the concept of “Install once, use forever.” After the initial self-installation of the DACOS Plate into your articulator, there’s no need for reinstallation or recalibration. This enduring setup ensures that you can consistently achieve precise results over the lifetime of the product.

Integrated Calibration and Anatomical Planes

Once you install the DACOS Plate into your articulator, the system is automatically calibrated, providing pre-set precision that ensures consistent and accurate results from the very first use. This means you no longer need to worry about manual calibrations or adjustments—DACOS takes care of it for you, allowing you to focus on what matters most: delivering exceptional patient care.

CAMPER and FRANKFURT In Your Choice

DACOS pays meticulous attention to anatomical accuracy by including essential anatomical planes such as the CAMPER plane and the FRANKFURT plane. These planes are crucial reference points in dentistry that help align the dental models to the natural orientation of the patient’s head and jaw. By incorporating these planes into the system, DACOS ensures that every model you work with reflects real-world anatomical positions, enhancing the fit and function of the final prosthetics.

To facilitate this precise installation, DACOS provides the PILOT CALIBRATOR, a tool that guides you in setting up the DACOS Plate according to the desired anatomical occlusal plane. Whether you are working with the CAMPER or FRANKFURT plane, the PILOT CALIBRATOR gives you the flexibility to configure the system based on your specific clinical needs, ensuring optimal precision.

Additionally, DACOS introduces a groundbreaking Master Calibration system designed to ensure perfect alignment for your specific 3D printing setup. By downloading the Master Calibrator STL file (available in three offsets: Tight, Standard, Loose), you can print the calibrator using the same 3D printer and resin you’ll use for your dental models. This personalized calibration eliminates variability across different printers and resins, ensuring a seamless workflow and guaranteeing that your system is fully optimized for your setup.

The Master Calibrator is divided into two parts—upper and lower—mimicking the behavior of dental models. The calibrator can be connected with elastic bands or magnets, allowing you to easily replicate the final positioning in your DACOS Plate installation.

Designed to Be Printed

Recognising the challenges that come with 3D Printing technology, DACOS has been meticulously designed for 3D printed model, addressing common issues associated with nesting and supports structures.

DACOS introduces the concept of “Interference-Free Support,” an innovative approach that ensures supports are strategically placed to avoid impacting critical areas of the model. By eliminating undercuts and designing attachments that minimize the need for extensive supports, DACOS allows for precise printing without the usual complications.

The system carefully considers the geometry of the model, ensuring that any necessary supports do not negatively affect the final result. The interior of the attachments is deliberately kept free of supports in critical areas, and horizontal extensions are reduced below the deformation threshold. This thoughtful design eliminates the risk of structural collapse during the build, maintaining the structural integrity of the model throughout the printing process.

The DACOS revolution is here, its universal compatibility with all articulators and CAD systems means that dental professionals can integrate this technology into their existing workflows without disruption.

Join the revolution and take the next step in transforming your approach to digital dentistry.

Click the link to visit the company partners website to learn more about the DACOS system: 👉🏻 Blender For Dental 👉🏻 Ruthinium