November 08 Issue - Employee Monthly Magazine
Straighten up and smile right!
Lab technology simplifies fitting braces
Tony Davis, left, of Imtec-3M demonstrates to Thomas Claytor of Applied Engineering Technology-6 some features of the third-generation Flash CT scanner, such as the iPhone like interface and rapid 3D reconstruction. Photo by Dixon Wolf
Custom-made nearly invisible teeth aligners are improving people's smiles thanks to Laboratory technology. To date, more than a million Invisalign® clear plastic braces have been produced, and 2,500 patients are scanned daily for fittings using FlashCT (computed tomography) technology.
Originally developed to provide high-resolution 3D images using nondestructive means, the R&D 100 Award-winning technology matured via a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between the Laboratory and IMTEC (then HYTEC).
In January 2002, a company called Align began using FlashCT scanners as part of the production of Invisalign, which are designed to gradually move teeth using a series of aligners that address crowding, spacing, and bite issues. "Invisalign cold called HYTEC to investigate the use of FlashCT for its product. Originally employees took impressions, cast these in plastic, and machined thin layers off the cast material while taking photographs to produce a 3D image of the impression. This time-consuming, wasteful process was replaced by a simple 3D CT scan using FlashCT," explained Tom Claytor of Applied Engineering Technology-6, principal investigator for the FlashCT project.
Tony Davis, initially a Laboratory technical staff member on the FlashCT project, is now IMTEC's vice president of radiographic imaging systems engineering. In addition to its use in the medical community, he said there is a demand for the technology in industry.
"We've built systems ranging from small tabletop designs to large, multimegavolt systems used in Department of Energy facilities," Davis said. "Many government and commercial organizations have standardized on FlashCT as their solution for computed tomography inspection."
The technology is used at the Laboratory as well to image everything from classified parts to rocket motors and rocks, according to Claytor.
"The installed base of FlashCT machines for industrial and scientific use now is approaching 400 units, making it the most successful industrial and scientific CT machine," he said.
Though acquired by 3M in July, 40 of IMTEC's 250 employees call Los Alamos home.
"The ability to stay in Los Alamos near the people and culture that create the innovations that drive our company's success is a rare privilege," Davis said. "The Laboratory remains an important center of technical excellence, and that culture bleeds out to companies fortunate enough to locate in this county."
—Mig Owens
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