vhf camfacture AG: R5 – Maximum Automation for Perfect Restorations
Redefining Milling and Grinding in Dental Laboratories
AMMERBUCH, Germany & HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.-- vhf camfacture AG is introducing a highly automated milling and grinding machine for wet and dry machining that processes every material commonly used in the field of dental technology. Its world premiere will be on February 23, 2018, at the LMT Lab Day in Chicago – the largest event for dental laboratories in America.
The R5 is an extremely compact, high-end machine. The patent-pending loading system for blanks is particularly innovative, as it allows them to be directly machined without the cumbersome process of first screwing them down into the clamping frame – making the production process much more convenient. The working chamber drying system, also patent pending, makes it possible to quickly switch between wet and dry machining. It can process up to ten discs or 60 blocks or abutments nonstop.
There is barely any material in use in a dental laboratory today that the R5 can’t machine. For instance, it can wet-grind glass ceramic or wet-mill titanium. Materials like cobalt-chromium alloys, zirconium oxide, and PMMA can all be dry-milled. In this context, the R5 can machine blanks up to a width of 40 mm. For wet-machining, the built-in five-liter tank only needs to be filled with clear water – without requiring any grinding additives. And when dry-machining synthetic materials, a built-in ionizer reduces the particles’ disruptive static charge.
The R5 is equipped with German-engineered technology from vhf which guarantees that at the end of the process, dental technicians get a true-to-the-original restoration that fits perfectly. A repetition accuracy of the linear axes of ± 0.003 mm and a sturdy body made of solid cast aluminum ensure the highest level of precision with minimal vibration. The deliberate use of an oversized high-frequency spindle with a peak power of 800 watts and fourfold hybrid ceramic ball bearings offers significant power in reserve when using tools with a shank diameter of 3 mm. In addition, the machine is equipped with a separate water circulation system that keeps water constantly flowing through the spindle carrier and as a result, considerably reduces the heat expansion of the z-axis and the spindle.
These design characteristics guarantee constant high-quality results while simultaneously maximizing the life of the spindle – which is particularly important in machines with blank changing units that are often run continuously overnight. And finally, speeds of up to 80,000 rotations per minute make high feed rates possible. The components have been carefully designed to work together in perfect harmony, making the R5 one of the fastest machines on the market. Despite having a footprint of only 580 × 380 mm, the machine weighs an impressive 145 kg. As a result, it offers a level of machine rigidity that meets even the highest demands, yet space for it can easily be found in any laboratory. Today, 5-axis simultaneous machining is now considered standard. But when it comes to machining with five axes, the available range of motion of the axes is critical. Thanks to the intelligent configuration of the axes, whereby one of the R5’s rotary axes directly moves the spindle, users enjoy impressive angles of tilt of ± 35 degrees. This key angle of tilt determines the range of motion and as a result, the ability to produce for numerous dental indications, such as undercuts for crowns and bridges, drilling templates, or implant-based work. Similar to all other vhf machines, the R5 is also completely open in every sense of the word: data can be imported in the standardized STL format, and when selecting discs, blocks, and abutments, the R5 can be used with materials from any manufacturer.