Why MERIDIAN Chooses CNC Milling

Precision Starts with the Manufacturing Process

At MERIDIAN, the manufacturing process is an integral part of our implant design philosophy.

For the MERIDIAN S LINE, we have deliberately chosen CNC milling from defined ceramic blanks rather than ceramic injection molding.

Our objective is not simply to manufacture a ceramic implant, but to establish a controlled and reproducible production process in which implant geometry, dimensions and surface characteristics can be precisely defined.

 

Digital Precision

Every MERIDIAN implant begins with a digitally defined geometry.

CNC milling transfers this geometry directly into the ceramic blank through computer-controlled machining. Critical features such as threads, transitions, implant shoulders and prosthetic geometries can therefore be produced according to predefined manufacturing specifications.

Modern CNC machining is capable of highly controlled dimensional manufacturing, although the achievable tolerance always depends on the material, geometry, equipment and validated production process.

 

A Subtractive Manufacturing Approach

CNC milling is a subtractive process: the implant geometry is created by precisely removing material from a pre-manufactured ceramic blank.

This allows us to start from a defined material body and create the final implant geometry through controlled machining steps.

For MERIDIAN, this approach fits our philosophy of combining ceramic material technology with digitally controlled manufacturing.

 

No Injection-Molding Step

Ceramic injection molding follows a different manufacturing route.

Typically, ceramic powder is combined with an organic binder system to create a moldable feedstock. After molding, the binder must be removed and the ceramic component subsequently sintered.

MERIDIAN does not use ceramic injection molding for the formation of its implant geometry.

Because we use CNC milling, shaping the implant does not require injection molding or the associated debinding step.

 

Controlled Geometry

Ceramic injection molding is an established manufacturing technology and can be particularly useful for the production of complex ceramic components in larger quantities.

At the same time, ceramic molding processes must account for process-related parameters during molding, debinding and sintering, including dimensional changes during thermal processing. Research on ceramic injection molding describes the influence of geometry and processing parameters on shrinkage behavior.

Our milling-based approach was selected to support a highly controlled manufacturing workflow for the specific geometry of the MERIDIAN implant system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Defined Surface Processing

The surface of a dental implant is not simply the result of its basic shape.

With CNC manufacturing, machining parameters and subsequent surface-processing steps can be separately defined, controlled and documented within the manufacturing process.

This allows geometry production and surface processing to be treated as distinct manufacturing stages.

 

Process Control and Traceability

For us, precision is not defined by a single manufacturing step.

It is the result of a controlled sequence:

Digital design → defined ceramic blank → CNC machining → surface processing → inspection → quality control

This structured manufacturing approach allows critical process parameters and implant dimensions to be monitored according to the applicable production and quality specifications.

 

Why We Chose Milling

We chose CNC milling because it corresponds to the engineering concept behind MERIDIAN:

Digitally defined geometry
Computer-controlled manufacturing based on the implant's CAD design.

Controlled machining
Defined machining strategies for complex implant and prosthetic geometries.

No injection-molding process
The implant geometry is produced without ceramic injection molding and without an injection-molding-specific debinding step.

Defined manufacturing stages
Geometry creation, surface processing and quality control remain clearly separated within the production workflow.

Reproducibility
Manufacturing parameters can be defined, monitored and documented as part of the validated production process.

 

Different by Design

There are different technologies for manufacturing advanced ceramic components.

At MERIDIAN, we made a deliberate engineering decision.

We mill.

For our implant concept, the material, geometry and manufacturing process are designed to work as one controlled system.

 

​​​​​​​https://jbioleng.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13036-023-00396-y?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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https://www.protolabs.com/en-gb/resources/blog/how-to-select-the-best-manufacturing-process-for-your-part/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

 

 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4000974/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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https://www.3erp.com/blog/injection-molding-vs-cnc-machining/#utm_source=chatgpt.com

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https://www.protolabs.com/en-gb/resources/blog/how-to-select-the-best-manufacturing-process-for-your-part/?utm_source=chatgpt.com