Ivoclar Vivadent AG

Development of new materials, designs, and manufacturing methods for dental prostheses, restorations, and implants, focusing on aesthetics, durability, biocompatibility, and integration with oral structures.

Computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) techniques, including additive manufacturing (3D printing) and subtractive manufacturing (milling), for producing custom dental appliances and prosthetics.

Polymer compositions tailored for medical and biological applications, including implantable devices, drug delivery systems, and diagnostic tools, emphasizing properties like biocompatibility, hydrolysis resistance, optical clarity, and specific mechanical characteristics.

Technologies for acquiring and processing three-dimensional digital representations of the oral cavity, teeth, and surrounding structures, often involving scanners, image stitching, and surface differentiation algorithms.

Methods for producing glass-ceramic articles through controlled nucleation and crystallization processes, often involving specific thermal treatments to achieve desired microstructures and properties like strength or dimensional stability.

Techniques for building three-dimensional metal objects layer-by-layer using metal powders, including powder bed fusion, binder jetting, and directed energy deposition. This theme encompasses process mechanics, equipment design, and operational control for AM systems.

Methods for layer-by-layer deposition or 3D printing of concrete and cement-based materials, often employing rapidly hydrating binders or specialized compositions for rapid setting.

Electrically powered or mechanically actuated devices for daily oral care, such as toothbrushes and flossers, often incorporating features for enhanced cleaning, user feedback, or automated dispensing.

Systems and methods for real-time sensing, modeling, and closed-loop control of additive manufacturing parameters to ensure part quality, consistency, and process efficiency. This includes thermal management, atmospheric regulation, and precise material deposition.

Development of specific glass compositions, such as phosphate glasses, for use as active materials or electrolytes in energy storage devices like metal-ion accumulators and batteries.

Methods and processes for fabricating ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), including preform creation, infiltration techniques, and densification to form complex shapes with enhanced properties.

Novel glass formulations, often doped with rare-earth elements or specific metal oxides, designed to achieve desired optical properties such as refractive index, light transmittance, polarization, or amplification.

Polymer compositions incorporating inorganic or organic filler materials to impart specific functional properties such as thermal conductivity, flame retardancy, electrical conductivity, or enhanced mechanical strength and dimensional stability.

Ceramic materials and components engineered for specific functional applications, such as electronics, energy storage, wear resistance, or high-temperature heating elements.

Utilizing machine learning, particularly deep learning, to analyze medical data such as images, sensor readings, or physiological signals for disease prediction, diagnosis, or treatment assessment.

Application of coatings, layers, or chemical treatments to the surface of glass articles to impart specific functionalities such as UV blocking, anti-whitening, hydrophobicity, or adhesion for subsequent layers.

Development and application of polymer compositions designed for reprocessability, recyclability, or incorporating sustainable additives, often featuring reversible bonds or bio-based components.

Systems and methods for acquiring and analyzing image data across multiple discrete spectral bands or a continuous spectrum, often for material characterization, environmental monitoring, or remote sensing applications.

Development of devices and methods for non-invasive or minimally invasive collection and analysis of physiological data, often from wearable sensors, to monitor health, activity, or specific conditions.

Polymers incorporating reversible bonds or crosslinks that enable reprocessing, self-healing, or tunable mechanical properties, often responding to stimuli like heat, light, or pH for de-crosslinking and re-crosslinking.

Computational methods and design principles for generating optimized geometries, internal structures (e.g., lattices, minimal surfaces), or functional features that are specifically enabled or enhanced by the capabilities of additive manufacturing.

Integration of additive manufacturing with subtractive manufacturing (e.g., machining, cutting) or other traditional processes within a single system or workflow to create parts with improved features, surface finish, or material properties, or to enable new manufacturing paradigms.

Methods and tooling for forming structural components from fibrous materials impregnated with resin, involving processes like prepreg handling, resin infusion, and co-bonding during curing.

Systems and methods that use imaging technologies, computer vision, and augmented reality to provide real-time guidance, localization, and visualization during surgical procedures or for detailed anatomical assessment.