In dental implantology, traceability is not just a minor detail: it is what identifies a component and links it to the patient who receives it. B&B Dental, a Bologna-based company specializing in this sector, has entrusted SISMA with the development of a laser marking process for equipment and implants, serving both functional and traceability purposes. The markings must be imperceptible to the touch and remain perfectly legible over time, withstanding—in the case of equipment—repeated cycles of decontamination and autoclave sterilization.

The challenge: high contrast, no relief

Meeting both requirements involves removing very little material, while carefully adjusting the laser power, engraving speed, and spindle rotation. It is a delicate balance: a marking that is too shallow may fade over time, while one that is too deep can promote bacterial adhesion.

Technology: BSP, rotary-tilting spindle, and digital vision

The tests were conducted on a SISMA BSP machine equipped with a rotary-tilting spindle. The SLC3 software, interfaced with the CVS coaxial vision system, automatically identifies the area to be marked and precisely positions text, codes, and Data Matrix symbols even on complex geometries, such as the hexagonal head of a stump or the hollow interior of an implant.

BSP Pico, the SISMA machine used in tests with a 50-watt ultrashort-pulse laser source.

On this platform, two laser sources were compared: a 20 W MOPA and a 50 W Pico ultrashort-pulse laser. Here is a summary of the results obtained for the various components:

(2 bands + code)

The final result on the key shank with the ring nut: the Sisma mark and bands of continuous blackening, clearly legible and almost imperceptible to the touch.

The final result on the graduated key body: a graduated scale that is clearly legible and almost imperceptible to the touch.

The final result on the lanceolate milling cutter features bands and an alphanumeric code that are clearly legible and almost imperceptible to the touch.

The Real Test: Data Matrix Codes

A Data Matrix code must be marked on both the abutment and the implant to certify their mutual correspondence: a key requirement for the device’s traceability. On the abutment, a 1.16 × 1.16 mm code in 12×12 format is marked on the hexagon in approximately 10 seconds and is perfectly readable with a Cognex 8600 reader.

The Data Matrix code marked on the stump, as seen under a microscope.

The Extreme Challenge: 0.4 mm Inside the Implant

The only available surface on the device is the interior, which is difficult to reach, and the space for the code is limited to just 0.4 × 0.4 mm in a 10×10 format—a size that is beyond the capabilities of the MOPA laser. Only the 50 W Pico laser, thanks to its ultrashort pulses, was able to mark the code in about 10 seconds, with guaranteed readability under a microscope.

The 0.4 × 0.4 mm Data Matrix code marked inside the device, which can only be read using a Pico laser.

Why the Pico Won the Challenge

• High-contrast, long-lasting markings
• Excellent definition even on extremely small components
• Shorter processing times
• Repeatable production results

A Key Component of Regulatory Compliance: UDI Marking

SISMA’s software systems fully integrate with the SQL database to generate and manage UDI (Unique Device Identification) labeling, as required by FDA and EU MDR regulations, ensuring security, flexibility, repeatability, and traceability throughout the entire production process.

The B&B Dental–SISMA case study demonstrates how ultrashort-pulse laser technology, combined with coaxial digital vision and automated data management, is currently the most effective solution for marking small and complex dental devices.

When precision, efficiency, and reliability are essential, the right technology makes all the difference.

Dental laboratories face a growing challenge every day:

-Increasingly complex appliances
– Increasingly sophisticated materials
– Increasingly high quality standards
– Ever-shorter turnaround times

For this reason, Partners Dental Solutions, a U.S.-based orthodontic laboratory with over 140 specialized professionals, chose to integrate the SISMA LM-D manual laser welding system into its production process.

WHY DID THEY CHOOSE THE SISMA LM-D?

By integrating laser welding into its daily workflow, the laboratory can precisely handle:

• • Cobalt-chromium welds
• • Titanium orthodontic appliances
• • Complex and custom devices

According to Djamil Abiyev, President & CEO of Partners Dental Solutions: “SISMA technology has become a fundamental component of our production process, enabling us to perform precise and consistent welds on a wide range of orthodontic applications.”

LM-D for dental applications

CONCRETE BENEFITS FOR LABORATORIES:

– Greater welding precision
– Reproducible and reliable results
– Reduction in post-processing
– More efficient workflow
– Greater production control

To meet specific production needs, we developed a configuration of SWT Open 450 F with dual spindles, ideal for welding coaxial cylindrical elements.

This solution allows the process to be significantly improved in several respects:

• Superior accuracy: the coupling of components is extremely accurate, ensuring perfect coaxiality
• Time optimization: eliminates the need to position and point pieces separately
• Process simplification: no more need to use tailstocks
• Increased production capacity: through-hole spindles allow long components to be machined.

An additional strength is the versatility of the configuration: the second spindle can be easily excluded, allowing a return to single-spindle tilting mode.

This customization finds application in areas where precision is not an option but a must:

• production of thermocouples
• realization of sensors
• medical components

Areas where repeatability, quality and process control are crucial to the end result.

Watch the video of the processing.

Sofab Orthopédie turned to Sisma to double its capacity for laser marking of implants and other metal medical devices.
When it comes to medical projects, it is imperative to provide a robust marking process coupled with a reliable machine.

The project involved five different product families, including femoral heads, tibial bases, mobility cups of various sizes, and surgical guides. The markings had to meet the typical requirements for UDI-compliant black marking (e.g., chemical resistance and excellent legibility) on different materials (cobalt-chromium, titanium, and stainless steel), and the system had to interface with the company’s internal database via SQL queries, automatically load marking designs and execute them on the components.
BSP Pico with the WH-10 automatic loading system fully achieved the production objectives, both in terms of quality and quantity.

Extended Plane is a software function available
for MODO Mark equipped with motorized XY axes, which allows the marking of graphics larger than the working field offered by the focal length in use.
The function automatically breaks down the image into several parts corresponding to the working field of the focal length and calculates all the movements of the axes to recompose the image in the machine.
The high precision of the axes guarantees excellent results and makes MODO Mark an ideal tool for marking large graphics.

In the Coaxial Vision System (CVS), the viewpoint of the camera coincides with the optical path of the laser beam. This allows the work area to be viewed directly within the programming software without any parallax errors, making the machining set-up much easier.

Advantages:

• high precision and repeatability of centering,
• possibility of eliminating jigs or fixtures,
• possibility of laser re-machining on the same part to obtain the required depth or finish.

The use of an integrated laser system with a scanning head requires precise prior knowledge of the path that the laser will follow in order to position the parts to be treated on the work surface accordingly.
The coaxial vision system (CVS) meets this requirement.
Everything within the camera’s field of view will therefore be accessible (and perfectly superimposed) to the laser processing.
This result is achieved thanks to a fast and accurate calibration procedure, capable of performing this alignment without the need for external manual measurements by the operator.
Monochromatic ring lighting, also coaxial with the focusing lens, improves the quality and accuracy of the acquired image. This not only makes it easy to position the machining on the parts, but also allows immediate checking of its aesthetic quality.
In addition, SISMA’s proprietary software provides the user with graphical tools for evaluating the metric dimensions of objects positioned on the work field.
The CVS is a prerequisite for automatic object recognition in combination with the Pattern Matching (PM) software function.