“Customized Orthodontic Brackets through Additive Manufacturing examines the engineering challenges involved in producing patient-specific orthodontic devices using additive manufacturing. The book offers a useful case study of how an emerging manufacturing technology can be developed for a demanding biomedical application.
From a manufacturing perspective, customized orthodontic brackets present an interesting problem. Their small size and complex, patient-specific geometries make conventional processing and finishing difficult. Additive manufacturing provides new design possibilities, while the resulting surface condition and material properties create additional engineering challenges that must be addressed.
The book gives particular attention to post-processing of additively manufactured stainless-steel brackets. Its discussion of mechanical finishing, electropolishing, surface characterization, and corrosion behavior shows how decisions made during manufacturing can influence the properties of the finished component. This process-to-performance relationship is especially important when engineering products for healthcare applications.
I also enjoyed the book’s forward-looking discussion of digital customization, AI-assisted design, and sensor-enabled orthodontic brackets. These developments illustrate how advanced manufacturing may support a new generation of increasingly personalized and functional medical devices.
Overall, the book presents an interesting example of applying manufacturing engineering to a real biomedical challenge. It should be useful to engineers and researchers working in additive manufacturing, medical-device development, and related fields, while also offering readers in orthodontics a better understanding of the engineering behind customized appliances.”
–Michael G. Kay, Director, Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Associate Professor, Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, North Carolina State University
