Innovative Solutions That Improve Patients’ Lives

In addition to products such as implant systems and CAD/CAM prostheses, Phibo also offers services and digital solutions. Phibo is currently a market leader in Spain and plays an important role in the Latin American market and various European countries. The individual prostheses are produced near Barcelona, Spain, and in Bogotá, Colombia, using selective laser melting and/or milling. A key component of the process is the REGO-FIX powRgrip.

On the Path to Internationality
Phibo has developed, produced, and sold dental products for more than 30 years with a key focus on research and scientific innovation. Over 8,000 customers, more than five million implants produced, and 2.5 million CAD/CAM-customized prostheses are a testament to the company’s success.

Implant System Production Facility
When it comes to standardized production of implant systems, Phibo uses calibrated titanium rods as a raw material. These rods are then mechanically machined to produce a variety of products such as implants, pins, and clinical instruments. “Phibo currently has a portfolio of more than 2,000 references for standard products,” says Josep Pujol, COO of the Phibo Group.

It’s worth mentioning here that the process for treating the surface of Phibo’s patented implants is an important step in enabling flawless osseointegration. 

Production Facility for CAD/CAM Solutions
While the implant systems are standardized products, the prostheses produced using CAD/CAM are fully customized.

The CAD/CAM processes have become indispensable in modern-day dental technology and, as a pioneer in the industry, Phibo has been using them for more than ten years and produces thousands of prosthesis units daily in a production run of 24 hours. Thanks to this technology, prostheses can be fully customized – for an optimal fit and look.

The CAD/CAM process begins with the impression, which can be taken digitally, provided the dental technician has an intraoral scanner at their facility, or the traditional way using materials such as silicone, which is then followed by digitization. In both cases, the prostheses that Phibo produces are designed in the laboratory using CAD software. Phibo produces these prostheses from a variety of materials such as cobalt chrome, titanium, and zircon. In the case of cobalt chrome, the process begins with laser sintering, with the material then mechanically machined in different machine tools equipped with the REGO-FIX powRgrip.

The prostheses are machined at a high speed (high-speed cutting – HSC) at more than 20 machining centers with CNC and five axes and with spindle speeds of up to 60,000 rpm. The HSK-32 connectors are used at all machines. “When machining, we need to maintain precision of 10 µm,” emphasizes Eduard León, Production Manager for CAD/CAM at Phibo. The Phibo CAD/CAM technology can be used with this level of precision thanks in large part to the REGO-FIX powRgrip clampings, which Phibo has been using since the beginning. The reason for the launch was the purchase of a second machine with computer numerical control (CNC), as up until that point only ER collets (manual system) had been used. Productivity and precision needed to increase to keep up with company growth. The idea was also to reduce the number of toolholders, simplify clamping, and create a durable system. Tests were then carried out, with powRgrip ultimately securing the victory. Why? Because the system not only has the simplest design, but also works faster and more precisely than the rest. This has helped to reduce downtime significantly. And what about the durability? To this day, Phibo is still using the same clampings that it purchased more than ten years ago – these work with the unchanged precision and service life of the tools. “If you work carefully and keep everything nice and clean, you’ll have a product that maintains precision for many years to come,” explains Oscar Velilla, CEO of GerSwiss Ibérica Technology, which represents REGO-FIX as a distributor in Spain. “In the case of traditional clampings, which are tightened by hand, the thread is exposed to a certain level of wear and deformation. If you use the powRgrip collet, there’s just about no wear with clamping and releasing, which is why the same level of precision can be guaranteed even after thousands of clamping cycles.”

Optimal Surface Quality
Phibo’s CAD/CAM technology can be used to manufacture a huge variety of products. While each tooth and every prosthesis is unique, it has been possible to standardize some processes, thus enabling batch production. “We’re familiar with the service lives of tools. And we know how much machining can be carried out,” emphasizes León. Over the years, the CAD/CAM technology has optimized the machining strategies and manufacturing processes at Phibo. These analyses took the powRgrip clampings fully into account. HSC machining has played a key role in optimizing processes and reliability with high system concentricity of 3 µm. To this day, Phibo’s CAD/CAM technology features an extensive range of devices for analyzing HSC processes and guaranteeing that the target values are achieved and the processes optimized. powRgrip continues to help coordinate process parameters with a high degree of precision and thus achieves consistently high quality efficiently and with a low range of tolerance. “The surface quality that we achieve by damping vibrations is ideal for us,” adds León. As a collet-based system, holder, and collet, powRgrip offers this vibration damping as a significant benefit over thermally and directly clamped toolholder systems, resulting in optimal damping and thus a considerable reduction in vibration behavior during use.

Benefits That Speak for Themselves
According to León, the powRgrip’s key features are its reliability and ease of use. Tests are not necessary as long as the system is used carefully: having carried out millions of CAD/CAM processes individually, Phibo can look back on a high degree of reproducibility and system concentricity. León adds: “A long service life with high quality and precision – those are the strengths of the powRgrip.”

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“A long service life with high quality and precision – those are the strengths of the powRgrip.”