MillBox for DGShape Wet Mills
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MillBox for DGShape Wet Mills

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Article summary

DGSHAPE Wet Mill User Interface opens for you to 4 user icons. 1)Quick Mill/Configure Quick Mill Presets tool icon, 2) +New Job, 3) Job Management

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Getting Started with MillBox for DGShape for Wet MIlling:

1)Quick Mill:

The Quick Mill Icon immediately opens you up to the Quick Mill presets and gives you, a choice of materials that are ready to go.

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2)Creating a New Job:

The +New Job Icon allows you to start a job in the conventional way, by picking your machine, your material, and your fixing holder.

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3)Job Management:

The Job Management Icon allows you to open a project previously begun or saved and import it, into the MillBox User Interface.

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These Icons will be expanded upon in their use and workflow.

Activating and Working with the Quick Mill Feature:

If you click on the QuickMill icon once your DGShape Desktop has loaded on your PC. You can select from a pre-set setup for various glass and ceramic materials.

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Your Preset Configurations box will appear with many different choices of milling options for specific to the Roland Machine. These configurations are set to specific materials, block size and position of the restoration type, in the machine clamping system.

For dental practices that consistently mill the same material and type of restorations, this can be very advantageous..

Once your initial configuration is chosen within MillBox. The Cam software will automatically load the machine type and the specific material blank into the fixing system position. This will next allow you the user to import your .STL project file. The object type being used will be chosen automatically based on your QuickMill configuration profile.

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MillBox will then automatically nest the part or .STL file, into the material stock present. You can then easily adjust position of the individual unit, as well as, pin support placement, by clicking on the object in the blank. ie: image:1 and 2

Image:1

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Image:2

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You are then ready to begin milling, by selecting the Mill Icon

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Setting up QuickMill Presets: All Presets are fully adjustable to fit your specific needs

Once you open your MillBox Desktop and desire to make an adjustment to your QuickMill Presets, you can adjust your presets within MillBox by clicking on the tool icon under the quick mill section.

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Within the Configuration Box you can see your current QuickMill presets and options. In order to create, modify, edit, and save changes, these values are easily modified and will they will show or transfer all your changes to your final restoration. These changes to any presets are saved and can be changed again.

Note:

It is strongly recommended that you take a picture or image of all default settings prior to adjusting any parameters in this configuration. This way you always have a default to look at or refer to when adjusting any settings.

Creating a New Preset:

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Open the configuration panel, highlight one of the materials you desire to adjust, and click on create New Preset as indicated by red arrow

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Note:

Once you have chosen the Preset you want to change or create a complete new one, the configuration box which opens for you, gives you many choices.

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You can use the automatically generated preset name or you can modify the name for your convenience.

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You can choose what machine to setup

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You can choose what Materials to use

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You can choose the block type

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You can Choose the position in the fixture, which holds the block

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You can also choose the Restoration Type

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Once you have made your changes, click ok to accept

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Clicking OK will create your new preset and it will appear within the configuration list.
 Click SAVE Changes to save

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Note:

Once you click to save your software will be required to restart to make the changes take effect.

When MillBox is reopened your newly created preset will be visible and part of your main quick mill list.

To Delete a Selected Preset, you highlight the preset row, select: Delete Selected Preset

You will be asked to confirm, if you want to delete the preset you have chosen. Once you confirm this, it will just be removed from the selected list.

To Edit Selected Presets, highlight the row you want to edit and select Edit Selected Preset

You can now edit the selected preset values to your desired outcome, following the same exact steps as if you created a new preset.

Note:

You can create, edit and modify all in the preset configuration utility. Please remember to always take a picture of existing values in order to have something to go back to if you are effecting any new presets or editing any existing ones.

Creating a New Job:

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When you select the New Job icon: you will be prompted to select the Machine of your choice, the material to be used, and what position you will place your block within the machine.

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Choose the .STL and then select the "correct" Object Type.

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Select the Blank Material by the Minimum Thickness required for the restoration.

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To Create a new blank, you must click on the green "+"

Once the appropriate blank is selected the CAM will automatically nest the Object into the appropriate position. Image:1&2

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Once the software brings in your object type and nests automatically you can still adjust and fine tune your positioning as desired within your block.

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The dialog box that appears when you move or adjust the restoration in the block. Allows us to view the object type, add or delete pins. Rotate the object and finally delete the object if its the wrong .STL.

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Once you finalize all necessary pin placement, restoration location and desired positioning within the block itself is complete. We are now ready to Start the Mill:

  • Start Milling allows us to claculate and stream the job to the machine. Streaming the project, sends pieces of information in fragments to the machine while the project continues to calculate.
  • Save Toolpath calculates and saves the entire milling jobs toolpaths, so that you can send the file to the machine in one complete project.
  • Import another object, allows you to import another object type within this project, in a different position within the fixture holder of the Wet mill.
  • Select Object: will allow you to move the object to another project.

Start Milling:

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Start Milling and save toolpath will both allow you to select the milling options and then calculate the project.

Save Toolpath: will start the calculations, allow you to choose the options and will create a .PRN file under the CNC file folder of the installation directory.

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Import Another Object:

Allows you to select a new position in the machine fixing system and import another object within the same file.

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You will again, choose an .STL and object type

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You now have the option to choose the blank based on the minimum thickness of the restoration, as well as, repostion the new .STL unit within the chosen blank material.

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Once you adjust your unit in the desired position and way within the block material you are then back at the Start Mill to mill options.

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Following the workflow arrow on the right you are now free to "Start Milling", or "Save toolpath" starts the calculation of the project at hand.

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As the calculations are loading, you are presented with Milling options to choose from for the project at hand.

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Once the milling options are selected for the desired project. MillBox, will tell you the appropriate tools and the tool positions.

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Once the project is finished calculating, MillBox will show the simulated material within the milled block. This is to give you a perspective of the final milling result.

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Job Management:

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Clicking on the job management Icon from the MillBox desktop will allow you to open previous jobs you have created within in the software.

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Select or navigate to your file and either double click or click on the green check-mark once your project is highlighted in the choices of projects available.

You can also click on the job management tab on the MillBox desktop from the left sidebar.

Current Job Information: Displays Name, Material, and Machine for current job

Manage Jobs: Here you can create a new Job, open previous jobs or save the current one you are working with.

Recent Jobs: Allows you to load quickly any of the last fifteen jobs created in the system

TOOLS

The Tools button allows for additional options to be opened on the MillBox Desktop:

  • CNC Output Files
  • Visual Layers
  • Reusable Stock
  • Job Report
  • Curve and Surface Tools

CNC Output Files:

Once you activate this icon, a new window will open showing the file location of your .PRN files/CNC milling files. These files are located in the CNC file folder of the MillBox installation Directory.

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Visual Layers:

Clicking on the Visual Layers Icon opens the options for this tab:

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  • Show Fixture
  • Show Holes
  • Hide Cavity
  • Exit:

Show/hide the Fixture:

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Show/Hide the fixing system of the machine, when checked it will turn on/off the fixture image on the screen. When there is an "X", the fixture is hidden. Click the icon again and the fixture image reappears.

Show Holes:

The Show Holes option will turn on or off the access holes, in a screw channel hole within a crown and bridge implant restoration.

When there is a checkmark, this shows the user that the access holes "red cap" will be displayed, When there is a "X" displayed, the "red caps", will be gone

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Show or Hide Cavity:

The show and hide cavity option turns the grey caps on the Margin curve location on or off. The gray caps show the curve has been detected by the MillBox CAM software.

EXIT:

"EXIT" is self explanatory and once you activate this icon it returns you to the previous screen.

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REUSABLE BlOCKS:

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Reusable Blocks: Once the icon is activated, it takes you to more options for blocks within the wet mill system. This is primarily used to manage partially used stock/blocks in the system.

Options:

  • Remove used areas:
  • Stock Export:
  • Stock Import:
  • Exit:

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Remove used areas:

Allows you to fill in areas on your existing blocks, that were accidentally created or calculated but not milled for some reason and this functionality will allow you to close the calculated project area on the existing stock and therefore reset for a new project in that specific location of the stock/block.

Stock Export:

Allows you to save and export the current material that you have created in the MillBox CAM.

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Stock Import:

Stock Import allow the user to load any additional stock or block materials you have. It will open a file folder and allow you to navigate and select the stock you want to import.

Any block file with the extension of .BLK, .BLOCK, .BMP, or .JPG

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Exit:

Returns you to the previous screen.

Report:

Activating the Report Icon will open the file folder MillBox Reports. In this folder you can save a report of the case or any project that you currently have open.

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Report:

Clicking on save icon will create a job report of the case you have currently open. This report will effectively give you pertinent information for your job that has been processed. You can attach a printed copy to your work pan within the lab or transmit data if necessary to your specific client.

The Report will show the following information:

  • date job was created
  • the job name
  • the thickness of the blank being used
  • name of the .STL used

Curve and Surface Tools:

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Curve and Surface tool functionality provides us with several different options within MillBox. These tools recognize all elements of the .STL project file that is being worked on currently. These tools can Identify and break down the part to each specific curve and surface of the element.

The Curve and Surface tool options available are:

  • Margin Line Detection
  • Manually Draw Margin Lines:
  • Cylinders detection:
  • Add cap to cylinder:
  • Adust Cylinder/ Drilling Axis:
  • Delete curves and cylinder caps:
  • Exit:

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Margin Line Detection:

If by any chance your margin lines were not detected during the import process of your .STL or project component. This option allows you to auto detect your margin, by simply clicking on the margin line. The CAM will automatically detect and fill, where the margin should be located.

Manually Draw the Margin Line:

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Once the margin line is manually entered and the width of the margin line accepted at the default value of 0.15. The CAM Software calculates and places the margin lines and path of insertion for the individual unit being calculated. The lines and path of insertion arrow are Pink in color.

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Cylinder Detection:

If your object or project has a cylinder (screw channel), which needs to be drilled out during milling. This tool will detect the cylinder and creates a green line. (Drilling Access Line)

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Add Red Cap to Cylinder:

By clicking on the inside of the cylinder, it will create the red caps, closing off the access hole. The Caps should only be located at the top of the hole and the bottom of the screw access channel. This is to prevent and roughing or finishing tool paths, go inside the access hole, during these milling operations.

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Adjust Cylinder/ Drilling Axis:

Clicking on the option to adjust the cylinder size makes it possible to change the drilling hole access, as well as, widen or lengthen the cylinder.

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Deleting Curves or Caps/Surfaces:

Click once and you will be able to delete all surfaces and curves identified within your project. The surfaces and curves to be deleted will be margins, red caps, or any visible curves. Click twice and the restoration object will be hidden and only the curves will be shown. Clicking on the curves will delete them off the restoration object.

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Clicking twice and the restoration object is hidden leaving the colored surface curves and object parts.

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To erase any of the line, you merely have to click on the individual lines and erase them. Then they can be recreated with the tools present.

UNDO/REDO

UNDO: allows you to undo the last operation performed in the software

REDO: allows you if you accidentally went to far with the undo, redo will go forward one step at a time.


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