vhf Launches E5, Its Latest 5-axis Milling Machine

The E5 from vhf Inc., is a dry milling machine for discs which masters even complex indications with the highest precision thanks to its 5 axes. The dental mill manufacturer launched this groundbreaking innovation for digital dental technology at the AEEDC in Dubai this week.

Despite its versatility, the E5 is said to be easy to operate, service and to handle. It does not require any compressed air and is therefore very cost-effective and particularly sustainable. Equally innovative is the low machine weight of the E5. Both aspects reduce the requirements for the installation site, which is particularly helpful in a practice environment.

Thanks to vhf’s patent-pending AIRTOOL, the E5 is the first completely compressed air-free 5-axis milling machine on the market. This special tool generates an air flow with its turbine blades, which keeps the workpiece free of chips during milling. This not only gives users maximum freedom in choosing the installation site, but also saves them the cost of running a compressor.

The low weight of the E5 (43 kg) was achieved by applying the finite element method, which originated in the aerospace industry. Engineers successfully optimized, for example, the cast body of the E5 so that maximum rigidity and low weight were achieved. Nevertheless, the E5 is said to be built without compromise from high-quality industrial components. This ensures reliable operation at all times and ensures that almost all materials milled dry can be processed–from plastics to composites, and zirconia to CoCr sintered metals.

The machine features easy transport thanks to its low weight; an absolutely service-friendly design in which central components can be replaced by the user if needed; and maximum convenience in operation. According to the manufacturer, E5’s convenience is evident both in hardware and software. The generously dimensioned working space, despite the compact machine footprint, enables convenient clamping of the workpiece and loading of the tool changer. On the other hand, users can benefit from the DENTALCAM CAM software that comes with the machine. DENTALCAM’s open interface features intuitive operating logic, fast and sophisticated machining strategies, and an extensive material library.

“Dental prostheses made easy,” explains Lucas Kehl, Head of Product at vhf camfacture AG. “With the new vhf E5, the previous requirement for compressed air is history. Thanks to innovative technology, we enable compressed air-free and location-independent production of high-quality dental restorations and thus offer maximum freedom in the choice of the installation site while keeping operating costs low.”

Since the E5 with its open system architecture is designed to simplify the entry into the digital production of dental restorations, it is suitable not only for dental labs, but also for practice labs, and actively supporting digitization in the practice environment, Kehl adds.

The world premier of the E5 happened on February 7 at the AEEDC trade show in Dubai, and vhf will also showcase the new milling machine at the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting and LMT Lab Day in Chicago, starting February 23, and at IDS in Cologne, Germany starting March 14.