US Patent 10315353 Systems and methods for thermoforming dental aligners

A system includes a heating system, a forming system, a conveyor system, and a plurality of thermoforming assemblies for supporting a dental mold and a thermoforming material. The heating system includes a first heater to heat the thermoforming material when proximate the first heater, a second heater configured to heat the thermoforming material when proximate the second heater, and a temperature sensor to detect a temperature of the thermoforming material when the thermoforming material is proximate either of the first heater and the second heater. The forming system includes an actuator and a pressure system to compress the heated thermoforming material to the dental mold. The conveyor system moves the plurality of thermoforming assemblies in a stepwise movement sequence from a loading area to the heating system, from the heating system to the forming system, and from the forming system to an unloading area.