| abstract |
Orthodontic adhesive (38) is cooled below ambient temperature in order to facilitate applying the adhesive (38) to the base of an orthodontic appliance (44). The adhesive (38) is placed on a carrier (24, 124, 106) and formed into a certain shape on the carrier (24, 124, 206), and then released from the carrier (24, 124, 406) while cool. In one embodiment, a quantity of adhesive (38) is placed on the base of the appliance (44), and the appliance (44) is then moved to a cut-off die (58, 158) while the adhesive (38) remains cool and relatively brittle; next, a stream of pressurized air fractures and removes excess adhesive (38) from the appliance base. |