Heraeus Kulzer receives patent for new PalaMeter device

Heraeus Kulzer has been able to secure US patent protection for PalaMeter, a multifaceted prosthetic measurement device with a wide variety of potential applications.

The device has been designed with cooperation from Dr Andreas Polei, taking into account feedback from dental technicians and dentists on ways of simplifying the daily work carried out in laboratories and practices.

PalaMeter can be used to measure the width of gaps, aesthetic curves, dimensions for implantology, appliance widths, vertical dimensions, dental arches and incisal lengths, as well as the position of the mandibular arch in relation to the maxilla.

It is made from fully flexible material and is colour-coded to ensure maximum user-friendliness.

Lesley Melvin, product manager for Heraeus Kulzer, said: "Dr Polei and our engineers went to great lengths to listen closely to numerous dental technicians and dentists and the result is an exceptionally user-friendly device."

This comes after the firm announced in April 2013 that it will be selling off its dental business unit to the Japanese chemicals company Mitsui.