TruAbutment exocad libraries: install and design guide
TruAbutment exocad libraries explained: TruBase Ti-bases, DS custom abutments, getting the right library, installing it in exocad and split-file parameters.
TruAbutment components are common in labs that want compatible Ti-bases and custom abutments for many implant systems and the first question is always the same: where the exocad library comes from and how to use it without fit problems. This post explains what TruAbutment offers, how to get and install the TruAbutment exocad libraries and what to check when designing on these components. It replaces my older guides on the same topic with current information.
What TruAbutment makes
TruAbutment Inc. is based in Irvine, California, where it states that it runs its milling and software development. Its catalog lists components compatible with the connections of many implant systems: TruBase Ti-bases in engaging and non-engaging versions, designed for zirconia restorations and for CAD/CAM use only, TruAbutment DS custom abutments ordered through its customer portal, angulated screw channel solutions, scan bodies and digital lab analogs. For full-arch work it offers ioConnect and the free TruSuite software.
The catalog also states that TruAbutment is not affiliated with or endorsed by the manufacturers whose systems its parts fit. That matters for the lab, which chooses the component and remains the manufacturer of the final device. What the implant manufacturer says about warranty with third-party parts is worth checking for each system, as explained in implant abutment types.
Getting the right library
An exocad library has to match the exact component: implant connection, platform, engaging or non-engaging, gingival height and the scan body used. A library for a different version of the part looks right on screen and gives a wrong fit.
TruAbutment’s public resources page lists brochures, manuals and the split-file sheet, while libraries are tied to the components and the customer account. Ask TruAbutment or your distributor for the current exocad library for each component you order, note its version and update it when they release a new one. Avoid libraries passed between labs or downloaded from unofficial collections: their origin and version are unknown.
Installing it in exocad
Install the library with exocad closed, in the folders DentalCAD uses for implant libraries and, for analogs, for Model Creator. Remove older versions of the same library so nobody selects the wrong one, then start exocad and check that the components appear in the implant selection. The folders and the procedure are explained in exocad implant library installation.
Libraries have to be installed again after every new exocad version, because each version keeps its own program folder (see updating exocad to a new version).
Designing on TruBase and DS abutments
On a TruBase, the design follows the usual crown on a Ti-base workflow: library selection, scan body match, screw channel and emergence profile, then thickness checks around the channel against the limits of the component. The steps are in screw-retained crown on a Ti-base in exocad.
For DS custom abutments with a separate crown, TruAbutment publishes a split-file parameter sheet with values for top fillet radius, draft angle, shoulder radius, cement gap margin and extra cement gap margin. The values change with the number of units, with zirconia or ceramic and with the mill and its tools and the sheet notes that some of them cannot go below the stated minimums. Use the current official sheet rather than values copied from an old case.
Records for each case
Keep the component reference, the library version and the design with the case. The lab is the manufacturer of the custom-made device and the compatible component is part of it, so those records belong in its documentation, as explained in MDR and implant-compatible design files.
Sources
- TruAbutment, About us, TruBase, TruAbutment DS and Resources
- TruAbutment, DS split-file parameter sheet
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get the TruAbutment library for exocad?
From TruAbutment or its distributor, for the exact component and implant connection you use. The public resources page of TruAbutment lists brochures and manuals, so ask for the current exocad library when you open your account or order the components.
Is TruAbutment an implant manufacturer?
No. TruAbutment, based in Irvine, California, makes components compatible with the connections of many implant systems, such as Ti-bases, custom abutments, scan bodies and analogs. Its catalog states that it is not affiliated with the implant manufacturers whose systems its parts fit.
What are the TruAbutment DS split-file parameters?
They are the design values TruAbutment publishes for crowns designed on its DS custom abutments as split files: top fillet radius, draft angle, shoulder radius, cement gap margin and extra cement gap margin. The values depend on the number of units, the material and the mill, so use the current official sheet.