3D-Printed Dental Objects With Melt-Absorbed Support Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of dental objects using 3D printing results in a rough surface that requires extensive polishing after sintering, which is time-consuming and inefficient, especially when using harder materials.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a meltable support material that infiltrates the production material during printing, enhancing mechanical strength and allowing pre-polishing before sintering, thereby reducing polishing time and improving surface smoothness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If polishing is performed after sintering, then the dental object achieves final strength, but polishing time increases significantly due to material hardness
Solution Approach 1:
The support material is melted and absorbed into the dental object before sintering, providing preliminary strengthening that enables polishing to be performed in advance. This preliminary action allows the object to be polished while still in the green state, avoiding the need for extensive polishing after sintering when the material is extremely hard.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the support material from solid to liquid by melting it, enabling it to penetrate and strengthen the dental object. This parameter change allows the support material to be absorbed into the porous structure, providing internal reinforcement that facilitates easier polishing before sintering.
2Productivity
If layer thickness is increased to reduce polishing time, then printing speed improves, but surface roughness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention utilizes the porous structure of the green state dental object to absorb melted support material. The porous matrix allows the liquid support material to penetrate and infiltrate, providing internal strengthening that compensates for the surface roughness caused by thicker printing layers, enabling a balance between printing speed and surface quality.
3Strength
If the support material is melted and absorbed, then the dental object gains strength for easier handling and polishing, but the process requires additional temperature control steps
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the support removal process with the strengthening process by melting the support material and having it absorbed into the dental object simultaneously. Instead of removing support material and then strengthening the object separately, these functions are combined into a single thermal processing step where the melted support material penetrates and reinforces the green state object.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates easier handling and faster production of dental objects with smoother surfaces, reducing polishing time by up to 80% and extending tool life by 20%, while maintaining mechanical integrity.
Implementation Method 1
Absorbing can be achieved by infiltrating the molten support material or automatic absorption by an unavoidable infiltration by capillary forces
Implementation Method 2
melting the support material
Data Source
AI summary
A method of producing a dental object (100), including the steps of printing (S101) the dental object by means of a production material and a support structure by means of a meltable support material layer by layer; melting (S102) the support material; and absorbing (S103) the molten support material in the production material of the printed dental object.