Recent advances in additive manufacturing of metallic dental materials

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) has attracted much attention as new fabrication technology for metal and alloys. The concept of AM is based on layer-by-layer processing from lower to upper parts, which is different from subtractive manufacturing (e.g., lath cutting) where large material is shaped into smaller parts. AM has advantages of realizing unique designs not impossible with usual casting and lath cutting, and the yield of the material is high since the minimum necessary parts are selectively added by melting. The authors carried out a laser powder bed fusion process for a low magnetic Zr-1Mo alloy, and evaluated the microstructure and mechanical properties. In this paper, metal AM technology was reviewed and the relationship between processing parameters and the pore formation mechanism was introduced.