EOS at the International Dental Show (IDS) 2015: Further developments of Additive Manufacturing for removable partial dentures

EOS, the global technology and quality leader for high-end Additive Manufacturing (AM) solutions, will also be presenting additively manufactured removable partial dentures at this year’s International Dental Show (IDS) in Cologne between 10 and 14 March 2015 in Hall 4.1., Stand F 50. Martin Bullemer, Business Development Manager Medical at EOS explains: “Compared to the conventional approaches that have been used up to now to produce removable partial dentures, a dental laboratory can achieve clear competitive advantages by using Additive Manufacturing.” And he goes on to add: “Digitally manufactured removable partial dentures have been tested with pilot customers. The feedback from customers has been very positive, encouraging us to constantly develop and optimise the application on this basis.”

Michaela Flussfisch, Managing Director of Flussfisch GmbH in Hamburg, says: “During the pilot phase we have already produced removable partial dentures based on the Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) technology from EOS. Digitally manufactured dental prostheses have consistent tolerances and reproducible properties and at the same time are very accurate, allowing a good fit and a constant quality of parts.”

Digitally manufactured removable partial dentures: numerous advantages for dental laboratories
If patients are missing several teeth in their set of teeth, a removable dental prosthesis is one of the cheapest solutions. However, the manufacture of such a dental prosthesis by conventional means is very laborious and time-consuming for the contracted dental laboratory: the preparation of the cast model, the wax modelling based on this and finally the complete casting procedure including finishing. If, on the other hand, the prosthesis is produced digitally using Additive Manufacturing systems from EOS, a great deal of time can be saved: the prosthesis can be designed in a very short space of time with just a few mouse clicks, using the flexibility of design offered by the modelling software. This leads to high-strength, rigid and at the same time filigree geometries, and at the same time rules out casting errors.

The EOS metal system EOSINT M 270 Dental, which is well established on the market, is used for the digital manufacturing of removable partial dentures. The CE-certified material EOS CobaltChrome RPD, whose properties have been ideally matched to this dental application, is used as a basis for manufacturing. Density, elasticity, and elongation at break correspond to dental technology requirements. During the additive manufacturing process, the fine powder particles ensure a fine-grain structure so that the digitally produced dental prosthesis has a much higher strength and fatigue resistance than a casting. What’s more, the risk of a clamp breakage is reduced compared to a conventional model cast. The high level of detail supports the reproduction of grained structures. All manufacturing parameters are documented during the build process and the generation of parts is monitored. The material and system therefore satisfy the high quality standards that apply for medical products. The finished products comply with the relevant standards EN 1641 and EN ISO 22674.