Additive Manufacturing of Ceramic Dental Restorations

Project Summary Abstract In this Phase II SBIR projectTechnology Assessment andampTransferIncTAandamp Tand their collaborators propose development of ceramic additive manufacturingAMakaD printingfor production of high performance ceramic dental restorations in the dental laboratory environmentThe AM process will utilize low cost desktop printerandlt$to ensure low barrier to entry for early adopters and smaller dental laboratoriesLarger labs will benefit from the flexibility of the small modular printers to easily adjust to demand fluctuationsIn additionthe additive material costestimated andlt$per crownis substantially lower than CAD CAM blocks or diskstyp$$per restorationFinallythe higher native resolution of the additive process compared to CAD CAM milling will provide restorations with more detailthereby reducing post process touch timedetailingThe value proposition of this technology is low entry costsand high cost savings per restorationwhich provide a good outlook for market penetrationThe specific aims for this Phase II program are to demonstrate that dimensional accuracyfitmechanical propertiesand aesthetics of additive manufactured restorations meet industry standardsYearwill focus on zirconia development with secondary work to move lithium disilicate forwardYearwill focus on lithium disilicate restorationsThese aims will be achieved by optimizing additive manufacturing materials and processing parametersand supplying test samples to collaborators to evaluate mechanical propertiesdimensional accuracyaccuracy of fitand estheticsThroughout the Phase II projectTAandamp T will engage the FDA through the QSub program to obtain non binding feedback regarding the regulatory requirements that must be met forD printed ceramic restorationsThis will guide the development and testing during the project such that upon successful completion mostif not allof the performance dataISOand biocompatibility dataISOto show equivalency to predicate deviceszirconia and lithium disilicate milled crownswill be available for aK Premarket Notification of Intent application Project NarrativeTechnology Assessment andampTransferIncTAandamp Tproposes development of ceramic additive manufacturing technology for the production of all ceramic dental restorationsCompared to existing fabrication approachesthe additive manufacturingakaD printingprocess will enable reduced cost due less material waste and faster production rates compared to CAD CAM technologyThe printing approach is also expected to provide higher quality as fabricated crowns and veneers due to the higher resolution of thed printing machines compared to CAD CAM systems