A BUSINESS CASE STUDY FOR COMPARING THE MANUFACTURING OF IMPLANT-SUPPORTED DENTURE FRAMES THROUGH DIRECT METAL LASER SINTERING TO CONVENTIONAL CASTING AND MACHINING PROCESSES

Abstract

Retaining dentures in edentulous patients is a common problem which can be overcome through the use of implant-supported denture frames. These frames are conventionally manufactured through the lost wax investment casting processes or through computer aided machining in cobalt chrome. Although Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes are now commonly used in the manufacturing of crowns and bridges in dentistry, the manufacturing of implant-supported denture frames is less common. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of manufacturing these frames through AM from a business point of view compared to conventional casting and machining. A case study is presented where a full overdenture frame is designed and manufactured in Titanium-6Aluminium-4Vanadium (Ti-6Al-4V) alloy through the Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) process. This is compared to manufacturing the same frame in cobalt chrome through traditional processes in terms of manufacturing time and cost. Results from the study showed that it is more expensive and takes longer to produce overdenture frames through DMLS compared to conventional manufacturing techniques. Although costs and time can be reduced by producing a number of frames simultaneously on the DMLS machine’s building platform, the manufacturing process is still not considered viable for overdenture frames from a business point of view.