Development of photosensitive dental porcelain suspension for 3D printing via Digital Light Processing

• Grant number: 24/15415-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Dental Materials
• Principal Investigator: Ligia Antunes Pereira Pinelli
• Grantee: Luana Alves Bassetti
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FOAr). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/07793-6 - CEPIV - Center for Teaching, Research and Innovation in Glass, AP.CEPID

Abstract

This project aims to develop a photosensitive porcelain suspension for printing via Digital Light Processing (DLP) to address gaps in the processing steps of dental porcelain for permanent prostheses. Although printing crowns in zirconia and lithium disilicate is already established, the process for feldspathic porcelains is still in its early stages, particularly in terms of the rheology and stability of the suspensions. We will produce a porcelain composed of 72% SiO2, 8% Al2O3, 6% Na2O, 6% K2O, 2% ZnO, and 6% CaO (by weight) in sufficient quantities to chemically and thermally characterize the powder, analyze the rheological behavior of the suspension, and investigate the curing depth as a function of light exposure time. After printing discs (10 mm x 2 mm) on a Saturn 28K printer, we will conduct tests to evaluate the microstructure, Vickers hardness, roughness, and density of the sintered parts. As control groups, we will make discs with the manufactured powder (negative control) and IPS e-max Ceram (positive control), both pressed. We will analyze Vickers hardness, roughness, and density data using the most appropriate statistical tests with a significance level of 5%.