CERAMIC DENTAL CROWN MANUFACTURED BY DIGITAL LIGHT PROCESSING (DLP)

• Grant number: 25/13884-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Murilo Camuri Crovace
• Grantee: Marcio Vinícius de Freitas Gasparotti
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project proposes the development of a ceramic suspension, containing a secondary polymer, with a high load of specially formulated wollastonite for the fabrication of dental crowns via Digital Light Processing (DLP). We aim to leverage the excellent mechanical strength and translucency of wollastonite. To this end, ball mills will be used to reduce the average particle diameter below 10¿¿m, and the powders will be characterized by X¿ray diffraction. This will be followed by rheological analyses at various solid¿loading levels, targeting a viscosity below 3¿Pa·s. Suspension stability will be assessed through sedimentation tests, ensuring a minimum uniformity period of six hours, condition necessary for proper bottom¿up DLP processing. After 3D printing the green bodies, each piece will undergo controlled debinding and sintering stages, with protocols fine¿tuned based on thermogravimetric and dilatometric analyses, to guarantee the complete removal of the secondary polymer matrix first, followed by the primary polymer matrix, thereby yielding dense, complex¿shaped parts free of cracks and defects.