Zirconium oxide dental ceramics stabilized with 3 mol.% of yttria (3Y-TZP), are valuable for dental prosthodontics but are processed through conventional milling, which causes a significant abundance of waste. The use of additive manufacturing technologies, such as fused filament fabrication (FFF), offers great potential to reduce waste. FFF is based on constructing 3D objects step by step. Each object is made by adding layers of melted thermoplastic filament onto a platform through a nozzle. The orientation of the object within the printer is carefully adjusted to enhance its strength, surface, and printing speed, considering factors like overhangs, support structures, and filament deposition direction.
In the thesis, the influence of printing orientation on the mechanical properties of 3Y-TZP discs was investigated. Three different printing orientations were analyzed: horizontal at 0°, oblique at 45°, and vertical at 90°. The fabricated disc-shaped specimens at 0°, 45°, and 90° orientations were evaluated by determination of density, porosity, surface roughness, and mechanical strength.
The mechanical properties of 3Y-TZP dental ceramics are influenced by several factors, including 3D printing orientation. The 3D printing orientation can affect not only the final porosity and density of 3Y-TZP ceramics after the sintering process but also the introduction of critical defects that impact the mechanical strength and reliability of the ceramic products. The optimization of the printing settings therefore has an impact on the final results of the 3D-printed dental ceramic 3Y-TZP.
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