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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 7, 2025

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Dimensional Accuracy of Dental Casting Patterns Fabricated Using Consumer 3D Printers.

Yoshiki Ishida1,2, Daisuke Miura2, Taira Miyasaka2

  • 1Department of Life Science Dentistry, School of Life Dentistry at Tokyo, The Nippon Dental University, 1-9-20, Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8159, Japan.

Polymers
|October 2, 2020
PubMed
Summary

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This study compared consumer and dental 3D printers in making dental crown patterns. Researchers created models scaled from 100% to 105% and measured their dimensions and surface roughness. They found that consumer SLA printers performed similarly to dental devices in dimensional accuracy and surface roughness. However, FDM devices showed higher surface roughness and less stability. The study suggests that SLA consumer printers may be suitable for dental use with controlled enlargement settings.

Area of Science:

  • Dental materials science
  • Additive manufacturing in dentistry
  • Biomedical engineering

Background:

Consumer-grade 3D printers have advanced in recent years, yet their suitability for dental applications remains uncertain. Prior research has shown that dental devices can produce precise models, but gaps remain in comparing consumer and dental printers for restoration tasks. It was already known that dental 3D printers offer high dimensional accuracy. This gap motivated an investigation into whether consumer devices can achieve similar performance. No prior work had resolved the differences in surface roughness between printer types. The study aimed to clarify how consumer printers perform in critical dental dimensions. It was already known that enlargement settings affect model accuracy. This uncertainty drove the need to evaluate dimensional accuracy and surface roughness. The study focused on full crown patterns, a common dental application.

Purpose Of The Study:

The study aimed to assess the dimensional accuracy of consumer 3D printers in dental restoration. Specifically, the goal was to compare consumer and dental printers in producing full crown patterns. The researchers wanted to determine if consumer devices could reliably enlarge models by 1-3%. They also sought to evaluate surface roughness as a critical quality metric. The motivation stemmed from the increasing use of consumer printers in dental workflows. It was already known that dental devices offer high precision, but consumer alternatives remain unproven. The study focused on cylindrical patterns as a proxy for dental crowns. The researchers tested two consumer printers and two dental printers to compare performance.

Keywords:
3D printeradditive manufacturingcomputer-aided-design/computer-aided-manufacturingdimensional accuracy3D printing in dentistrySurface roughness dental modelsConsumer 3D printer performanceDental restoration accuracy

Frequently Asked Questions

The study found that consumer SLA printers can produce dental patterns with acceptable dimensional accuracy and surface roughness.

The FDM device showed significantly greater surface roughness than dental devices in both axes (p < 0.05).

The tooth axis is a critical area in dental restoration, where surface roughness can impact fit and function.

The study tested enlargement from 100% to 105%, finding that SLA consumer printers can handle 1-3% enlargement effectively.

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Main Methods:

The researchers created cylindrical patterns to mimic full crowns and scaled them from 100% to 105%. Two consumer printers were tested: a fused deposition modeling (FDM) device and a stereolithography (SLA) device. Two dental printers were also included: a multi-jet device and an SLA device. The outer and inner diameters, depths, and surface roughness of the patterns were measured. The study used a controlled experimental setup to compare printer performance. Each printer fabricated patterns at the same scale and under identical conditions. The researchers focused on dimensional accuracy and surface roughness as primary metrics. The data were analyzed statistically to determine significant differences between printer types.

Main Results:

The outer diameter of models created using dental printers showed smaller changing rates than consumer printers (p < 0.05). The consumer FDM device produced significantly greater surface roughness along the tooth axis (p < 0.05). No significant differences in surface roughness were observed between the consumer SLA device and dental devices (p > 0.05). However, FDM showed higher surface roughness than dental devices in both axes (p < 0.05). The consumer SLA device performed comparably to dental devices in dimensional accuracy. The study found that SLA consumer printers can produce acceptable patterns with 1-3% enlargement. The FDM device failed to meet the same standards in surface roughness. These findings suggest that printer type significantly influences model quality.

Conclusions:

The authors propose that SLA consumer printers can be used to fabricate dental patterns with controlled enlargement. They suggest that the consumer SLA device performs similarly to dental devices in dimensional accuracy. The FDM device showed limitations in surface roughness and dimensional stability. The researchers emphasize that printer type affects model quality in critical dental dimensions. They propose that enlargement settings should be carefully selected for consumer printers. The study highlights the importance of printer technology in dental applications. The authors suggest that consumer SLA printers may be suitable for certain dental workflows. They conclude that FDM devices may not meet the required standards for dental restoration.

Outer and inner diameters, depths, and surface roughness were measured to evaluate model accuracy.

The authors propose that SLA consumer printers may be suitable for fabricating dental patterns with controlled enlargement.