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Updated: Jun 15, 2026
Additive Manufacturing of Functionally Graded Ceramic Materials by Stereolithography
Published on: January 25, 2019
Flexural properties and finite element analysis of novel 3D-printed ceramic materials via 3D-LCM technology
Abdullah Alshamrani1, Amir Fahimipour2, Majed Alsarani1
1Department of Dental Health, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Background:
This study evaluates the mechanical properties of dental crown prosthodontic materials by investigating the flexural strength and stress distribution of various ceramic materials, including milled zirconia and two ceramics fabricated using LCM technology, employing Finite Element Analysis (FEA).
Methods:
Seventy-five samples were divided into five groups: milled zirconia, Zirconia-210, Zirconia-230, Alumina-350 and Alumina-500. Flexural strength tests, including three-point bending, Weibull analysis and FEA, were conducted to analyse stress distribution. Data were evaluated using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test.
Results:
3D-printed zirconia showed superior flexural strength compared to milled zirconia and alumina. Zirconia-210 had the highest flexural strength (886.35 MPa), while Alumina-350 had the lowest (424.49 MPa). Alumina-350 exhibited higher von Mises stress (25.77 MPa) than the control group (22.83 MPa), whereas Alumina-500 had the lowest stress (22.65 MPa). Zirconia models showed a slight increase in von Mises strain, while alumina models showed a decrease compared to the control.
Conclusion:
Our study found that 3D-printed zirconia displayed higher flexural strength when compared to milled zirconia and alumina. Moreover, there were noticeable variations in stress levels and strain behaviours observed in the materials.
