Improved Commercially Pure Titanium Obtained by Laser Directed Energy Deposition for Dental Prosthetic Applications

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the viability of the cp-Ti obtained through the laser-directed energy deposition (LDED) technique as a material for dental prostheses through an evaluation of the microstructural, mechanical, and electrochemical properties. Additionally, the material resulting from LDED is also compared with the same alloy employed for milling in the dental restorative industry. The results obtained show that both materials have good overall performance for biomedical applications according to the ISO 22674 and ISO 10271 dentistry standards. Both materials have high corrosion resistance, typical of this alloy. However, commercially pure titanium grade 4 obtained by LDED present a higher mechanical performance than the ones resulting from the milling technique: 7% increment of ultimate tensile strength, 12.9% increment of elongation after fracture and 30% increment of toughness. This improved mechanical performance can be attributed to microstructure modification inherent to the LDED process.