47
Views
2
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original article

A study of biocomposite resins for creating orthodontic appliances using a 3D printer

, , , &
Pages 140-150 | Received 21 Oct 2016, Accepted 21 Apr 2017, Published online: 28 Nov 2019
 

Abstract

Purpose

This study is to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of various biocomposite resins used with 3D printer for fabrication of orthodontic appliances used for cleft lip and palate patients and compare the results to the properties of self-curing resin used orthodontic appliances.

Material and methods

Density, flexural strength, elastic modulus, hardness, and water absorption and solubility dimensional change ratio, were performed on each sample of the biocomposite resins used in this study and the self-curing resin. For self-curing resin and the other samples, the difference in the average values were tested to determine whether there were significant differences in the average values.

Result

The results of the study showed that a photocurable resin: The elastic modulus and flexural strength were low. The hardness was equivalent. A Polyjet photopolymer: After water absorption, the flexural strength and elastic modulus were significantly lowered. The hardness was equivalent. Acrylic-type biocomposite resin (ABR): The elastic modulus and flexural strength were significantly lower. Furthermore, the amounts of water absorption and solubility were extremely large. When the material dried after water absorption, cracking occurred. Epoxy-type biocomposite resin (EBR): There were no significant differences in the elastic modulus and flexural strength. Hardness was equivalent. EBR showed strength greater than ABR.

Conclusion

The domestically produced prototype EBR tested in this study showed greater strength than ABR and did not contain toxic substances such as Bisphenol A. This suggests that it has a potential to be used as a photocurable resin in the field of dentistry in future.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express our gratitude to DETAX GmbH & Co. (Germany), Stratasys, Inc. (United States), and OkaChemi Industry Co. (Saitama) for providing the samples for the physical engineering tests for this study. Also, we wish to thank President Katsuyoshi Mamada of Rapid Manufacturing Akihabara Inc. for processing the domestically produced biocomposite resin using the company's 3D printer.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.