Renishaw, a supplier of in-lab CAD/CAM machines, has opened a new factory in the U.K. to make CAD/CAM frameworks using cobalt chrome metal.
The new frameworks, manufactured through direct metal laser sintering, will provide a low-cost, high-quality alternative to ceramic restorations, according to Renishaw. The company is calling them Laser PFM.
In contrast to traditional casting, this method uses lasers to fuse together successive layers of powdered metal 0.02-mm thick. The coping and bridge frameworks are then removed, sandblasted, polished, inspected, and ultrasonically cleaned.
The process is cleaner than other types of manufacturing, according to Renishaw, and the products are free of nickel, beryllium, and cadmium.
Copyright © 2010 DrBicuspid.com
