Selective laser melting for denture framework

Additive manufacturing has been maturing rapidly over the recent years. Additive manufacturing frees up traditional designs and manufacturing restrictions, allowing greater design flexibility. With greater design flexibility, there is a significant room for improvement in the area of product design. Topological optimization of product design will lead to an increase in manufacturing efficiency; producing parts of the same functions but with reduced material and cost. In this project, the study of additive manufacturing technique, selective laser melting, and its effect on the fabrication of denture framework will be presented. The conventional design of denture framework will be reviewed, and topology optimization will be performed. The mechanical properties of the topological optimized denture framework will be analysed and elaborated subsequently in the report. This study aims to derive the most suitable materials for additive manufacturing of denture framework and to reduce the material required for fabrication via topological optimization. The study found out that significant portion of the conventional designed denture framework are non-stress loading and were removed during the topological optimization phase. The topological optimized framework provides a lighter structure which improves the patient’s comfort. The reduction in material used for production will be indirectly translated to cost-saving for the consumers as well.Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering