RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

Effects of repeated firing on the marginal accuracy of Co-Cr

copings fabricated by selective laser melting
Li Zeng, BDS,a Yong Zhang, BDS,b Zheng Liu, MDS,c and Bin Wei, DDSd

Selective laser melting (SLM) ABSTRACT

is a widely used technology for Statement of problem. Selective laser melting (SLM) is a technique used to fabricate Co-Cr dental
building 3-dimensional objects restorations; however, because marginal accuracy is important for the long-term success of
layer by layer by selectively restorations, the marginal accuracy of SLM after repeated firings must be considered.
melting metal powder with
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the marginal accuracy of dental Co-Cr alloy
a laser beam.1 SLM and laser- copings fabricated by SLM and to investigate the effects of repeated firing on the marginal fit of
sintering processes are synon- these copings.
ymous, belonging to additive
Material and methods. SLM-fabricated and cast Co-Cr alloy copings (n=15) were prepared for a
manufacturing.2 Different
zirconia die. The marginal gap widths of each group were evaluated with a silicone replica
from computer-aided design technique after the first, third, fifth, and seventh firing cycle. The thickness of the reference point
and computer-aided man- was measured with a stereomicroscope with ×100 magnification. Analysis of variance was used
ufacturing-based cutting tech- to evaluate the effect of repeated firing on the marginal accuracy of the 2 alloys. The Student t
nology, SLM technology test was used to compare the marginal gap widths of the SLM-fabricated and cast Co-Cr alloy
creates products based on copings after repeated firing (a=.05).
the sliced data from a 3- Results. The marginal gap width values between the 2 groups at all firing periods were statistically
dimensional design, from significant (P<.05). The mean marginal gap width values for SLM-fabricated copings were 36 mm, 37
which the laser scans metal mm, 38 mm, and 38 mm after the first, third, fifth, and seventh firing, while the mean marginal gap
powders according to the width values for cast copings were 67 mm, 71 mm, 72 mm, and 73 mm at the same number of firings.
The marginal gap width values within the 2 groups were not statistically different from each other
sliced data.3 Studies of SLM
with additional firing (P>.05).
technology for dental applica-
tions have been published Conclusions. The SLM copings demonstrated superior marginal accuracy at all firings. Repeated
previously.4,5 SLM technology firing had no significant influence on the marginal accuracy of both copings, and the marginal fit of
both copings after repeated firing was within a clinically acceptable range. (J Prosthet Dent
can be applied to fabricate
2015;113:135-139)
dental restorations with com-
plex geometry. Compared with traditional lost-wax also allows enhanced processing versatility, improved
casting techniques, SLM products demonstrated higher material properties, and a simplified production process.7
metal-ceramic bond strength and exhibited better The scope of SLM applications include biomedical fields,
corrosion and surface properties.6,7 The SLM technique mechanical engineering, and the aerospace sector.8

This work were supported by grants 12441903001 and 13140902701 from the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality and grant
T0202, S30206 Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project.
a
Intern Doctor, Department of Prosthodontics, Stomatology Special Consultation Clinic, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine,
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China.
b
Technician, Department of Technical, Shanghai Foshion Medical System Co Ltd, Shanghai, China.
c
Technician, Department of Technical, Shanghai Foshion Medical System Co Ltd, Shanghai, China.
d
Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Stomatology Special Consultation Clinic, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine,
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China.

THE JOURNAL OF PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY 135

136 Volume 113 Issue 2

Clinical Implications
The porcelain firing protocol did not affect the
marginal accuracy of selective laser melting (SLM)
restorations, and the marginal gap width values of
SLM copings were much smaller than cast copings,
indicating that the fit of SLM restorations is better
than that of cast copings.

Excellent marginal accuracy of metal ceramic crowns

will minimize plaque accumulation and reduce the oc-
currences of periodontal diseases and enhance the long-
term success of metal ceramic crowns,9 while poor Figure 1. Zirconia die of simulated maxillary premolar crown
marginal accuracy can result in the dissolution of luting preparation.
agent between the tooth and the restoration and may
damage the abutment and periodontal tissues.10 Recently
in width, and the axial convergence was 5 degrees12
the SLM technique has been used to fabricate Co-Cr
(Fig. 1). The die was scanned with a dental scanner
dental restorations.11 Therefore, the marginal accuracy
system (D700; 3Shape) to ensure no defects. Thirty
of SLM restorations must be considered. Metal ceramic
copings were prepared based on the zirconia die (15
crowns usually undergo a series of porcelain firing to
SLM-fabricated Co-Cr alloy copings, SLM group; 15 cast
achieve esthetic and clinical requirements. The porcelain
Co-Cr alloy copings, cast group). The SLM specimens
firing cycles need a variety of high-temperature treat-
were fabricated with an SLM system (Medifacturing-
ments that may lead to the distortion of the copings,
System; Bego Dental) equipped with an ytterbium fiber
resulting in a marginal discrepancy.12 Although, many
laser and a power less than 200 W. The wavelength of the
deficiencies are found with the lost-wax casting tech-
laser beam was 1060 to 1100 nm. These copings were
nique, such as structural flaws like surface roughness and
made from a commercially available Co-Cr alloy (63.9%
internal porosity,13 this traditional casting technique is
wt Co, 24.7%wt Cr, 5.4%wt W, 5.0%wt Mo, trace
still popular for fabricating complete coverage crowns
amount of Fe and Si; Wirobond C+; Bego Dental). The
and partial fixed dental prostheses.4,14 Consequently cast
cast copings were produced with an oxygen/propane
copings were chosen as a control group.
(50:50 v/v) gas mixture in a standard broken-arm cen-
Co-Cr alloy has long been used in prosthodontics.
trifugal casting machine (TIM 500 plus; Dentalfarm). The
Co-Cr metal powder (Wirobond C+; Bego Dental) based
cast Co-Cr copings (Wirobond C+; Bego Dental) con-
on SLM technology (Medifacturing-System; Bego
tained 60.2%wt Co, 25%wt Cr, 6.2%wt W, and 4.8%wt
Dental) has been introduced recently for fabricating
Mo and trace quantities of Fe and Si. Before simulated
metal ceramic substructures. Co-Cr alloys have excellent
porcelain firing, the internal surfaces were examined
properties, including mechanical strength, corrosion
carefully. Any nodules in the internal surfaces that may
resistance, and biocompatibility, which make them suit-
prevent complete seating were removed, but care was
able for fabricating restorations.6,7,15 However, no data
taken to ensure the margins of the copings were not
are available on the effect of repeated firing on the
altered.
marginal accuracy of metal ceramic crowns fabricated
The repeated porcelain firing cycle was simulated
with this new method. Therefore, the purpose of this
without the application of porcelain,16 with an adjustable
study was to evaluate the marginal accuracy of metal
dental porcelain furnace (Multimat C; Dentsply Intl). The
ceramic crowns fabricated with the SLM technique and
firing schedules were performed according to the man-
the effects of repeated firing on the marginal fit of these
ufacturer’s instructions (Classic V; Ivoclar Vivadent)
crowns.
(Table 1). This protocol comprised an initial oxidation
step (first firing), opaque firing (second firing), dentin
MATERIAL AND METHODS
firing (third firing), correction firing (fourth firing), glaze
To fabricate the metal copings, a zirconia die (Lava firing (fifth firing), and clinical firing (sixth and seventh
Standard; 3M ESPE AG) was manufactured through a 3- firings). All copings were placed in the porcelain furnace
dimensional computer model. The zirconia die was made for the first firing program. The copings of the 2 groups
to simulate a maxillary premolar tooth preparation with a were refired a second and third time. Subsequently,
height of 6.0 mm (presuming a 2 mm flat occlusal another 2 firing periods were performed. The first 5 fir-
reduction), a uniform heavy chamfer finish line of 1.0 mm ings periods are the minimum firing cycle for

THE JOURNAL OF PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY Zeng et al

February 2015 137

Table 1. Firing protocol for Classic V ceramic Table 2. Mean (SD) values of marginal gap width results after repeated
Initial Final firing of 2 groups
Firing Temperature Temperature Heating Rate Holding Firing Time SLM (mm) Cast (mm) P
Cycle ( C) ( C) ( C/min) Time (min) Vacuum
1 36 (11.0) 67 (42.1) <.05
1 403 980 80 1 With
3 37 (9.7) 71 (46.9) <.05
2 403 970 80 1 With
5 38 (11.5) 72 (45.1) <.05
3 403 920 60 1 With
7 38 (11.4) 73 (53.8) <.05
4 403 910 60 1 With
P >.05 >.05
5 403 900 60 1 Without
6 403 900 60 1 Without SLM, selective laser melting.

7 403 900 60 1 Without

direction. Each section was measured at 2 reference

Figure 2. Photograph showing marginal gap width after sectioned
produced silicone replica (original magnification, ×100).
manufacturing metal ceramic crowns. Finally, the speci-
mens were refired another 2 times because of the clinical
requirements. The marginal gap widths of all specimens
were measured with a silicone replica technique after the
first, third, fifth, and seventh firing.
The silicone replica technique consisted of filling the
copings with light-body silicone (Express XT; 3M ESPE),
and the copings were repositioned on the zirconia die
and axially loaded with a force of 50 N by a holding
machine5 (XSB-1; Taiming). After the light-body silicone
had polymerized, the copings were removed from the
zirconia die, with the thin silicone layer remaining on the
internal surface of the coping. The thin silicone film
represented the gap widths (including the marginal gap
widths) between the internal surfaces of the copings and
the external surfaces of the zirconia die. The thin silicone
film was then embedded with a heavy-body silicone
(Express XT; 3M ESPE) by filling the inner space of the
coping in order to support the light-body silicone. The
silicone was used according to the manufacturer’s in-
structions. When the heavy-body silicone had polymer-
ized, a silicone replica was made. The silicone replica was
sectioned equally into 4 parts by 2 cuts with a razor blade
along the buccal-lingual direction and mesial-distal
points by stereomicroscopy (Fig. 2). There were 8 points
for each replica, giving a total of 960 measurements. The
width of the reference point was from the abutment
margin to the metal coping in a straight line.17
Before measuring, a stereomicroscope (Stemi 2000C;
Carl Zeiss) was corrected by a professional investigator
through repeated trials. The thickness of the reference
point was measured at ×100 magnification. The sections
were adjusted horizontally on plastic clay to achieve a
parallel orientation with the stereomicroscopy view so
that the observation angle was vertical. The distance of
the reference point was measured with a digital
measuring device (SPOT version 4.6; Carl Zeiss). The
marginal gap width value of each point was determined
by the same examiner.
Statistical analysis of the experimental results was
conducted by SPSS v13.0 software. One-way analysis of
variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate the marginal
accuracy of the same group after repeated firing; the
Student t test was used to assess the marginal accuracy of
the 2 groups after each firing (a=.05).
RESULTS
The marginal gap width values of the 2 groups after each
firing period are listed in Table 2. A statistically significant
difference was noted of the marginal gap width values of
the 2 groups at all firing periods (P<.05). Of the materials
tested in this experiment, the marginal gap width values
of SLM copings were almost half that of the cast copings.
The ANOVA analysis showed that within the 2
groups, the marginal gap width values were not
statistically significant from each other with more firing
period (P>.05). The mean marginal gap width values for
SLM-fabricated copings were 36 mm, 37 mm, 38 mm, and
38 mm after the first, third, fifth, and seventh firings,
while the mean marginal gap width values for cast cop-
ings were 67 mm, 71 mm, 72 mm, and 73 mm at the same
firing periods.
DISCUSSION
This study measured the influence of simulated repeated
porcelain firing cycles on the marginal fit of the 2 groups
of copings fabricated by different techniques. Within the

Zeng et al THE JOURNAL OF PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY

138
limitation of this in vitro experiment, the results of
marginal gap width values revealed a significant differ-
ence of the 2 groups at any firing period and also showed
no statistically significant difference within the group
with more firing period, although a slight increase in
marginal gap width values was observed after repeated
firing. The results demonstrated that the copings of the 2
groups could resist repeated firing. According to Amer-
ican Dental Association (ADA) Specification No. 8, the
marginal gap width range between 25 to 40 mm has been
suggested as a clinical goal, but this goal is seldom ach-
ieved; thus, the marginal gap width of less than 100 mm
can be clinically accepted.18 The biggest marginal gap
width value in this study was 73 mm, which was smaller
than 100 mm. The marginal gap width values obtained in
this study indicated that both copings could meet the
clinical requirement after repeated firing. However, the
cast copings can barely achieve the ADA standard of the
clinical goal, while the SLM copings at all firing periods
can achieved the clinical goal, which means that the
marginal fit of SLM copings is superior to cast copings in
clinical use.
Several methods have been used to measure mar-
ginal accuracy of dental restorations, including a direct
measuring method by measuring the thickness of the
cement with microscope,18 using micro-computed to-
mography (microCT) to examine the intaglio of the
dental restorations,19 and the silicone replica tech-
nique.20 However, the direct measuring method will
destroy the copings and the zirconia die, and technol-
ogy sensitivity issues have been noted with the use of
microCT.21 The silicone replica technique does not have
the shortcomings of the other 2 techniques and has
the advantage of being nondestructive. It has been
adopted by many investigators recently to measure the
marginal accuracy of dental restorations. Therefore, the
silicone replica technique was used in this study to
evaluate the marginal fit.
Although changes in the metallurgical phases of alloy
take place during heat treatment, the marginal accuracy is
closely related to the integrity of the margins of the metal
coping. Because the repeated firing does not destroy the
margin of the metal coping, the changes of the inner
structure of the alloy during heat treatment will not directly
alter the dimension of the metal coping’s margin.
While SLM alloy exhibited a homogeneous micro-
structure, the cast alloy showed a typical dendritic
microstructure. The very different nature of the micro-
structure of the Co-Cr alloy prepared by SLM and casting
methods will lead to totally different corrosion behavior.
Because of the fine-scale microstructure, SLM alloy
demonstrates better anticorrosion properties, which will
greatly help to maintain the integrity of the margins of
SLM metal copings in the long run. The SLM metal
coping is therefore suitable for clinical use.
THE JOURNAL OF PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY
Volume 113 Issue 2
In studies on the repeated firing of ceramic, the
number of firing cycles have been limited to 9.22 The
majority of marginal gap width values were reported
without the consideration of repeated firing, which is
closely related to the distortion of the metal ceramic
restorations.17,23 Therefore, the effects of repeated firing
was considered in the present study. The first firing cycle
has been thought to cause marginal discrepancy from the
release of the residual stress generated during the pro-
duction process.23,24 The results of Papazoglou et al17
have showed that statistically significant distortion was
obtained after the first firing cycle with no difference for
subsequent firing protocol. In the present study,
although there was no significant difference in marginal
fit during the first firing cycle, an obvious increase in
marginal gap width was observed after the first firing
period especially for cast copings. The creep of the alloy
under high temperature can cause deformation of the
coping and will be more obvious with the increase of
temperature and firing times, which will lead to marginal
distortions.25 When the copings cool from the firing
temperature, different coefficients of thermal expansion
between the alloy and the ceramic may result in addi-
tional distortion of marginal accuracy. The present study
demonstrated an increased marginal gap width after
repeated firings, which was consistent with other reports.
Although the mean marginal gap width increased after
repeated firing, the mean marginal gap widths of SLM
copings were smaller compared to the cast copings,
which indicate that SLM copings may give better clinical
performance.
This study focusing on the effects of repeated firing
on marginal accuracy of metal copings has some limi-
tations, including the different elasticity modulus be-
tween the zirconia die and dentin and the margin
configuration of the die. Further studies on those aspects
should be carried out to evaluate the marginal fit of SLM
copings.
CONCLUSIONS
Within the limitations of this in vitro experiment, the
following conclusions were drawn.
1. Compared with cast copings, the SLM copings
demonstrated superior marginal accuracy at all
firing periods.
2. Repeated firings had no significant influence on the
marginal accuracy of either coping.
3. The marginal fit of both copings after repeated fir-
ings was within the clinically acceptable range.
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Corresponding author:
Dr Bin Wei
Zhizaoju Road 639
Shanghai 200011
PR CHINA
Email: weibin0328@hotmail.com
Acknowledgments
The authors thank researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of
Materials and the technical Department from Shanghai Foshion Medical System
Co Ltd.
Copyright © 2015 by the Editorial Council for The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry.

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