Dr.

Shahreen Zahid Khan

Associate Professor
Shifa College of Dentistry
INTRODUCTION

• Investment Material
Material used to enclose or
surround a pattern of a dental
restoration for casting or
moulding or to maintain the
relations of metal parts during
soldering.
INTRODUCTION
• Indication.
▪ Partials and complete dentures
“dental plaster or gypsum” is
used as investment materials
▪ Direct and Indirect restorations
require investment materials.
▪ What type of materials is used
for the “indirect restoration”
will determine the type of the
investment materials.
INDICATION FOR CASTING

Three Unit Bridge

CASTING PROCEDURE

Wax pattern

Sprue

Sprue Base

Investment Material
CASTING PROCEDURE

Formation of WAX-PATTERN

A “sprue” is attached to the wax-pattern to provide a passage,

through which molten materials is introduced into the mould
CASTING PROCEDURE

▪ Investment of the wax-pattern to form “Mould”

▪ Investment material is poured around the wax-pattern
while still in the fluid state
CASTING PROCEDURE

When investment materials is set, wax and sprue are

removed by heating.
 • Investment materials are the mixture of
Investment refractory materials (refractory material
retain its strengths at high temp).
Materials
 • They are supplied in powdered form and are
Investment mixed with water to start the setting process.
Materials
Investment Materials

Three main groups

of investment
materials:

Gypsum-bonded Silica bonded Phosphate-bonded

 Refractory Material.

• Silicon Dioxide
• Quartz
• Cristobalite
• Or combination of above

Binder Material
BASIC • α-Calcium sulfate hemihydrate → gold alloys
COMPOSITION • Phosphate-bounded investment→ alloys
having high melting point (>700oC)
• Ethyl silicate-bounded investment→ alloys
having high melting point (>700oC)

Other Chemicals

• Sodium chloride, boric acid, potassium

sulfate, graphite and magnesium oxide
PROPERTIES REQUIRED FOR AN INVESTMENT

Easy manipulation Resistant to high Stability at higher

• Should be easy to temperature temperature
manipulate and mix • Inner surface of the • Should not
• Easy to paint mold should not decompose to give
• Get hard in a short break at high temp. off gases →damage
period of time. to the surface of
alloy.
PROPERTIES REQUIRED FOR AN INVESTMENT
Sufficient expansion
• Enough to compensate for the shrinkage of the wax pattern and metals
alloys.

Porosity
• It should be porous enough to permit the air or other gases in the mould
cavity to escape easily during the casting procedure.

Smooth surface
• Give fine detail and margins on the casting.

Ease of divestment
• Easy to remove from the metal surface.

Inexpensive
 Calcium Sulfate-Bonded /
Gypsum Bonded Investments
https://www.chemtube3d.com/sshydroxyapati
te/
CALCIUM SULFATE-
BONDED INVESTMENTS

Indication Composition
For casting gold alloys Quartz or Cristobalite or
tridymite (types of silica)
65 – 75%
α-calcium sulfate
hemihydrate
25-35%
Chemical modifier

2-3%
 Type 1: thermal
expansion type :- for
casting inlays and
crowns

Type 2: hygroscopic
Types expansion type:- for
casting inlays and
crowns.

Type 3: for casting

complete and partial
denture bases
 • Silica is a refractory material which adequately
withstands the temperatures used during casting.
• It is available in three allotropic forms:–
• Quartz,
• Cristobalite
• Tridymite

ROLE OF These all are chemically identical

but differ slightly in crystalline form
SILICA
 ROLE OF SILICA IN
SETTING EXPANSION

• Quartz and cristobalite are used

extensively in investments.
• It is responsible for producing much
of the expansion which is necessary
to compensate for the casting
shrinkage of the alloy.
• The expansion is accomplished by a
combination of simple thermal
expansion coupled with a crystalline
inversion.
Microstructure of a set
gypsum-bonded investment.
Inversion :A temperature-dependent change Large particles are cristobalite.
from one polymorphic form to another.
Small acicular crystals are
gypsum.
ROLE OF SILICA IN SETTING EXPANSION
The expansion is probably due to a straightening of
chemical bonds to form a less dense crystal structure as
illustrated

Bond straightening during ‘inversion’ of quartz at 575°C.

(a) More dense structure existing below 575°C.
(b) Less dense structure existing above 575°C.
ROLE OF SILICA IN SETTING EXPANSION

For Quartz undergoes inversion

at 575ºC from the so-called
‘low’ form or α-quartz → β-
quartz.

For cristobalite, conversion

from the low to the high form
occurs at a lower temperature
of around 210ºC.

Investment material containing

cristobalite show more Linear expansion versus temperature
expansion as compared to curves for two types of investment. (a)
investment containing quartz. Containing quartz. (b) Containing
crystobalite.
EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON SETTING
EXPANSION

• Effect of temperature on Calcium

Sulphate Binder.
• Up to 105oC → ordinary thermal
expansion
• Above 105oC→ conversion of
dihydrate to anhydrate form →
contraction.
• On cooling of investment.
• Refractory and binder contracts.

Thermal expansion and contraction

curves for calcium sulfate–bonded investment (thermal expansion type). Curve 1
is first heating, curve 2 is cooling, and curve 3 is reheating.
HYGROSCOPIC EXPANSION

• Thermal expansion curves

for calcium
• sulfate–bonded
investments. A, Hygroscopic
type; B, thermal expansion
type.
HYGROSCOPIC EXPANSION

• Water immersion
hygroscopic technique→
investment is placed into the
Three water at the initial stages
• Water added technique →
methods measured amount of water is
are used added on the surface of the
for the investment (more easy to
control)
hygroscopic • Use of damp asbestos layer
expansion on the surface of the ring→
provide water to a larger Casting Rings
Damp
surface area of the Asbestos
investment. layer
 Thinner the mix →less setting and
hygroscopic expansion
W/P ratio
Thinner the mix→ less thermal
expansion.

FACTORS Higher the water-bath temperature →

EFFECTING Water- more expansion of the wax pattern →
Bath less need of investment expansion.
SETTING AND Temperat Higher temperature → proper softening
ure
HYGROSCOPIC of the wax pattern → less resistance to
the investment setting expansion.
EXPANSION Finer the silica particle→ higher
Particle setting and hygroscopic expansion.
Size of The particle size of calcium sulfate
Silica
hemihydrate has little effect on
hygroscopic expansion.
 FACTORS EFFECTING SETTING AND
HYGROSCOPIC EXPANSION

• Less spatulation → lower expansion

Spatulation

• Higher silica/Binder ratio →

• Increases the manipulation time (given by the time of loss of
fluidity) and the initial setting time
• This increase in observed manipulation and setting times occur
because the particles of refractory filler interfere with the
Silica/ Binder interlocking of growing gypsum crystals, making this less effective
in developing a solid structure.
Ratio
• Setting expansion is increased as interlocking of growing gypsum
crystals is inhibited by the refractory particles, because more of
the crystal growth is directed outward.
FACTORS EFFECTING SETTING AND
HYGROSCOPIC EXPANSION

Thermal expansion is increased because, at any

temperature, it is given by summing the binder
contraction and the refractory expansion;
increasing the proportion of the expanding
component increases the observed expansion.

Higher hygroscopic expansion, but → decrease in

the strength of the investment.
FACTORS EFFECTING SETTING AND
HYGROSCOPIC EXPANSION

Age of investment
Delay before • Investment older than 2
to 3 years do not expand
immersion as much as freshly
• Hygroscopic expansion prepared investment.
decreases with increased • Magnitude of the
time between mixing hygroscopic expansion is
and immersion higher in investment
material as compared to
model and die materials
 THERMAL STABILITY
Gypsum bounded investments decomposes above 12000C

• CaSO4 + SiO2 → CaSiO3 + SO3

Lead to severe weakening of a investment.

Incorporation of porosity in the castings.

Another problem that can take place at high temperature between calcium Sulphate
and carbon derived from wax residues, which are left behind after the wax bun out.

CaSO4 + 4C → CaS +4CO

3CaSO4+CaS → 4CaO +4SO2

Presence of oxalate reduces the gypsum decomposition products liberation.