Secondary abstract: |
Introduction: Research in dentistry is increasingly focused on discovering new highly efficient polymeric materials with the aim of improving the mechanical properties of restorations and reducing the costs of overall dental prosthetic rehabilitation. PEEK is a polymeric material that approaches the properties of bone with its mechanical and physical characteristics. PEEK also exhibits good biocompatibility, making it frequently used in medical applications, such as spinal implants and orthopedics. Over the last decade, research has also been conducted in the field of dental prosthetics, where PEEK has proven to be a suitable material for fixed and removable restorations, and it has also started to be used in orthodontics. Purpose: The aim of this diploma work is to, based on the literature, investigate and present PEEK and its composite with added carbon fibers, their use in dentistry, and to manufacture test specimens using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology. These specimens will be used to perform tests, which will demonstrate the mechanical properties of these two materials and their suitability for use in laboratory dental prosthetics. Methods: In the theoretical part, a descriptive method was employed, primarily based on foreign literature reviews. In the practical part, specimens were fabricated from PEEK and PEEK with added carbon fibers using the FDM method of additive manufacturing. Tensile testing, optical microscopy, and density measurement were performed on these specimens, providing insight into the mechanical properties of these two materials. Results: The process of manufacturing test specimens and their processing is presented. The results of tensile tests, optical microscopy, and density measurement are shown. Discussion and conclusion: In this diploma work, we examined PEEK and PEEK with added carbon fibers, manufactured using the FDM additive manufacturing method. We found that the specimens were porous, as evidenced by the tensile test results. Porosity was clearly visible under an optical microscope, and we further confirmed this through density measurement. The FDM method of manufacturing dental prosthetics shows promise, but more efficient printers are needed to achieve more precise and less porous products. Material porosity depends on nozzle temperature, build plate temperature, print speed, and layer thickness during 3D printing, which would be beneficial to investigate further in future research. |