Renishaw Partners with Cardiff University to Develop Removable 3D-Printed Dentures

Precision measurement technology developer Renishaw Inc. is working with Cardiff University Dental Hospital (CUDH) to develop 3D-printed Cobalt Chrome (CoCr) removable partial dentures (RPDs).

Cobalt Chrome (CoCr) 3D-printed removable partial dentures (RPDs). Courtesy of Renishaw.

Currently, RPDs are produced in wax or digitally designed and then manually cast. The many variables involved in making detailed dental casts result in a significant number of miscasts. According to a case study by Renishaw, industry feedback suggests that 14 to 20 percent of dental castings require remakes.

CUDH and Renishaw are using 3D printing to make the process of producing RPDs more streamlined and cost-effective, reducing waste and enabling easy refinements and iteration.

A Renishaw DS20 optical scanner is used to create initial dental scans, and a Renishaw AM250 metal 3D printer fabricates the CoCr RPDs.

Renishaw is an engineering company that focuses on measurement, motion control, health care, spectroscopy, and manufacturing.