Preliminary assessment of dry electropolishing technology on a novel additive manufactured Ti- 6Al-4V implant abutment

Abstract

Unprocessed components fabricated by metal additive manufacturing (AM) tend to be too rough for immediate implementation and require post-processing to allow for proper physical contact, fit and suitability. Utilization of metal AM for the fabrication of dental prostheses requires a smooth finish to prevent the formation of a biofilm and possible inflammatory responses. Standard polishing protocols utilize hand tools and rotary burs to create a mirror polished finish but may not be possible for some small and intricate devices. Dry electropolishing technology (DET) is an automated process for metal AM parts that employs electropolishing by ion transport using free solid bodies, based in a solid media. This preliminary investigation explored dry electropolishing technology on an additive manufactured Ti-6Al-4V implant abutment. The abutments were fabricated with additive manufacturing in dental grade titanium Ti-64 (titanium 6-aluminum 4-vanadium) using Selective Laser Melting (SLM). Components were photographed with a USB microscope at a magnification of 200x, prior to and after DET. The novel dental abutment was evaluated with magnification, a preclinical assessment and evaluation with radiology. DET provided significant polishing of the pin projections, abutment surface and circumference. There was no tactile evidence of thread slippage or excessive play and there were no microgaps detected. The fit seemed clinically acceptable. DET technology seems to provide a simple and predictable post-processing technique that provides surface polishing with Ti-64 dental implant components that cannot be finished by conventional methods.