Computer simulation of superplastic forming in restorative dentistry

Superplastic forming of dental prostheses using Ti-6Al-4V alloy is a recent innovation. Such prostheses are lightweight and strong and can be produced using low cost dies made from standard dental casting investment materials. In contrast to the volume production of SPF components a dental prostheses is unique to each patient and the SPF pressure cycle required to form the prosthesis equally unique. Consequently it is necessary to employ computer simulation to reduce trial and error experimentation. This paper will summarise the computer simulation of the process and subsequent experimental validation. Both geometric and finite element simulation methods will be discussed with an emphasis on the pressure cycle algorithm contained in the latter method.