Automated hybrid-additive manufacturing of dental telescopes (German Crown) made of cobalt-chrome and gold
FIDENTIS GmbH
Munich · Head officeNew on Amplifa
About FIDENTIS
FIDENTIS GmbH is a Fraunhofer IGCV spin-off based in Munich (Flößergasse 2, 81369) that offers automated, scalable production of German Crown-type dental telescopes. At the core is a patent-pending multi-material additive manufacturing process based on Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF): a robot introduces additional materials into the powder bed of a custom-built system, so that two or more alloys — predominantly cobalt-chrome with gold on the friction surface — are processed in a single run. After the laser-based build process, the telescopes are hybrid-machined; a zero-point clamping system allows the friction fit to be individually adjusted. The process supports dental technicians, dentists and patients from the 3D scan of the jaw through CAD design to veneering. The manufacturing chain is fully automated and, according to the company, up to 20 times faster than the traditional method. Target markets are dental technology and MedTech.
- Site
- Munich
- Processes
- Multi-material additive manufacturing (laser powder bed fusion with robot material feed), Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), Hybrid machining after LPBF (post-processing with zero-point clamping system), CAD design (dental technicians design in CAD according to FIDENTIS guidelines), Veneering, 3D scan / impression of the jaw, Production of dental telescopes (German Crown), Automated hybrid CAD/CAM manufacturing of dental telescopes (German Crown)
- Materials
- Cobalt-chrome (CoCr), Gold, Cobalt-chrome
- Industries
- Dental technology/MedTech, Dental prostheses (telescope technique), Dental technology/MedTech (dental prostheses, dental telescopes)
- 01
3D scan / impression of the jaw
- 02
CAD design according to FIDENTIS guidelines
- 03
Multi-material laser powder bed fusion (CoCr with gold on the friction surface)
- 04
Hybrid machining with zero-point clamping system / adjustment of the friction
- 05
Veneering by the dental technician
- 06
Insertion in the patient
Materials & Processes
Cobalt-chrome
Main material of the dental telescopes, built up using the LPBF process.
Gold
Is fused onto the friction surface of the telescopes in a multi-material laser process; the precious metal is applied only to the fitting surface.
Sites
Munich
DEHead office and production
- Materials
- Cobalt-chrome, gold
- Custom LPBF system (FIDENTIS/Fraunhofer IGCV)
- Robot for material feed into the powder bed
- Milling machine with zero-point clamping system
Parts
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-material additive manufacturing (laser powder bed fusion with robot material feed)Additive | – | – | – | – | Cobalt-chrome (CoCr), Gold, Alloys |
| Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF)Additive | – | – | – | – | Cobalt-chrome (CoCr) |
| Hybrid machining after LPBF (post-processing with zero-point clamping system)Machining | – | – | – | – | Cobalt-chrome (CoCr), Gold |
| CAD design (dental technicians design in CAD according to FIDENTIS guidelines)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| VeneeringSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3D scan / impression of the jawTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Production of dental telescopes (German Crown)Joining | – | – | – | – | Cobalt-chrome (CoCr), Gold |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laser powder bed fusion machine (custom-built) | FIDENTIS (Fraunhofer IGCV spin-off) | – | – | – | Munich |
| Milling machine (for post-processing with zero-point clamping system) | – | – | – | – | Munich |
| Robot (material feed into the powder bed of the LPBF machine) | – | – | – | – | Munich |
Additional services
Reference customers