Considerations on determining the castability of dental casting alloys

Abstract

Castability is, along with biocompatibility, one of the most important characteristics of metallic materials used for dental prosthetic applications. In addition, the characteristics and performance of the employed casting machine are also decisive for the end result of the casting, especially when dealing with titanium or a titanium alloy. Starting from a critical analysis of the existing methods for determining the castability of dental alloys, the current paper presents a new method (and associated pattern) for determining the castability. Also, given the castability’s dependence on the type of casting machine, the paper includes an analysis of suitable casting machines and suggests some possible improvements.