Table 1.

Additive manufacturing technologies with accuracy and its pros and cons with different dental materials.

S No	AM technology	Approximate Accuracy	Dental Material	Pros	Cons
1	Stereolithography	50–55 μm	•Acrylate photopolymer •Plastic •Ceramic	•It has high speed that producing functional parts within a day •Used for making anatomical model, prosthetics, master patterns for injection moulding and various metal casting	•Part obtain are more fragile •Not used for mass production •Machine cost is high
2	Selective laser sintering	45–50 μm	•Thermoplastics •Powder •Plastic •Metals •Ceramic	•No supporting material required •Parts possess high strength and stiffness •Various finishing possibilities •Good chemical resistance •Print prototype functional and end-user parts	•Printed parts have a porous surface •Sealed by applying a coating such as a cyanoacrylate
3	Fused deposition modelling	35–40 μm	•Polycarbonate •Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) •polypropylene •Polyesters	•Produced high strength part •It is cost-effective and waterproof •Multiple material colours are available •Use for printing of Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) materials	•Often leads to ribbing that shows lines from each layer. •Polishing or sanding can be added to remove these lines. •Supports material may be required •Temperature fluctuations during production could lead to delamination.
4	Direct metal laser sintering	20–35 μm	•Titanium •Cobalt •Aluminium •Bronze alloy •Steel •Stainless steel •Nickel alloy	•Manufactures high strength parts •Good accuracy of final Product •Manufactures efficiently any complicated shape product	•Manufactured parts can be porous which have a rough surface depending on the material used •Cause shrinking and warping of manufactured parts
5	Polyjet 3D printing	20–85 μm	•Photopolymers	•Produced complex shapes, intricate details and delicate features •More flexible process successfully used in healthcare and dentistry sector •Used to produce replica of the organ •Manufacture accurate crowns, bridges and orthodontic appliances	•Compaction and quality of the materials are inferior to that of injected moulds. •Not suitable for mass production
6	Inkjet 3D printing	35–40 μm	•Powder •Liquid binder	•Print any complex design part •It quickly produced parts •Applied in health care such as print organ	•Size of objects is limited •Machine cost is high
7	Laminated Object Manufacturing	60–70 μm	•Metal •Plastic	•Ability to produce larger-scaled models •It is fast and accurate •Environmentally friendly •Good strength •Not health threatening	•Need for describing, which requires much labour •Stability of paper objects is not as excellent as materials used by other AM technology
8	Colour-Jet-Printing	23–30 μm	•Gypsum powder •Binder	•Produce high-quality colour print •Very quickly and quietly •Being portable, it becomes useful for small business or the home office environment.	•Colour print cost of the product is high. •Low mechanical strength
9	Electron Beam Melting	40–50 μm	•Metal powder •Titanium	•Ability to achieve a high energy level in a narrow beam •Vacuum environment eliminates impurities •Lower power consumption as well as lower maintenance	•Requires vacuum which is costly and needs maintaining •Electron beam technology produces X-rays while in operation
10	Multi-Jet Printing	25–35 μm	•Powder •Plastics	•Produce smooth and precise parts with highly complex •High production speed •No extra finishing treatments required	•No ceramic materials available commercially yet •Lack of precise information on ceramics AM specifications •High-performance polymer currently prioritised.