title: [Design and fabrication of the custom-made titanium condyle by selective laser melting technology].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To design and fabricate the custom-made titanium mandibular condyle by the reverse engineering technology combined with selective laser melting (SLM) technology and to explore the mechanical properties of the SLM-processed samples and the application of the custom-made condyle in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) reconstruction.
  
  
  METHODS
  The three-dimensional model of the mandibular condyle was obtained from a series of CT databases. The custom-made condyle model was designed by the reverse engineering software. The mandibular condyle was made of titanium powder with a particle size of 20-65 µm as the basic material and the processing was carried out in an argon atmosphere by the SLM machine. The yield strength, ultimate strength, bending strength, hardness, surface morphology and roughness were tested and analyzed. The finite element analysis (FEA) was used to analyze the stress distribution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The complex geometry and the surface of the custom-made condyle can be reproduced precisely by the SLM. The mechanical results showed that the yield strength, ultimate strength, bending strength and hardness were (559±14) MPa, (659±32) MPa, (1 067±42) MPa, and (212±4)HV, respectively. The surface roughness was reduced by sandblast treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The custom-made titanium condyle can be fabricated by SLM technology which is time-saving and highly digitized. The mechanical properties of the SLM sample can meet the requirements of surgical implant material in the clinic. The possibility of fabricating custom-made titanium mandibular condyle combined with the FEA opens new interesting perspectives for TMJ reconstruction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510055, China.
authors.forename: Jianyu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chongdai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Chunyu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Gong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Weiqian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Email: drzhangzg@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhiguang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D003764:Dental Materials; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006244:Hardness; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008335:Mandibular Condyle; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D014025:Titanium
chemical_list: D003764:Dental Materials; D014025:Titanium