Comparative Analysis of Additive Manufacturing and CNC Machining in Dental Implant Production: Energy Consumption and Material Efficiency
Comparative Analysis of Additive Manufacturing and CNC Machining in Dental Implant Production: Energy Consumption and Material Efficiency

Summary/Abstract: The development of digital technologies in dentistry has enabled the implementation of new manufacturing processes for the production of dental implants. Additive manufacturing represents an alternative to conventional CNC machining, offering increased design flexibility and more efficient material utilization. The aim of this paper is to analyze and compare additive manufacturing and CNC machining in the production of dental implants in terms of energy consumption, material efficiency, and environmental impact. The study examines the most commonly used technologies, including Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), Stereolithography (SLA), and multi-axis CNC machining. The analysis focuses on the specific energy consumption of the processes and the influence of manufacturing factors such as implant geometric complexity, production volume, and the need for post-processing operations. The analysis showed that additive manufacturing enables the production of complex porous structures while significantly reducing material waste, although at the cost of higher specific energy consumption. In contrast, CNC machining achieves higher dimensional accuracy and lower direct energy consumption per part, albeit with substantially greater material loss. Environmental and energy performance are primarily influenced by production volume, implant geometry, and post-processing requirements. These variables highlight the potential benefits of employing a hybrid manufacturing approach that combines additive manufacturing and CNC machining.

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