The project, funded under the German Innovation Fund (IGF‑Vorhaben 21671), brought together a consortium of research institutes and small‑to‑medium enterprises (KMU) to advance additive manufacturing of dental implants. Over the course of the project, partners coordinated the design, production, and testing of laser‑powder‑bed‑fusion (LPBF) titanium components, with a particular focus on process optimisation, mechanical performance, corrosion behaviour, and surface engineering. The consortium’s industrial partners supplied the printed implant prototypes and performed in‑house mechanical and corrosion tests, while the research partners carried out detailed microstructural analyses, tribocorrosion studies, and surface modification trials. The project’s objectives were met, demonstrating that LPBF‑produced titanium can achieve superior mechanical properties and that tailored surface treatments can enhance corrosion resistance and tribocorrosion performance.

The technical work began with a statistical design of experiments (Doehlert design) to identify an LPBF process window for commercially pure (CP) titanium Grade 1 powder. By varying laser power, scan speed, and hatch distance, the team established a set of optimized volumetric parameters that yielded low porosity in small test parts. The process window proved useful for KMU operators, allowing them to adjust laser settings to their specific equipment while maintaining part quality. A key finding was that reusing unsieved powder under identical process conditions led to a marked increase in porosity, underscoring the importance of powder preparation between builds. In the printed state, the optimized parameters produced a predominantly martensitic microstructure, contrasting with the globular grains typical of conventionally wrought CP‑Ti Grade 1 or Grade 4 material.

Mechanical testing revealed that LPBF‑printed flat tensile specimens exhibited a yield strength of approximately 663 MPa and an ultimate tensile strength of about 747 MPa, surpassing the conventional wrought CP‑Ti Grade 1 values of roughly 494 MPa and 606 MPa, respectively. The printed material also showed a high fracture strain of around 24 %, and no significant anisotropy was observed between specimens oriented parallel or perpendicular to the build direction. These results demonstrate that additive manufacturing can produce dental implant components with superior strength and ductility compared to traditional manufacturing routes.

Corrosion investigations employed potentiodynamic polarization to compare LPBF‑printed alloys with conventionally fabricated counterparts. The studies highlighted the influence of surface roughness and microstructural features on corrosion rates. Tribocorrosion tests, conducted with a tribometer, revealed that the combined mechanical wear and corrosive environment further affected material performance, emphasizing the need for robust surface treatments.

Surface modification experiments focused on alumina blasting to produce homogeneous, roughened surfaces suitable for subsequent structuring, and plasma electrolytic polishing to achieve highly polished finishes for abutments. Additionally, plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) was applied to form TiO₂‑based coatings. Adhesion of the PEO layers was evaluated through simple tape tests and tribocorrosion trials, confirming strong bonding and improved corrosion protection. The project also explored the effect of alloying additions such as yttrium and boron on microstructure and hardness. Yttrium additions led to the formation of Y₂O₃ precipitates, which could act as nucleation sites for β‑phase crystallisation, while boron altered the solidification texture, both influencing mechanical and corrosion behaviour.

Throughout the project, the consortium maintained close collaboration between academia and industry, ensuring that the developed process parameters, surface treatments, and material insights were directly applicable to the production of dental implants and abutments. The successful completion of the IGF‑Vorhaben 21671 project demonstrates that LPBF, combined with targeted surface engineering, can deliver high‑performance, corrosion‑resistant titanium components suitable for clinical use.