Abstract
Dental CAD/CAM system has been commonly used while the current three-axis dental CAD/CAM system cannot achieve complex shapes. The five-axis machining of sculptured surface offers many advantages, including faster material removal rates, improved surface finish and elimination of hand finish. The machining data for five-axis numerical control (NC) machining were investigated in this study using special flat-end and sharp-end tools coated with diamond abrasives of different grit sizes. The major machining parameters include feed rate and depth of cut. The dental ceramics selected for this study was Vita MarkⅡ. The surface conditions of ceramics are analyzed with SEM and the surface profiler. The relations between surface roughness and machining parameters were found. The experimental results reveal the suitable machining data for five-axis dental CAD/CAM system. Principles of tool and machining conditions selection were suggested as well. The obtained results can be used in the five-axis dental system.