Sintering
Also called: sintering cycle, zirconia sintering, furnace cycle
Sintering is heating a milled restoration in a furnace until its particles fuse into a dense, strong solid. Zirconia is milled in a soft, chalk-like state, slightly oversized, and shrinks to its final size and strength during sintering. The cycle takes time, which is part of a lab’s turnaround.
How it shows up between practice and lab
Sintering is one of the steps that sets a floor under turnaround time. A crown cannot be finished faster than the furnace allows.
Labs load furnaces in batches. A case that is ready to mill in the morning joins the day’s run, and one held for a missing detail waits for the next.
That is how a short delay turns into a full day. Answering a lab’s question the same day keeps the case in its batch.
Read more in dental lab turnaround times and running a dental lab production board.
Related terms
Updated