Sintering technology heats up industry

The latest furnaces are highly advanced with numerous options.

Sintering furnaces are HOT, and it’s not just about the temperature. Companies throughout the industry have recently released newer and better versions with higher speeds and larger capacities, as well as the ability to handle a wide range of materials.

These furnaces are also technologically advanced, including sophisticated touchscreens, preset and customizable programming ability and high quality LEDs, allowing you the ultimate control that produces results that will make both your clients and their patients happy. Both efficient and effective, the latest sintering furnaces can put out restorations, crowns, copings, substructures and more.

We wanted to bring you a quick roundup of some of the leading sintering furnaces out there. Whether you’re a small lab, large lab or somewhere in between, here is a snapshot of some of the top sintering furnace companies and products.

Amann Girrbach-Ceramill Argotherm 2 Amann Girrbach will introduce a new, improved generation of the Ceramill Argotherm shielding gas sintering furnace later this year. Its enlarged furnace chamber is designed to enable easier and more reliable handling of the removable Ceramill Argovent sinter chamber, while an integrated compressed air and shielding gas monitor is said to ensure even higher process reliability during the sintering procedure. Equipped with a touchscreen and a clear, conceptualized display for optical control of the sintering process, the successor model also reportedly provides increased comfort in terms of operability and handling.

704-837-1404   |  amanngirrbach.com

Sirona-inFire HTC speed The inFire HTC speed is a high speed, high capacity sintering furnace that is said to accommodate numerous indications and material choices, including the ability to sinter milled cobalt-chrome substructures and full-contour oxide ceramic restorations with speed and efficiency. The furnace chamber stacks up to two crucibles, providing the capability to sinter bridges of any size in a single 60-minute firing and single-unit crowns and copings in as little as 10 minutes. Preset programs are designed to process all materials that can be milled on inLab® systems, including the Sirona inCoris® line, VITA In-Ceram, IPS e.max® ZirCAD and full-contour zirconium restorations.

800-659-5977   |  sironausa.com

The VITA ZYRCOMAT 6000 MS is a fast, compact and efficient high speed sintering unit that is designed especially for high temperature sintering firings and all dental ceramic substructure materials. By utilizing a material-friendly procedure with a controlled cooling phase of up to 400 °C, the system can sinter bridge substructures with up to nine units and fully anatomical restorations in only 80 minutes. For convenience, the unit includes a firing chamber designed with a capacity of up to 25 units.

800-828-3839   |  vitanorthamerica.com

Whip Mix-Infinity ZR Whip Mix has announced a new furnace solution, the Infinity ZR sintering furnace. With 30 programs and four stages, the Whip Mix Infinity ZR furnace has been designed to offer the user flexibility and consistently accurate sintering of zirconia materials. The Infinity ZR sintering furnace features thermal web technology, which reflects infrared heat for more even heating, delays start time up to eight hours and sinters up to 60 units at a time. The Infinity ZR comes complete with one lidded sintering tray, one 8 oz. jar of sintering beads and spatula.

800-626-5651  | whipmix.com

Zircar Zirconia, Inc.-hotspot 110 The Zircar HotSpot 110 sintering furnace reportedly allows you to easily achieve the highest translucency in your copings with its ability to sinter up to 1720° C and an easy-to-program, open controller. Zircar Zirconia, Inc., was the first company to commercialize high temperature fiber insulation in the 1970s. This premium insulation combined with the company’s 40 years of experience sintering ceramics is said to go into each HotSpot 110. Since 2004, Zircar has supplied the dental lab market with these reportedly highly durable, 110V furnaces that are made in America. Each furnace holds two trays and comes with a three-year warranty.

845-651-3040   |  zircarzirconia.com

Zirkonzahn-Zirkonofen 600/v3 The redesigned Zirkonofen 600/V3 sintering furnace has been constructed for easy use with a front 4.3” color touchscreen control panel display for changing parameters. In addition, built-in LEDs show the status of different procedures. Thanks to the two MoSi2 heating elements, the furnace is able to reach a final temperature of up to 3,092 °F (1,700 °C). The furnace has a 0.6-liter combustion chamber capacity, making it possible to sinter up to 60 units in a single sintering process. The Zirkonofen 600/V3 sintering furnace offers up to 10 preset sinter programs for different zirconia materials and can configure on-demand customized programs.

678-441-9419  |  zirkonzahn.com

Zubler USA-VARIO S400

The VARIO S400 sintering oven, now available from Zubler USA, is said to be unique in its appearance, performance, size and features. Utilizing the CAD/CAM engineering expertise of Dental Concept Systems combined with the experienced furnace engineers at Zubler in Germany, this joint engineering project from both divisions of the Zubler Group is said to result in the release of an oven of extraordinary quality and features. The importance of the sintering process during the manufacture of restorations from zirconium oxide has long been underestimated. New presintering staining options and an increased variety of materials require more complex processing options that few sintering furnaces on the market can handle. The VARIO S400 is designed to address these complex processing needs with proven and advanced technology.

770-921-2131   |  zublerusa.com