Abstract: A method for making metallic or non-metallic products by freeform laser sintering, in which the products are fabricated from powdery material on a substrate plate in vertically additive, layer-by-layer fashion by means of a computer-controlled laser beam, characterized in that at least one support is fabricated between the substrate plate and the outer surface of the product, said support being connected via a predetermined breaking area with the outer surface of the product, wherein the predetermined breaking area is formed by reducing the strength of the support along the outer contour of the product.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for making metallic and/or non-metallic products 2, in particular dental products, by freeform sintering and/or melting, in which the products 2 are fabricated layer by layer from a material 5 that is applied layer by layer by means of a computer-controlled high-energy beam 7, in particular a laser or electron beam. In order to reduce production times, beam 7 irradiates predetermined positions P1 to P6 of a layer of a material 5 a plurality of time, namely m times, where m is a whole integer greater than 1. Each of said positions P1 to P6 is initially heated during the first irradiation to a temperature below the melting point Tmelt of the material 5, and during the mth irradiation to a temperature above said melting point and is completely melted over the entire thickness of the layer in such a way that the material (5) fuses at said position to the layer thereunder. The invention also relates to an apparatus for performing said method.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for manufacturing implant abutments 9 for dental implants 1, wherein the implant abutment 9 comprises a prefabricated base member 8 for joining the implant abutment to the dental implant 1, and a customized main body 15. The aim of the invention is to simplify this method of manufacturing. To this end, the main body 15 is formed by sintering and/or melting powdery material onto the base member 8 using laser sintering and/or laser melting. The invention relates also to an implant abutment manufactured by such a method.

Abstract: A method for making metallic or non-metallic products by freeform laser sintering, in which the products are fabricated from powdery material on a substrate plate in vertically additive, layer-by-layer fashion by means of a computer-controlled laser beam, characterized in that at least one support is fabricated between the substrate plate and the outer surface of the product, said support being connected via a predetermined breaking area with the outer surface of the product, wherein the predetermined breaking area is formed by reducing the strength of the support along the outer contour of the product.

Abstract: A device for producing freely formed products through a buildup of layers of powder-form material that is solidified according to specification, comprises a (relatively) lowerable table on the one hand, and a powder feed above the table, a distribution device that spreads the powder in a predetermined thickness over the table, and an energy source that solidifies the powder of each layer on the other hand, that are horizontally movable with respect to each other. In particular, the horizontal movement of the table consists in a rotational movement around an vertical axis, which movement is combined with the descending movement into a spiral movement having a pitch corresponding to the layer thickness, the powder feed, the distribution device, and the energy source being arranged radially around the axis and being continuously active.