How a Dental Crown Is Made

Primary process: CNC Milling. The full route, materials, tolerances and design tips for a dental crown, with an indicative cost.

CNC MillingPrimary process
MachiningFamily
8Route steps
+/-0.025mmTypical tol.

A dental crown is primarily made by CNC Milling. CNC milling removes material from a fixed blank with a rotating cutter moving on several axes, carving complex features to tight tolerance. Below is the full route to make a dental crown, the materials it suits, the tolerances to expect and the main design points. The route is free, from the finder.

Step by step

How a dental crown is made

The usual route, raw material to finished part. The amber step is where the dental crown gets its basic shape.

  1. Stock

    Start from bar, plate or billet sized for the dental crown.
  2. CNC Milling (roughing)

    Rough out the main shape, leaving stock on the critical surfaces.
    Tooling None   Tolerance ±0.125mm, to ±0.025mm   Lead 1 to 10 days
  3. Finish machining

    Take the finishing passes that bring the dental crown to tolerance.
    Tooling None   Tolerance ±0.125mm, to ±0.025mm   Lead 1 to 10 days
  4. Holes and features

    Drill, ream and tap, and where needed broach splines or cut gear teeth.
    Tooling None   Tolerance ±0.05 to 0.2mm   Lead hours to days
  5. Heat treatment

    Harden and temper if the dental crown must resist wear or load, then finish-grind.
    Tooling n/a   Tolerance can distort   Lead days
  6. Grinding

    Where the dental crown has bearing or sealing surfaces, grind them to the tightest tolerance and finish.
    Tooling Low (wheel)   Tolerance ±0.002 to 0.02mm   Lead days
  7. Surface finish

    Anodise, plate or coat for wear and corrosion resistance.
    Tooling Low   Tolerance adds microns   Lead days
  8. Inspection

    Measure the dental crown against the drawing, on a CMM for close work.

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Precision

Tolerances to expect

TYPICAL TOLERANCE IT CAN HOLD
+/-0.025mm typicalcoarsefine+/-1mm+/-0.1mm+/-0.01mm+/-0.005mm
Where this process typically lands. Tighter is possible with extra operations like grinding, at higher cost.
Materials

Materials for a dental crown

GradeWhy it suits this
Ti-6Al-4V ELI (ASTM F136)Grade 23 medical titanium, screws and plates
CP titanium grade 4 (F67)Bio-inert, dental and small implants
Cobalt-chrome (F75 / F799)Wear surfaces, joints
316LVM stainless (F138)Lower-cost trauma implants
PEEK-OPTIMARadiolucent spinal cages
Design

Design tips

General pointers. The full design-for-manufacturing list for a dental crown is in the dossier.

  • Deep pockets / thin walls. Limit depth-to-width, add radii.
  • Sharp internal corners. Add tool-radius corners.
Cost

What a dental crown should cost

Prismatic parts; priced by machine time and setups. Fewer setups and looser tolerance drop the price fast.

PER-PART COST vs VOLUME
one-offat volumeVolume per order, low to highCost per part
Per-part cost drops as volume spreads tooling and setup over more parts. The exact figures for a dental crown at your volume, in your currency, are in the dossier.
MODEL EST.
$230 to 310 per part at 1 off
A rough ballpark only. The dossier gives should-cost at your exact volume and currency, with the full breakdown.
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Everything you need to quote and source it

The free route above is yours. To actually put a number on a dental crown and buy it well:

  • Should-cost at your exact volume in 12 currencies, with the material, processing, tooling and overhead breakdown
  • Who to source from, typical MOQ and lead time, and the exact RFQ checklist to send
  • A quote checker that tells you if a supplier quote is fair, and the red flags to watch
  • The full DFM list and a ready-to-send RFQ draft

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See also: How CNC Milling works and the full route for a dental crown in the finder.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How is a dental crown made?
A dental crown is primarily made by cnc milling. The route is: Stock; CNC Milling (roughing); Finish machining; Holes and features; Heat treatment; Grinding; Surface finish; Inspection.
What does a dental crown cost?
It depends on size, tolerance and volume. As a rough ballpark it starts around $230 to 310 per part at 1 off and falls with quantity. The dossier gives should-cost at your exact volume and currency. A model estimate, not a quote.
What material is a dental crown made from?
Common choices are Ti-6Al-4V ELI (ASTM F136); CP titanium grade 4 (F67); Cobalt-chrome (F75 / F799); 316LVM stainless (F138).
What is the main process for a dental crown?
CNC Milling. Precision prototypes and low to medium-volume parts of almost any shape and material.
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