Method to produce a monolithic form body

1. A method for the production of a monolithic form body, comprising the steps of:

providing a blank;

producing the monolithic form body by pressing and/or machining the blank; and

softening of the form body exclusively in the surface region by irradiating the monolithic form body with infrared radiation.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the monolithic form body is softened to a depth T of T≤100 μm.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of irradiating the monolithic form body with an infrared radiation whose main radiation components lie in the wavelength range between 2.7 μm and 4.7 μm.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the blank is a blank of lithium silicate glass ceramic that includes lithium disilicate as the main crystal phase.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of heat-treating the monolithic form body after the producing step for the formation of metasilicate and/or disilicate crystals as the main crystal phase.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the blank is a monolithic form body of lithium silicate glass ceramic of which the glass content is in a ratio of 20:65 to the crystal component in percentage by volume.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein crystal/crystallite size is ≤2 μm.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the monolithic form body is a dental restoration, which is removed from the mouth of a patient, grinded and then irradiated with infrared radiation and finally reinserted.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of irradiating the monolithic form body with the infrared radiation over a time t where 10 seconds≤t≤150 seconds.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the monolithic form body includes a lithium silicate glass ceramic having a starting composition that comprises:

54.0-62.0%

by weight of SiO2;

5.0-6.0%

by weight of Nucleating agents;

1.5-3.5%

by weight of Al2O3;

13.0-16.0%

by weight of Li2O;

0.6-1.8%

by weight of K2O;

 8.0-11.5%

by weight of ZrO2;

  0-6.0%

by weight of B2O3;

  0-1.9%

by weight of Na2O;

  0-8.0%

by weight of color pigments.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the monolithic form body includes a lithium silicate glass ceramic having a starting composition that comprises:

57.0-60.0%

by weight of SiO2;

5.2-5.6%

by weight of Nucleating agents;

2.6-3.2%

by weight of Al2O3;

13.5-15.0%

by weight of Li2O;

0.8-1.4%

by weight of K2O;

 9.0-11.0%

by weight of ZrO2;

  0-5.0%

by weight of B2O3;

  0-1.5%

by weight of Na2O;

  2-7.0%

by weight of color pigments;

and optionally CeO2.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the monolithic form body includes a lithium silicate glass ceramic having a starting composition that comprises:

  58%

by weight of SiO2;

  5%

by weight of P2O5;

  3%

by weight of Al2O3;

  15%

by weight of Li2O;

  1%

by weight of K20

10.0%

by weight of ZrO2;

  4%

by weight of color pigments;

  4%

by weight of additives.

13. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of covering the monolithic form body, at least in sections, with a paste including alkali metal ions of greater diameter than lithium ions before subjected to its infrared irradiation.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the paste is applied to all the surfaces of the monolithic form body with a thickness D of 0.1 mm<D<0.4 mm.

15. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of coating the monolithic form body with a viscous solution or dispersion of a salt including an alkali metal ion as a paste.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the paste if formed from a mixture of the salt with at least one substance selected from the group consisting of 1,4-butanediol, hexanetriol, and a mixture of the two substances.

17. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of applying a paste to the monolithic form body by spraying.