Usefulness of a rotation–revolution mixer for mixing powder–liquid reline material

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the distribution of bubbles, degree of mixing, flowability and mechanical strength of powder–liquid reline material by manually and with a rotation–revolution (planetary) mixer, and to determine the usefulness of a rotation–revolution mixer for this application.MethodsPowder–liquid reline material (Mild Rebaron, GC, Tokyo, Japan) was mixed with a powder to liquid ratio of 1:0.62 according to the manufacturer's instruction. Two methods were used to mix it: mixed by manually (“manual-mixing”) and automatically with a rotation–revolution mixer (Super Rakuneru Fine, GC, Tokyo, Japan; “automatic-mixing”). Disc-shaped specimens, 30 mm in diameter and 1.0 mm in thickness, were used to observe the distribution of bubbles in at 10× magnifications. Flowability tests were carried out according to the JIS T6521 for denture base hard reline materials. A three point bending test was carried out by a universal testing machine. Elastic modulus and flexural stress at the proportional limit were calculated.ResultsA median of 4 bubbles and inhomogeneous were observed in manual-mixed specimens. However, no bubbles and homogeneous were observed in automatic-mixed specimens. Flowability was within the JIS range in all mixing conditions and did not differ significantly across conditions. The elastic modulus was the same for manual-mixed and automatic-mixed specimens. On the other hand, the flexural stress at the proportional limit differed significantly between manual-mixed and automatic-mixed specimens.ConclusionThe results confirm that rotation–revolution mixer is useful for mixing powder–liquid reline material. Automatic-mixing may be recommended for clinical practice.