A method of providing a particulate material from an at least substantially metallic and/or ceramic starting material, comprising the following steps: (a) generating the particulate material from the starting material by vaporizing the starting material by introducing energy, preferably radiation energy, in particular by means of at least one laser, into the starting material and subsequently at least partially condensing the vaporized starting material, b) collecting the particulate material in at least one receiving and/or transporting device, in particular at least one container, c) receiving, in particular storing, and/or transporting the particulate material in the receiving and/or transporting device and/or in a further receiving and/or transporting device such that it can be used for a subsequent process, in particular in a state of at least non-permanent passivation, and d) providing the particulate material for the subsequent process.

The present invention provides a to-be-processed body for dentistry for preparing a dental prosthesis that faithfully reproduces a natural tooth as though dentin is present underneath enamel and influencing appearance when seen from a close distance, without requiring a complex structure or a complicated manufacturing process. The present invention relates to a to-be-processed body for dentistry for preparing a dental prosthesis, the to-be-processed body for dentistry satisfying L3>L1 and L3>L2 on a straight line extending along a first direction from one end P to the other end Q of the to-be-processed body for dentistry, where:

L1 is the final L* according to L*a*b* color system over a black background at a first point lying in an interval from said one end P to 25% of the entire length,

L2 is the final L* according to L*a*b* color system over a black background at a second point lying in an interval from said other end Q to 25% of the entire length, and

L3 is the final L* according to L*a*b* color system over a black background at a third point lying between the first point and the second point on a straight line connecting the first point to the second point.

A zirconia sintered body that includes a transparent zirconia portion and an opaque zirconia portion has a biaxial bending strength of 300 MPa or more. In addition, the opaque zirconia portion is configured by an opaque zirconia sintered body that is any one of a dark-colored zirconia sintered body, a medium-light-colored zirconia sintered body, and a light-colored zirconia sintered body.

The invention relates to a set of porous zirconia dental mill blanks comprising at least two differently colored porous zirconia dental mill blanks, the porous zirconia dental mill blanks comprising zirconia, yttria, coloring ions, and optionally alumina, comprising multiple layers with different yttria content, having a bottom layer and a top layer, the content of yttria and coloring ions in mol % changing in opposite direction to each other from the bottom layer to the top layer, and the content of yttria and coloring ions in mol % being adjusted to provide an essentially constant ratio of the sum of yttria and coloring ions in mol % between the top layer and the bottom layer for the at least two differently colored zirconia dental mill blanks. The invention also relates to a process of producing such a set.

The present invention relates to a dental zirconia mill blank comprising a porous zirconia material, the porous zirconia material comprising Zr oxide, Y oxide, optionally Al oxide, Bi oxide, Tb oxide, Er oxide, Cr oxide, the porous zirconia material not comprising Fe oxide calculated as Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 of more than 0.01 wt. %, Mn oxide calculated as MnO.sub.2 of more than 0.005 wt. %, Co oxide calculated as Co.sub.2O.sub.3 of more than 0.005 wt. %, wt. % with respect to the weight of the porous zirconia material. The invention also relates to a process of producing such a dental zirconia mill blank and a dental restoration which can be machined from the dental zirconia mill blank. Further, the invention relates to a kit of parts comprising such a dental zirconia mill blank and a dental cement.

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a ceramic molding, comprising the following steps: a) providing three or more ceramic powder layers that are arranged in layers, one on top of the other, to form a compression-molded element and sintering the compression-molded element obtained in step b) to form a ceramic molding, characterized in that the ceramic powder layers have different compositions, each ceramic powder layer comprising a mixture of at least two different base powders and each base powder containing at least 80 wt. % ZrO.sub.2 and at least 0.02 wt. % Al.sub.2O.sub.3, each weight amount being relative to the total weight of the constituents of the base powder.

The invention relates to a sintered molding with a color gradient for use in the manufacture of dental restorations, obtainable by sintering a compression-molded element comprising five or more different ceramic powder layers, each powder layer comprising at least two different base powders and each base powder containing at least 80 wt. % ZrO.sub.2, each weight amount being relative to the total weight of the base powder.

A sintered body, containing zinc, magnesium and oxygen as constituent elements, wherein the atomic ratio of zinc to the sum of zinc and magnesium [Zn/(Zn+Mg)] is 0.20 to 0.75, the atomic ratio of magnesium to the sum of zinc and magnesium [Mg/(Zn+Mg)] is 0.25 to 0.80, and the sintered body consists of a single crystal structure as measured by X-ray diffraction.

The invention relates to multi-layer oxide ceramic bodies and in particular to presintered multi-layer oxide ceramic blanks and oxide ceramic green bodies suitable for dental applications. These bodies can be thermally densified by further sintering without distortion and are thus particularly suitable for the manufacture of dental restorations. The invention also relates to a process for the manufacture of such multi-layer oxide ceramic bodies as well as to a process for the manufacture of dental restorations using the multi-layer oxide ceramic bodies.

A corrosion-resistant component configured for use with a semiconductor processing reactor, the corrosion-resistant component comprising: a) a ceramic insulating substrate; and, b) a white corrosion-resistant non-porous outer layer associated with the ceramic insulating substrate, the white corrosion-resistant non-porous outer layer having a thickness of at least 50 μm, a porosity of at most 1%, and a composition comprising at least 15% by weight of a rare earth compound based on total weight of the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer; and, c) an L* value of at least 90 as measured on a planar surface of the white corrosion-resistant non-porous outer layer. Methods of making are also disclosed.