ARTIFICIAL IVORY

PURPOSE:To obtain the titled artificial ivory which can be cut, carved, and polished in the same way as the natural ivory by constituting the artificial ivory of a calcium phosphate crystallized glass material. CONSTITUTION:(A) 100pts.wt. calcium phosphate [Ca/P (atom ratio) = about 0.2-1.7], (B) 0.01-15pts.wt. coloring component (>=1 kind among oxides of Zn, Fe, V, etc.), and (C), if necessary, =1 kind among Al2O3, SiO2, and oxides of rare earth elements) are heated and melted at about 1,000-1,600 deg.C. The melt is then molded into a desired shape by using a casting method (the lost-wax process is preferable). The obtained molded body (vitreous body) is placed in a heating device, and heat-treated at a temp. below the m.p. of the vitreous body (about 50-400 deg.C/hr heating velocity, about 400-900 deg.C heating temp., and about 0.5-100hr retention time) to obtain the molded body of the artificial ivory.