Bonding bases coated with porous metal powder: a comparison with foil mesh.

This study was undertaken to test the theory that a special porous metal powder coating can provide better mechanical keying than mesh by virtue of its greater surface area and intricate microscopic void network. Identical brackets were laser-welded to an equal number of conventional foil-mesh and powder-coated bases of identical shape and peripheral dimensions. The experimental base material was found to provide significantly greater tensile bond strength at the metal/adhesive interface.