A male 45 years old wants his missing teeth to be replaced. Intraoral examination reveals Kennedy class 4 edentulous  maxillary arch. Impression is made with fast setting alginate.
The setting time of the material is :
A slight modification in the W/P ratio or the mixing time can have marked effects on two important properties of the gel, tear  strength,  and  elasticity;  thus, the setting time is best regulated by the  amount of retarder added during  the  manufacturing  process.  Usually,  the  manufacturers  make both fast-setting alginate (1.5 to 3 min) and normal-setting alginate (3 to 4.5 min) to give clinicians a choice of the materials that best suit their working style.
Clinicians, however, can safely influence the setting time by altering the temperature of the water.
Key Concept: Fast-setting alginate has a setting time of 1.5 to 3 min.
1.5 to 3 min
3 to 4.5 min
3 to 4 min
2 to 4 min