Core3dcentres has been busy with its education series, Core3daCADemy, educating lab professionals all over the country about the ways going digital can help their labs. We recently spoke with Tim McKimson, global engine?ering director and general manager at Core3dcentres USA, to learn how Core3daCADemy is changing the game:

has been offering services and education in the U.S. for quite some time now. What was it about the U.S. lab market that made you want to help out?

Core3dcentres was actually formed by a group of dental lab companies with an extensive history in the industry. So we realized early on that many laboratories may not have the money, or desire, to invest to bring the latest equipment in-house to manufacture the wide variety of CAD/CAM restorations available today. Instead, we made the investment in high end “best-in-class” machinery and people to provide these products to the individual laboratory, allowing them to offer a full line in turn to their practitioner clients. This allows our customers to play in the CAD/CAM sandbox without them having to make the investment.   

What was it that led Core3dcentres to launch Core3daCADemy™?

Since we have been in the forefront of the digital dental movement, we were getting a lot of calls into our tech center about how to create efficient designs for today’s technologies and how to handle certain data they were receiving from their dentist clients. Some of these calls were not even from our own customers but referred to us from other companies. As it seemed that we were becoming the “go-to” people in the digital laboratory arena, we thought it would be appropriate to develop classes to address some of these needs on a broader scale and scope. Hence, Core3daCADemy was born.

What do you feel has been the most successful aspect of the aCADemy™?

 classes offered in Las Vegas and in Calgary. This is a three-part structured set of courses running from 

 that will take students from the basics to implant design to a full-arch smile design. It seems like everyone, no matter how long they have been involved in dental design, gets some “ah-ha moment” where they find a new technique that they didn’t know existed in the software. The popularity of this series, our on-going monthly webinar series and our “Traveling Core3daCADemy,” offering customized education at individual labs themselves, are all growing rapidly as the word spreads. In fact, we have just launched the aCADemy in Toronto, Ontario, as well so the demand for quality hands-on laboratory education is certainly there.

Conversely, where have you felt challenged in the education component and adjusted your focus?

Having the structured classes mentioned above is great. One of our challenges was to get out the word when new products and/or equipment enter the market. So we decided to set up the webinar series I just mentioned that informs the listener about these new products, technologies and techniques. These webinars are hosted by Core3dcentres, but many times the presenter will be an industry leader. We host these on the third Wednesday of every month. The webinars are free, interactive and you can listen from the comfort of your home or office or wherever.

How has Core3dcentres refined its focus in terms of services?

Besides understanding all the intricacies of milling, we need to be involved in the complete digital workflow. So, as a company with a full digital solution, we have to have a smooth workflow covering all the possible intraoral scanners to all lab design software to all materials to milling or printing. We are constantly educating our personnel and adjusting our product line to keep abreast of the latest updates in material, technology and technique. This is another area that we cover so the individual lab doesn’t have to. Even for us as specialists in the field, the pace of change can sometimes seem overwhelming.  We put a tremendous focus and effort on forming partnerships with the leading manufacturers of equipment, materials and software. This allows us early access to products or releases coming out.

What have you seen in the industry in the last few years that have changed what Core3dcentres is offering?

Custom Ti abutments and hybrid abutments on printed models. Now that more and more doctors are getting intraoral scanners, the need for an impression is going away. So, we have seen a big growth in taking an intraoral scan, creating a printed model with an analog and sending that with the custom abutment to the lab for finishing work. This is a very efficient method.

Where do you see the dental lab industry going in 2015-2016?

Materials seem to be making a move early this year; a whole bunch of companies were announcing in Chicago and at IDS in Cologne. These are both in the milled and printed sector. Core3dcentres, as I mentioned earlier, usually gets in early on this material development workflow so as these products are released we have already validated the process.

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 Core3dcentres has been busy with its education series, Core3daCADemy, educating lab professionals all over the country about the ways going digital can help their labs. We recently spoke with Tim McKimson, global engine?ering director and general manager at Core3dcentres USA, to learn how Core3daCADemy is changing the game:

How Core3dcentres is equipping labs for the future

	As technicians, we all want to be comfortable with the workflow to process cases through the lab. Most technicians are most comfortable with what they have been doing for years. They may bring 

 into the process here and there, but they haven’t fully given in to the digital revolution. Yet, with a greater understanding of today’s machines and software, the dental lab can improve on this, providing more precise restorations while still improving turnaround time.

 continues to make dramatic inroads within the dental operatory. With several 

intraoral scanners already gaining new dentists

recently announced at Chicago Midwinter and IDS in Cologne, labs 

need to be ready to accept these types of cases.

 Currently, there is no one digital dental lab workflow. Labs have to make choices on what they can handle between locked and open clinical scanners. The trouble with that is there is no one correct solution. Labs are often kept out of the loop as their doctors decide to make the leap to digital. This ends up leaving the lab scrambling for answers while the clock is ticking on a case. The key is to take a proactive approach to the digital question.

Let’s start by being honest with ourselves: The typical laboratory alone cannot be all things to all people with digital dentistry. It’s prohibitively expensive to have the lab equipped to handle any and all types of digital cases coming in every day. Labs should make that decision themselves upfront, 

 such as volumes expected by technology, the return on investment on those volumes and which ones they want be prepared for, and then find partners to handle the cases they can’t or don’t want to handle internally. These partners can also open up new business for a lab by connecting to a network previously not available.

Related reading: 5 things every lab needs to know about outsourcing

So what are the key factors in choosing these “digital partners?” 

The best partner to pair with is capable of handling any quality of scan data.

Not all STL files are created equal; each scanner’s files are unique. Core3dcentres has software to make otherwise unusable files clean and usable. The reason some manufacturers choose to use proprietary file types is the meta data that can be associated with a file. This could be margin lines, implant positioning or restoration type to name a few. The question becomes, do I need this extra information and what do I want to do with this file? 

Read this: How to handle digital files from your dentist

The ability to create a monolithic restoration without a model is not only here but in daily use.

Yet when a model is desired for these or other types of restoration, digital dentistry makes these models incredibly accurate. The manufacturing of these models has additional labor and hardware/software considerations that you may wish your partner to handle. Can your partner help you create these models for your clinicians? Scan data STL files have no thickness. Additional design software is required to add thickness and preparation sectioning.

An implant case has additional considerations.

Will the model have a replica of the designed abutment or will it be created with a socket for a lab analog? An 

 with an approved scan body from an implant library with the dimensions of a lab analog has the most accurate and streamlined workflow. Can your partner supply it? 

Let’s expand on that question: Do we need a model to fabricate the restoration? With the accuracy of digital technology, my answer to that is usually no. Of course, the type of restoration is a big part of that answer. For monolithic restorations, even those with a cutback, 

 has been done for years. With experience and training, digital restorations can be designed for more accurate and better fitting.

Must read: How to improve your implant work using a digital workflow

When I talk to technicians now, we discuss microns of differences between scanners or machines. Prior to digital, there was no accurate way to measure differences from one case to another (but we would not have been discussing microns for sure). The inherent differences, particularly expansion and contraction from impression materials, stones and investments, left the fit of a case up to the feel of the technician. Digital technology puts a quantitative value to this feel. It also gives the technicians views of cases that were never possible before. To be able to measure the distance to the opposing within the central groove area of posterior teeth is a great example of this. 

Digital workflow has evolved over the past few years. As more elements of the dental field become digital we can expect a higher quality of restoration in a shorter amount of time. Our goal is always to 

provide the highest quality restoration for the patient

. As we keep more accurate records of how we restore cases, we can learn to provide the highest level of care.

 As technicians, we all want to be comfortable with the workflow to process cases through the lab. Most technicians are most comfortable with what they have been doing for years. They may bring CAD/CAM into the process here and there, but they haven’t fully given in to the digital revolution. Yet, with a greater understanding of today’s machines and software, the dental lab can improve on this, providing more precise restorations while still improving turnaround time.

How to understand and handle today's digital workflow

	As scanning options have gotten more portable and compact, they have likewise become more sophisticated.

While the original scanning options took up an entire room (and sometimes then some), today’s options can sit comfortably on a table or desk and be transported, if needed.

The options in this month’s roundup all contain advanced, innovative technology, including multi-line, advanced blue light, five-axis, optical structured light and strip light projection technologies and conoscoptic holography. Features range from high speed 3D cameras to high resolution data output, precision lasers and rotating robotic arms.

We wanted to bring lab technicians a quick roundup of some of the leading benchtop scanner options out there. Whether you’re a small lab, large lab or somewhere in between, here is a snapshot of some of the top benchtop scanner companies and products.

 released new versions of its D-series desktop scanners and two new D-series models–D2000 and D1000. The D2000 and D1000 feature multi-line scanning technology-a new 3Shape proprietary scanning technology shown in trials to increase scanning speeds by 30 percent. The two scanners are equipped with 4 x 5.0 MP cameras and high quality mechanics to reportedly improve scanning accuracy. They are also said to boost speed and performance and include three years of LABcare, which features yearly software updates, product training and service.
	
	908-867-0144
	

 is designed to stand for a high degree of operating comfort and high resolution scan data, which are created using strip light projection. Highly sensitive 3D sensors are designed to provide a precise image of the model. The particularly large measuring field is said to enable quick, efficient scanning of dental models using only two axes, which reportedly greatly reduces the scan times. This scanner also easily records articulated models in an occlusal relationship-a prerequisite if a “virtual articulator” is used in the design software for an automatic fully anatomical framework design. The Ceramill Map400 has an open interface so scans (STL files) can also be loaded in other CAD programs. 
	
	704-837-1404
	

Find more benchtop scanners on Page 2 ...


	Using proprietary conoscopic holography technology, 

 impression scanner is designed to conquer the complexities involved in accurately scanning steep angles, narrow or deep holes and undercuts captured in the dental impression that has been the bane of other 3D scanners. Full-jaw or quadrant impressions can be scanned without the need for powder. Triple-tray scanning with occlusion registration is done automatically. The DSi 6000 is said to allow dental laboratories or offices to accurately scan and design restorations with exocad CAD software directly from the impression, thus eliminating the need for creating gypsum models and improving productivity.
	
	800-422-7373
	

ETI Digital Technology
	Dental Wings 7Series

 is designed to combine years of mechanical engineering experience with state-of-the-art technology components. The optical setup, running with five axes and two high speed cameras reportedly give access to a superior scanning volume (140 mm x 140 mm x 140 mm) with a high degree of accuracy. The scan chamber is large enough for fully articulated models. The 7Series is said to demonstrate high precision scanning of both models and impressions and can scan 30 copings in 15 minutes. Included software applications range from implant prosthetics to partial frameworks, and optional applications for restorations like full dentures and bite splints are available.
	
	714-238-1490
	

 is said to offer patients the highest standards for complex dental prosthetics. With the push of a button, the DSi 6000’s advanced scanning technology is designed to capture the dental contours of impression materials with extraordinary precision, including narrow and deep holes, steep angles and other features that are difficult to scan. The DSi 600 is based on Optimet’s patented conoscopic holography, where the scanner’s transmitted laser path is exactly the same as the reflected laser path, which records the shape of the dental impression. It can also scan a wide range of dental impression materials, meaning dentists can use the resources they are most comfortable with minus powders.  
	
	877-446-0814
	

Related reading: Chairside scanner offers microprecision with push of a button

 is an automated scanner that is designed to be capable of providing users with detailed and precise scanning data by using advanced blue light technology. Autoscan-DS200 is mainly designed for dental applications. 

 offers the scanning solution to dental labs, which helps clients entering into the CAD/CAM digitizing dental field. The new-generation AutoScan-DS200 dental scanner adopts blue light technology, reportedly providing excellent data quality and improving the scanning algorithm. In addition, it is said to capture the complete plaster model and mark drawings by hand clearly. The fine details are said to offer a reference in the digitizing design for dental technicians. AutoScan-DS200 is designed to provide fully automatic scanning in one-click, reportedly making it efficient and cost-effective.  
	
	+86-571-82999050
	

 is said to be a revolutionary 3D scanner that features a unique robot arm, innovative model positioning and the latest scanning technology for reportedly unrivalled precision, flexible handling and a comprehensive spectrum of applications, including scanning both models and physical impressions. The inEos X5 is designed to employ superior five-axis technology that utilizes a robotic arm to enable quick, automatic positioning of the model while reducing data quantities and accelerating model computation. The automatic image capture function allows free movement of the model in any direction, reportedly providing complete control of the angle and producing a scan only of the required treatment area with interactive control and flexibility. This function is said to ensure maximum efficiency and has been further enhanced by a manual scanning option that provides quick and efficient capture for more simple restorations.
	
	800-659-5977
	

“The inEos X5 is an essential part of our lab’s work flow. Precision scans, ease of use, reliability and speed allow us to produce a larger number of crown and bridge restorations with accuracy and shorter turn around times. Additionally, we are able to save labor, outsourcing expenses and shipping costs. The STL export features allow us to digitally send our scanned in models to milling centers of our choice for custom titanium abutments or SLM copings and frameworks. In addition to being able to scan our models and PVS impressions, we are able to receive cases through Sirona Connect, a digital network that allows us access to tens of thousands of clinical CEREC users worldwide.”
	-

 optical-structured light scanner has twin cameras that are adaptable to all articulator types, a beltless precision mechanism, a 360° rotational and 100° tilting axis and an extra-large measuring field. In combination with the Zirkonzahn.Scan scanning software, you can register your articulator into the scanner to measure its axes. The scanner, with a precision of less than 10 microns, can record practically every point of the object digitally-even undercuts can be measured very easily. The scanner features two high speed cameras and a new projector for fast scanning and exports data in .STL format.
	
	678-441-9419
	

Related reading: Zirkonzahn M1 milling units offer multiple options for milling

 As scanning options have gotten more portable and compact, they have likewise become more sophisticated.

Benchtop Scanners 360º

	The CAD/CAM world can be confusing if you don't understand the terminology. Read the top five terms you need to know below:


	STL is a file format of the surface geometry of a three-dimensional object. STL files are geometry only-there is no representation of color, texture or other attributes. In order for digital scanners and CAD software to have these attributes, the software manufacturers use proprietary file extensions, like .dcm, .cdt, .3dc or .cmf. Open systems will automatically convert their proprietary file format to STL.


	Milling starts with a block/disc of a material and takes away the excess of material to leave the geometry of the part. The advantage of this is stability of the material. The disadvantage of this process is that it is limited to the size of the tool used to mill/grind away excess material (drill compensation) and minimum thickness before potential chipping.

The List: Top 4 tips to get the most out of your trade show visit


	Additive manufacturing is currently being used in several forms. SLM (Selective Laser Melting, Laser Sintering) and SLA (Stereolithography, printing) are the two most prominent methods used. These methods start from nothing and build up the manufactured product. The advantage of this is increased possibility of detail. The disadvantage is thickness is limited to grit/grain size of material used and the need for further post-processing for the product.


	With IOS (IntraOral Scanning) technology becoming more prevalent in dentistry today, understanding differences between scanners (price and accuracy) can make or break a laboratory. Lab scanning has reached widespread acceptability. Any scanner will have its own workflow. Understanding of the differences between these will dramatically affect the ease of use of the STL files. With varying levels of accuracy between the scanners, an understanding of these differences and how they affect the accuracy of different types of cases is the clinical significance. For crown and bridge cases, the accuracy of all scanners (lab and intraoral) is more than acceptable. The level of clinical significance in accuracy rises when looking at multiple-unit, screw-retained bridges (implant bars).


	With the dental field becoming more digital, 

 compliance will be scrutinized more and more. Basically, HIPAA compliance laws state that patient privacy cannot be compromised. The emailing of files (including photos, STL files, case notes, etc.) with any patient identifying information through conventional means is illegal. 

 is one example of a HIPAA-compliant email service.
	 

The List: Top 3 products that can help your dental clients take better impressions

 The CAD/CAM world can be confusing if you don't understand the terminology. Read the top five terms you need to know below:

Dental Lab Products April 2015

How Core3dcentres is equipping labs for the future

How to understand and handle today's digital workflow

Benchtop Scanners 360º

The List: Top 5 CAD/CAM terms you need to know