With the evolution of CAD/CAM dental technology, we find ourselves waiting for a better way to manage material workflows. A recent Key Group report states that the use of multi-shaded zirconia is increasing at an annual rate of 8 percent. Not only that, as technology improves for denture development, there will be a new wave of denture-based materials to incorporate into the CAD/CAM workflow. Unfortunately, the availability of a better way to manage various multi-shaded materials is a rarity in our market today. This being the case, many laboratories have had to adapt to the situation, resulting in CAD/CAM workflows that look like the one in the image below.
If you ask any CAD/CAM technician, he or she will tell you that handwriting job data on each material disc to find for later use can be a challenge. Often, the lab will create a foam shelf with labels to keep track of partially-used materials. But, what happens when these shelves are full? As the business grows, the staff begins to stack material discs on separate shelves, just like music lovers used to store audio compact discs during the late 90s and early 2000s. Of course, Apple changed all of that when the iPod was released.
Now, here comes the good news. DGSHAPE by Roland DG is one of the first manufacturers with a system in place to help lab technicians better manage CAD/CAM materials. It’s called the BARR principal – an acronym that stands for the barcode on the side of an adapter, with an optical reader to track its placement in your milling machine, plus a rack that safely holds partially used materials (up to 13 material adapters). You can even remove milled restorations without removing the material from the adapter, keeping it indexed for your next milling job.
Our latest mills are adapter accessible, and the DWX-52DCi employs an optical reader with adapter- changing capabilities. VPanel now lets you customize the name of each adapter. It also comes with new performance software that allows you to track all your milling data and compare results in three different ways. Since both the DWX-52D and DWX-52DCi have interchangeable adapters, when materials are locked into place, they’re ready to be inserted into either mill at any time, speeding up your CAD/CAM workflow.
The BARR is one of the ways DGSHAPE by Roland DG helps you stay abreast of CAD/CAM technology. With a brand that represents quality and support, devices that offer unsurpassed quality, reliability and affordability, plus an open platform for your choice of CAM software, you can rest assured that your lab business will thrive with our products.
