Here Are 4 Faster, Smarter, Better CAD/CAM Strategies: Now Post Yours, Too

By LMT Communications, Inc.

Posted Feb 08, 2012 in Digital Dentistry

Problem: I'd like to purchase a complete CAD/CAM system, but I've heard a lot of lab owners get burned by high material costs.


Strategy: When doing your research, find out if there's a set number of units you can mill from one block or if you can "nest" units, allowing you to optimize the number of units you can fabricate from one block, reducing your material costs.


Also find out if the manufacturer allows you to buy materials from any source; this can help keep material costs down. For example, when David Nunnally, Owner of Derby Dental Lab in Louisville, KY, switched from a system that required him to purchase materials from the manufacturer to a system that didn't, his per-unit zirconia cost was reduced from $30 to under $10, and his per-unit wax coping costs went from $4 to 50 cents. In zirconia material costs alone, the lab is saving $37,500 a week or nearly $450,000 annually.


If you do decide to use an alternative source for material, find out if...

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About The Author

  • LMT Communications, Inc.

    LMT Communications delivers the business strategies, information, dental laboratory news and education that dental laboratory decision-makers need to succeed. In Print. In Person. Online.

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