ROE Dental Laboratory: A High-Tech, Modern Marvel

When BJ Kowalski set out to renovate a 40,000-sq-ft building as a new home for his 100-plus-person laboratory, he knew he wasn’t going to create the typical lab next door. “In the future, we believe dentistry will be more like the medical device industry—modern, high-tech and immaculate—so my goal was to create that type of environment,” says Kowalski, Owner of ROE Dental Laboratory. 

To say “mission accomplished” would be an understatement. Located in Independence, OH, the new facility features a contemporary gray-and-white color scheme; open production areas with 12' ceilings highlighting exposed rafters and ductwork, skylights and suspended light fixtures; a separate room for the lab’s 11 mills; and another separate temperature-controlled room to house its many 3D printers. 

While the lab uses Labtrac laboratory management software and each technician has a tablet that shows his...