A crowns and bridges Lab only with the scanner

[Jack_the_dentureman]

Hello all professionals !!

I got the idea of opening own lab, an idea for a modern lab where abandon metal casting and replace it with Cad/Cam system....
At the very beginning , I would buy a scanner and equipment for porcelain
That solution is cheap enough for me to start slowly.
Copings and bridges will be sent to the friendly milling center, until I start collect a sufficiently large number of works. Then i would buy a milling machne.

Without going into financial details , do you think that this idea can succeed ?

 

[Andrew Priddy]

definitely..
but I would say it depends on area, pricing... and i'm sure others will chime in with other factors.

we currently send out for all our manufacturing, concentrate on the finishing, and it works well for us.
you may want to think about being able to press e.max though.. I think CAD e.max is probably the lowest return as far as material cost vs income
(or at least consider being able to mill it in house)

my only advice would be not to skimp on the CAD system or it's capabilities... offer custom abutments, there is a nice return for the work and cost involved
also, get your manufacturing and pricing set up first to make sure it's feasible

 

[charles hallam cdt]

Sorry JAck but it's all about the financial details!!

 

[rkm rdt]

Works for me.

 

[Jack_the_dentureman]

Andrew Priddy. exactly, milling center resigned from e.max cad because of problems with wet grinding / time / money.
I'm not skimp on Cad, i try to buy exocad with implant module, bar module and thinking do i really need virtual articulator ?
maybe some suggestions which add module ?

charles hallam cdt, i know, I calculated that I'll be in good financial condition at 120 points on the metal of the month. That situation will be persist for a year, before i start payoff credit.
after that year i need to go for 150 and i'm able to finance CAM system with improved financial.

I will be not alone with it. I'll have a co-owner, a good ceramist.

 

[Tom Moore]

The business of busniss is business .....not product. That is the main reason most small busniss fail so quickly.

Do you have a written busniss plan based on the needs of the market and not your needs from the market?

The busniss model you describe is working for some and not for others. Why?

 

[2thm8kr]

The business of busniss is business .....not product. That is the main reason most small busniss fail so quickly.

Do you have a written busniss plan based on the needs of the market and not your needs from the market?

The busniss model you describe is working for some and not for others. Why?

Is this a trick question?

 

[CoolHandLuke]

The busniss model you describe is working for some and not for others. Why?

implementation and skill are key in the success of these kinds of situations.

Original Poster will have to see and understand the shortcomings of the CAD tools, overcome issues pertaining to fit from the milled product, and give skill to the stain and shade match of the crowns.

Virtual articulator is a very powerful tool. i don't know how Exocad one works, but 3shape's virtual tools really let you dial in the bite. creating a balanced occlusion without it on a full arch would be pretty tricky. particularly if you are new to CAD in general.

when i first got a Planmill i was given some 3shape settings - that opened the margin by over 150um. i don't need to tell you we ditched those settings in favour of our own. we have had success. but i won't be handing these settings out to anyone. ever.

this is the obstacle of integrating CAD and milled product of any kind. design it in the right bite but with an open margin and all of a sudden it is short and open bite.

that's not an accident that is being inept. that is the reason a lot of cerec users and small labs that do like the Original Poster wants to do, can't get their sh1t together.

 

[user name]

Hello all professionals !!

I got the idea of opening own lab, an idea for a modern lab where abandon metal casting and replace it with Cad/Cam system....
At the very beginning , I would buy a scanner and equipment for porcelain
That solution is cheap enough for me to start slowly.
Copings and bridges will be sent to the friendly milling center, until I start collect a sufficiently large number of works. Then i would buy a milling machne.

Without going into financial details , do you think that this idea can succeed ?

If you can afford (justify) a scanner, then you can afford a mill; the payments will just be for a bit longer. If in the future it will be a good idea to own a mill, then its a good idea now. If I knew back then what I know now, Id have jumped on it much sooner. The secret is...you dont have to pay for the equipment. It pays for itself.