T-710 impression scanning & Ackuretta printing

[Andrew Priddy]

first off, what an amazing combination of equipment. if you are on the fence about either of these machines, don't be.

I'm at the point where we are successfully scanning and printing models from impression..
anyone successfully implemented this in their workflow?

also note: we are a two person shop.. i realize this probably wouldn't fly in production labs. also, we both hate model work and i'm not about to bring in an employee.

 

[Andrew Priddy]

 

[bigj1972]

first off, what an amazing combination of equipment. if you are on the fence about either of these machines, don't be.

I'm at the point where we are successfully scanning and printing models from impression..
anyone successfully implemented this in their workflow?

also note: we are a two person shop.. i realize this probably wouldn't fly in production labs. also, we both hate model work and i'm not about to bring in an employee.

Good post.
Which vendors?

 

[Affinity]

What is the time savings? Stone models dont take more than a minute each to pour, another minute to trim, then you still have to scan just like the impression. The stone model is ready in an hour, printed models take hours of printing/washing/curing. I get not wanting to do model work, its a cool workflow... not hating. To me, theres more labor(and resin fumes) and much more cost in printing.

 

[Andrew Priddy]

our story is a long one.. we had just dropped every single dime we had into purchasing a house before we lost our jobs. literally 2 hours before picking up the keys... this is where building our lab starts. and working for as*holes ends.

we picked up the T-710 from CAD-Ray (Frank De Luca) we had initially tried Argen and 3Sheep.. even the Argen Scan Box.. we were unemployed so the answer was no...

(7-8 months later) with no model room yet, digital was our only solution... and printing was the most cost effective/ cost to avoid. Argen models aren't cheap to buy.. add a crown and i'm priced out of my market...

i was exhausted when i told Frank "just send me something". seriously. my printer decision was 100% Franks...
the 15k+ Sprintray didn't show up, and i told Frank he was a crappy salesman...

a week later the doorbell rang at 7 pm

By 2AM and already on my 3rd print, i knew for certain that the Ackuretta SOL is one "bad ass" machine, and exceeded my expectations by miles!
i was so impressed with everything. we had been on exocad for almost a year when our first case came in.. we switched our dongle over to Cad-ray as well as add the splint module.
the Ackuretta has rolls of validated materials.. i'm not tied to any manufacturer (so important)

we are printing Optiprint Zero for pressing and casting.
Key Splint
Argen Model grey (switched from curo)
Rodin Sculpture

we picked up 4 vats, and double the build plates... about 2K in materials all wrapped in.

our financing at CiT for the Printer, T-710, Exo yearly and module costs us a little under 1200 monthly... 3 year term,
55.5575 interest rate. but before anyone says anything, i don't give 2 S*its. Everyone had said NO, and it got us in business, and the Argen Lease would have been the same payment... and, thats about the extent of our overhead.
Again.. this is a "stated income" loan. and yes, there is a Range Rover on my desk that i can drive... just not down the road.

 

[Affinity]

Youll get there buddy, everyone has their path in this industry. I started my lab by buying out a partners equipment with a $3500 loan, pennies on the dollar. I have no debt, everything I buy is paid for.. I love what youre doing, but bro, 55%????? pay that chit off son!

 

[Andrew Priddy]

What is the time savings? Stone models dont take more than a minute each to pour, another minute to trim, then you still have to scan just like the impression. The stone model is ready in an hour, printed models take hours of printing/washing/curing. I get not wanting to do model work, its a cool workflow... not hating. To me, theres more labor(and resin fumes) and much more cost in printing.

when i'm in the model room i'm a 16$ an hr employee...
this is a C&B lab w a nice flow of implants. my wife is a removable tech and a fish out of water... but, i can shift her job to scanning and printing instead of...

yep, the next account can start paying it off.. if i could have done a refi like i wanted to.. pfft. biden

55%????? pay that chit off son!

also, if i can bring in one more crown before my day ends.. the cost is covered and irrelevant.

 

[Affinity]

ah, I see, so you make your wife the $16 employee. I do the same.

 

[Andrew Priddy]

ah, I see, so you make your wife the $16 employee. I do the same.

well right now she's sleeping on the job.. i know the printer is done, she has plates to scrape.
and i don't have any more employees if i fire her.
and i have to worry about a sexual harassment suit now.. employees are ridiculous

 

[Affinity]

LMAO. A true partnership! Im sitting here trying to work on a saturday while my wife is in europe...

 

[bigj1972]

.......was exhausted when i told Frank "just send me something". seriously. my printer decision was 100% Franks...
the 15k+ Sprintray didn't show up, and i told Frank he was a crappy salesman...

a week later the doorbell rang at 7 pm


By 2AM and already on my 3rd print, i knew for certain that the Ackuretta SOL is one "bad ass" machine, and exceeded my expectations by miles!
i was so impressed with everything. we had been on exocad for almost a year when our first case came in.. we switched our dongle over to Cad-ray as well as add the splint module.
the Ackuretta has rolls of validated materials.. i'm not tied to any manufacturer (so important)

we are printing Optiprint Zero for pressing and casting.
Key Splint
Argen Model grey (switched from curo)
Rodin Sculpture

we picked up 4 vats, and double the build plates... about 2K in materials all wrapped in.

our financing at CiT for the Printer, T-710, Exo yearly and module costs us a little under 1200 monthly... 3 year term,
55.5575 interest rate. but before anyone says anything, i don't give 2 S*its. Everyone had said NO, and it got us in business, and the Argen Lease would have been the same payment... and, thats about the extent of our overhead.
Again.. this is a "stated income" loan. and yes, there is a Range Rover on my desk that i can drive... just not down the road.

Good story, good info. Thanks for sharing.

 

[millennium]

View attachment 42572

What brand are those model holders? Can they do excursions and do you send them with the case to the Dr?
I have the same thinking about 3D printed models as Affinity does but I couldn't find a reason to buy a scanner and a mill either until something clicked for me and I am so glad I did.
My biggest fear is accuracy of a 3D printed model compared to stone.

 

[bigj1972]

I'd say the biggest hurdle for most is the difficult for beginners and RIDICULOUSLY priced Design software.

 

[Andrew Priddy]

My biggest fear is accuracy of a 3D printed model compared to stone.

well.. the scan data is what everything is produced from.. the crown is produced from the scan... not print/scan/design.
in the pic, the opti is for pressed emax.. you certainly wouldn't lute the crown to a printed model... other than that, what accuracy considerations?

 

[Andrew Priddy]

I'd say the biggest hurdle for most is the difficult for beginners and RIDICULOUSLY priced Design software.

our biggest reason for going EXO
we bought a computer and the EXO training dongle... i was a 3shape user and couldn't drop 16k

 

[bigj1972]

What brand are those model holders? Can they do excursions and do you send them with the case to the Dr?
I have the same thinking about 3D printed models as Affinity does but I couldn't find a reason to buy a scanner and a mill either until something clicked for me and I am so glad I did.
My biggest fear is accuracy of a 3D printed model compared to stone.

Models are pretty accurate if the lab does them correctly. When they start trying to shave print time by playing with the settings and calibrate once every couple months is when things go wrong.... Or dentists who think waving an IO around like a toothbrush is some how top dead center because it's "digital".

I've had clients who paid for 3d printed models thinking they were hot stuff, but then wonder why the appliance didn't fit. Then I get out the pencil and start showing the flaws.

 

[Andrew Priddy]

the articulators are iTero.. they are 250 each, but when you get an iTero account they will send some.. yep, they flex thru excursive
Monotrac also has disposable ones... i send the Dr his own.. i just send the model.. he can snap it on, but doubt he cares

 

[millennium]

What brand are those model holders? Can they do excursions and do you send them with the case to the Dr?
I have the same thinking about 3D printed models as Affinity does but I couldn't find a reason to buy a scanner and a mill either until something clicked for me and I am so glad I did.
My biggest fear is accuracy of a 3D printed model compared to stone.

So why print the model at all if the crown is only based on the scan? I am just trying to understand the workings of this digital workflow and how to be productive without loosing the "reason the dentist gives me work". After my crown is sintered I do very minor adjustments to the intaglio surface usually around the margins and on the solid models the contacts a bit because of the path of insertion. I know some people sinter glaze and send and everything is fine but that wouldn't work for me.

 

[bigj1972]

So why print the model at all if the crown is only based on the scan? I am just trying to understand the workings of this digital workflow and how to be productive without loosing the "reason the dentist gives me work". After my crown is sintered I do very minor adjustments to the intaglio surface usually around the margins and on the solid modes the contacts a bit because the path of insertion. I know some people sinter glaze and send and everything is fine but that wouldn't work for me.

Well I'd say one reason is old habits die hard. Dentist already believe from the salesman that the digital scan is infallible. So automatically if you make something "without a cast", there's going to be that disconnect that it was your fault, just like analog.

Plus there's something to be said about the tactile feel. Remember 3D is only represented on a two-dimensional screen.

Still to this day I make frameworks on a duplicate, and deliver on the master cast. If it doesn't fit the mouth, it's their problem.

 

[Andrew Priddy]

a few things..
we still want to see a crown on a model.. contacts occlusion, contouring.. etc..
we get the crowns sent out for production a day faster..

this workflow has also gotten "this" Dr much more comfortable with digital and the possibilities.. yesterday he borrowed a Medit IO and also impressed.. working on those now