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DavidUK
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Hi folks,
Just signed up to try and get a little advice on the various milling machine options as there are so many and I don't know what's best!
A little background: we are a smallish laboratory that does approx. 50/50 metal-ceramic and all-ceramic work. We have had a 3Shape D700 scanner since 2010 and have recently added a new D2000 to go alongside it. Until now we have outsourced all of our work to milling centres, but feel the time has now come to start milling most things ourselves due to the added control, flexibility and - ultimately, cost savings this would bring.
We are looking at having the option to mill pretty much all the common materials - Zirconia, glass ceramics, PMMA, wax, PEEK and maybe even Titanium and CoCr. One thing in particular that we would like to start milling are the Prettau-style bridges. We also do quite a bit of Zirconia with angled implant screw channels and I am aware that these can prove problematic to mill. Will most 5-axis machines cope?
We've primarily been looking at the Zirkonzahn (M1 Wet Heavy Metal) and Amann Girrbach (Ceramill Motion 2) systems, but am aware that some other well-known names such as Roland, VHF and Wieland etc. may well also be worth looking into.
With the Zirkonzahn machine would it be worth also getting their design software? Whilst we love our 3Shapes, having another option in the lab can be no bad thing and, despite having never used it, the Exocad-based software looks excellent. The only thing that concerns me with the Zirkonzahn is that the quote we have been given for it is as a 'closed' system in that only their own (presumably expensive) pucks are compatible. Fair enough if their Prettau Zirconia is pricey as it's a premium product, but we don't want to be stuck paying a fortune for wax pucks, for example. How is the system 'locked' anyway? Is it just a case of the pucks being an odd size?
Many thanks in advance and apologies if any of the questions are stupid - this is a very steep learning curve!
Just signed up to try and get a little advice on the various milling machine options as there are so many and I don't know what's best!
A little background: we are a smallish laboratory that does approx. 50/50 metal-ceramic and all-ceramic work. We have had a 3Shape D700 scanner since 2010 and have recently added a new D2000 to go alongside it. Until now we have outsourced all of our work to milling centres, but feel the time has now come to start milling most things ourselves due to the added control, flexibility and - ultimately, cost savings this would bring.
We are looking at having the option to mill pretty much all the common materials - Zirconia, glass ceramics, PMMA, wax, PEEK and maybe even Titanium and CoCr. One thing in particular that we would like to start milling are the Prettau-style bridges. We also do quite a bit of Zirconia with angled implant screw channels and I am aware that these can prove problematic to mill. Will most 5-axis machines cope?
We've primarily been looking at the Zirkonzahn (M1 Wet Heavy Metal) and Amann Girrbach (Ceramill Motion 2) systems, but am aware that some other well-known names such as Roland, VHF and Wieland etc. may well also be worth looking into.
With the Zirkonzahn machine would it be worth also getting their design software? Whilst we love our 3Shapes, having another option in the lab can be no bad thing and, despite having never used it, the Exocad-based software looks excellent. The only thing that concerns me with the Zirkonzahn is that the quote we have been given for it is as a 'closed' system in that only their own (presumably expensive) pucks are compatible. Fair enough if their Prettau Zirconia is pricey as it's a premium product, but we don't want to be stuck paying a fortune for wax pucks, for example. How is the system 'locked' anyway? Is it just a case of the pucks being an odd size?
Many thanks in advance and apologies if any of the questions are stupid - this is a very steep learning curve!