OK, so let's change the question a bit (a lot actually).
Wading thru various DLN threads I see a range of negative but vague comments about InLab & Cerec hardware - but no-one seems to have recorded a detailed & substantiated list of faults/problems/flaws.
That's not too helpful for someone who's trying to make a hardware-software configuration choice.
Do you think we could compile a rational list of problems & issues that Cerec hw & sw suffer from? To be useful (at least for the rest of 2014 anyway),this list would have to relate to current hw & sw (say Cerec 4.0 and higher). I'm not interested in people's prejudices unless they have actual experience/knowledge to back these up.
Any takers? (or have I missed such a list elsewhere in the DLN resources?)
the list is extensive.
lets begin with the scanner.
1. it takes low res scans
2. scans are full of holes, requiring a lot of rescanning
3. speed is slow
4. does not accomodate most articulations.
that right there should be enough to rule out the inlab scanner.
now the mill.
1. it is 3 axis only. its vendors may tell you it is 4 axis but i can assure you it is only 3 axis because the calculation of toolpaths does not ever involve the rotation or angulation of the part, nor do the tools experience any angulation. nothing on this machine tilts therefore it is 3 axis.
2. it takes a while
3. burs do not last long
4. the fits are less than par, and if you want to adjust the fit to be tighter and more accurate you have to make textbook preps with PERFECT corners and margins. yeah you never get that, and if you are a dentist then chances are you arent willing or are not skilled enough to do this.
5. it requires a lot of maintenance. changing burs and coolant takes time out of the day.
6. the milling can potentially cut into areas that are already minimal thickness
with that, i introduce you to the software side of grievances
1. it is proprietary; unless you pay exorbitant rates or per-click fees, you cannot move your scans to an external design suite.
2. the design suite is not easy to use
3. it is not full featured
4. it lacks detail
5. it cannot show you critical information without forcing you OUT of design phase. i.e. you cant display an overlay of information and still do design. you literally have to switch modes from design to analysis and back again.
6 it is not even optimized for new computer hardware
7. it is not flexible enough to let you custom sculpt edges, or faces.
8. there is no control panel where you modify parameters of materials, spacers, or whatever. those numbers are hard coded. this is primarily why people want to escape the design suite and transfer to exocad or 3shape
if on any of these points you need some expanded information there are a hundred of us willing to lay down.
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