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40 I I industry report _ SensAble Technologies Although they originally used separate systems for fixed and removable restorations, Labo Hoet’s team found it was easier to use the same scanner and the same kind of design software for both par- tialsandcrownsandbridgesinsteadofusingmultiple systems.Veryimportantinthisworkflowis3DSystems’ rapidprototypingprinter.Thelaboratoryalreadyused this before they purchased the SensAble system, but withdesigningpartialsdigitally,itbecameevenmore useful. The laboratory enjoys having the printer in- house, but for smaller laboratories, it is also possible tooutsourcetheprinting.LaboHoetreportsthatthe printed resin patterns are very easy to cast with and the results fit perfectly. Additionally,theongoingsoftwareupgradespro- vided by SensAble continue to expedite the design process, giving the laboratory more time to focus on design details. “Every software update that we have received from SensAble is a pleasant surprise,” vanOoteghemsaid.“Thepossibilitiesofthesoftware arevirtuallylimitless.Ithinkthemostimportantlim- itation is our own imagination. Everyday partials, partials with backing plates, full contour teeth, etc. —it is all possible. If we look back one year, it is hard to imagine the manual labour we had to do to make a partial. Just thinking about that has made it all worthwhile for us,” he continued. _SOCA Networks, France SOCA Networks, located in Bordeaux and Paris, France,hasbeenusingSensAble’sDentalLabSystem for nearly two years to create partials, crowns and bridges and veneers. This network of dental labora- tories is one of France’s largest producers of resto- rations under contract to the French health-care system, and produces thousands of restorations per year.Thenetworkalsoservesasaprimaryproduction centre for the design and production of Remedent GlamSmile porcelain veneers. While 70 % of its business comes from France— and the bulk of that from government-reimbursed restorations—SOCAproducescrownandbridgework, partialsandveneersforclientsacrossfourcontinents, including work for Europe, the US and Canada, Aus- tralia,theUAE,RussiaandBrazil.SOCANetworksoper- atesproductionfacilitiesinbothFranceandVietnam. SOCA initially purchased SensAble’s system to accommodate its high-volume veneers business for Remedent, but gradually began using the software forpartialsinlate2009andformanufacturingcrowns andbridgesinFebruary2010.UsingSensAble’ssystem, SOCA designs approximately 100 partials, about 100 to 120 crown and bridge restorations and between 200to300veneersperday. Nicolas Thibert, an executive at SOCA Networks, reports that the accuracy and quality of SensAble- produced parts are definitely better than the two other dental CAD/CAM solutions he had previously tried out and require less time to create. Because SOCA has multiple locations, it can leverage talent in one office for partials or crown and bridge work and then transfer the SensAble-created files via FTP over its IT network. In addition to time-savings, SOCA believes the SensAble system has helped the firm automate small steps in the production process to decrease human error. For example, the SensAble system can automatically store individual dentist specifications and ensure there is an order number or a patient number on all parts. SOCA also uses SensAble-created files for press- ables, an increasingly popular type of fixed resto- ration, and even has a few dentists who upload intra-oralscanstoSOCA’snetwork,sothatdesigners can automatically access the file and route it to the SensAble design stations. _Dental parts are art—designing them correctly requires touch As humans we rely heavily on our sense of touch, sometimes without even realising it. Additionally, there will always be individual style and artisanship inthemakingofdentalrestorations.Bygivingdental laboratory technicians a touch-enabled CAD/CAM solution that allows them to maintain design con- trol and create restorations the way they know they need to be made—together with voxel technology for speed and design flexibility—SensAble’s system helps European dental laboratories to transition to adigitalworkfloweasily;increaseproductivity,accu- racy and consistency; and capture new business all at the same time._ CAD/CAM 2_2010 Bob Steingart,President of SensAble Dental Products, has over 25 years of experience in successfully transforming innovative technologies into commercial solutions.He has held executive positions in business development,product management and marketing atAvidTechnologies,EMC,Lotus Development, Sitara Networks and KurzweilApplied Intelligence. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a BSEE and MSEE from MIT.He can be contacted at bsteingart@sensable.com or by contacting SensAble at www.sensabledental.com. CAD/CAM_about the author