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21 CAD tips that will take your work to the next level



When you go through the training to learn the nuts and bolts of a new computer-aided design (CAD) system, in theory, you’ve learned what you need to start creating great restorations. But knowledge doesn’t stop there. To flourish as a CAD technician, learning must be an ongoing practice, and you can develop your craft-be it when you are stymied with a case or just want to be a better designer.To get more news about cad tips, you can visit shine news official website.

We talked to dental lab industry leaders to get their best tips for improving your CAD design efforts.

1. Know your CAD tool
CAD is a powerful technology, and to use it optimally, technicians must know the basics of the specific tool they’re using. CAD isn’t inherently easy to use right out of the box so it is up to the technician to ensure he or she is properly trained and educated.
“Lab technicians tend to be very busy so when they acquire a new CAD system, it’s impractical to clear out enough time to learn all the CAD system features,” says exocad America President Larry Bodony. “CAD systems can get pretty complicated for difficult cases. Not only does the CAD software change over time, but, also, the cases that come in the door change so it’s likely you will not have seen or trained on a particular workflow before. Different systems have different ways of getting that ongoing learning/training information to you.”

A good place to go for additional educational resources is directly to the manufacturer or reseller. For instance, exocad maintains a wiki that anyone can access to get his or her questions answered.
2. Get comfortable with digital
Technicians who are used to manual work and are new to CAD/CAM can sometimes have a hard time with something new. However, getting a grasp on what they already know can help them succeed with the new technology.

“Some technicians are never really comfortable with the transition to CAD/CAM,” says Christopher Adamus, dental technician and dental software trainer/application specialist for 3Shape Academy in Copenhagen. “They feel that going from a manual workflow to a digital workflow requires a different paradigm and thinking. But some of today’s CAD/CAM systems have become much more intuitive. They feature workflows that mimic the traditional manual steps a technician recognizes. It’s a matter of changing the tool-simply substituting a mouse and computer for a paintbrush and ceramics. You have to have the same skill and the same knowledge. With CAD/CAM, you’re just using the mouse or your fingertips to steer the tool.”

3. Keep up on software features
There always seems to be more to know about CAD. Even technicians who have used it for years find, and can benefit from, features they weren’t aware existed.

“I’ve had technicians that have been using the software for eight years and come to [training courses] just get yearly updates on the software,” says Mark Ferguson, assistant manager at Core3dcentres in Las Vegas. “They’re walking away with those couple tricks and tools that have been in the software. Some of them [have been in there] for years, but they just never knew about them, and that makes life easier.”
4. Stay abreast of industry developments
Digital dentistry is a moving target. What it is today is different than what it was 10 years ago, and 10 years from now it will be a totally different thing. Staying on top of changes in CAD/CAM is important for the technician.

“CAD/CAM is evolving all the time,” Adamus notes. “Lab technicians are continuously gaining new tools and workflows that enable them to work faster and provide better results. But technicians can only take advantage of new tools if they know they are out there. That’s why it is important that you follow the industry through trade magazines, online channels, forums, social media or websites of your favorite solution providers. Make a point to follow industry trends, and contact your CAD/CAM provider if you hear about a new tool that you would like to apply in your work.”