Innovator Profile exocad's cutting edge workflow solutions

Larry Bodony, president of exocad America, previews what's to come-and what's already changing the CAD/CAM landscape.

This article originally appeared in the July/August issue of Dental Lab Products. For more great articles about what's happening in the dental lab world, click the issue below:

Exocad has long been a leader in digital CAD software for dental applications. Using a network of resellers who use exocad software on their scanners, exocad is known for being open, innovative and user-friendly.

We recently spoke to Larry Bodony, President of exocad America, about the company's plans for the future of the digital workflow and what new applications and software are coming out to realize that future.

From traditional to now: Taking your lab into the future

Q: Exocad has announced new features and modules seemingly non-stop in 2015. Can you summarize these innovations and tell us what we can expect in the rest of the year?

A: 2015 has been a very busy year for exocad! Besides a new user interface, we also did a soft introduction of our partial framework design. It’s been a big hit-we have hundreds of downloads out there. Because it’s based on known technology that we acquired, it has the same exocad quality level. Besides those innovations, we’re also looking to launch our full denture software, which should be out later in the summer. I think people will be very excited to see the options it presents. As usual with exocad products, each module works seamlessly with all the other modules. You’ll be able to use pre-articulated teeth or use custom crown and bridge modeling in the software. It’ll provide real flexibility-you can even do it tooth by tooth! It should reset the bar with full denture workflows, as well. We’re working with some exciting manufacturers on this, as well, so be on the lookout for news about that later in 2015.

Q: What announcement has you the most excited?

A: One of the biggest areas of excitement around the company is the new dentalshare initiative, which allows exocad-based labs to communicate seamlessly and in near real time. It’s the fastest link available today between dental systems. We’ve been very surprised with the level of uptake from our reseller community. More resellers are offering dentalshare than not, which is amazing for it being the first couple of months for a new communication technology. 

Q: Exocad also recently announced a planned component for clinicians. How does that fit into the existing workflow?

We’ve seen the most level of interest in the clinical-to-lab communication workflow. We’re having lots of dentists, prosthodontists and oral surgeons begin to call us-they’ve started to hear about our chairside solutions, and the prerelease buzz is very high! We’re working hard to make sure our regulatory requirements are in order, but we think dentalshare will allow clinicians to control their own data flow rather than having their system vendor decide for them. This will open up a market for local labs to get back into the workflow. Sometimes labs have gotten locked out if the dentist has bought an incompatible intraoral scanner. But now, with dentalshare, they can add that to their existing hardware at a very low cost and take back control of their existing data.

Q: How can customers curious about exocad get a scanner with the software?

Exocad sells exclusively through resellers. Contact any one of our exocad resellers on our website or by calling 855-EXO-4CAD, and we’ll be happy to refer to you a reseller near you! 

Shopping for a reseller is the most important part of the purchase process-you’re searching for a reseller as your primary support mechanism. The direct support comes from your reseller, and then exocad central provides support to the resellers. By buying an exocad system, you get the advantage of a local reseller who knows the system, tests it and can provide the high-quality support to get the results you need.

Related reading: exocad's new workflow with Carestream Dental

Q: Talk briefly about exocad’s CAM software-how is that coming together?

What exocam provides is a very simple and easy-to-use platform that works with both pucks and blocks for the labs to manage multiple pucks and blocks, including partially milled ones. It deals with all the restorations and complexities you can do in exocad. This works especially well with model milling or custom abutments-you want a high level of control over the machining. We’re helping with that-we’re not giving you the tooth path control (we leave that to our quality partners), but we’re helping work with them to make a seamless transition from the user interface of CAD and CAM. Exocam is an exciting option a lot of resellers are going to offer. Some resellers are already using it and it’s a well-respected software that is a great option.

Related: Recent exocad updates

With more than 15,000 licenses sold in more than 120 countries since 2010, exocad’s updated platform features numerous new features. The most obvious enhancement is a complete overhaul of the user interface, which esthetically and functionally improves the experience of both using and learning CAD/CAM. DentalCAD add-on modules have been enhanced with more tooth and implant libraries, support for implant analogs in model creator, premilled abutment blanks in exocam and many more. Also supported are multi-touch and 4K displays, as well as wireless 3D controllers.  

Exocad also recently previewed the “next big things” currently under development at exocad. Exocad Ortho is a complete system for managing and archiving orthodontic study models, creating virtual setups and placing brackets or creating models. Implant planning software has been under development at exocad for some time and will soon be released for the platform. In addition, exocad users will soon have access to a denture module. It’s all coming soon from exocad, the leader in OEM Dental CAD/CAM.

Editor's note: Innovator Profiles are part of a special advertising section in the pages of Dental Lab Products and are paid for by advertising partners. The opinions in these profiles are not necessarily reflected by Dental Lab Products, its editorial team or UBM Medica.