At exocad Insights in beautiful Mallorca, we finally caught up with Felix from Imagine USA—and the timing couldn’t have been better. As an exocad dealer on the front lines of digital dentistry, Felix shared his excitement about the strong turnout, the familiar faces, and most importantly, the innovation coming from exocad. What stood out most? The new exocad Hub and its cloud-based capabilities, along with powerful AI-driven tools inside DentalDB designed for efficient batch processing. For Felix and the Imagine team, it’s not just about seeing what’s new—it’s about putting it to the test. By running new features through their own production facility first, they ensure real-world performance before bringing solutions to their customers. Beyond the technology, Felix emphasized the value of being there in person—connecting face-to-face with partners, having meaningful conversations, and stepping back to see where the industry is headed. And of course, doing it all in Mallorca doesn’t hurt either.

This week at the Dental Laboratory Association of Texas Meeting 2026, the microphones stayed hot as three completely different conversations all circled around the same thing: how fast the dental lab industry is evolving. First up, the crew sat down with Tony Aliatim from Axis Dental Milling to talk about going from biomedical engineering and printing silicone heart models for surgeons… to becoming one of the go-to names in dental milling. From industrial machining roots in Michigan to AI-powered calibration systems and Straumann plug-and-play workflows, Tony breaks down how VersaMill machines are helping labs mill everything from zirconia to implant abutments faster, smarter, and safer. Along the way, the conversation dives into HyperDent, trade show madness, wet vs dry milling nightmares, and why dental technicians may not realize how close this industry really is to aerospace-level manufacturing.

Then things shifted from mills to maintenance with Rebekah Serrago and Chris Wilson from Garland Dental Services. What started decades ago as a garage-based repair business fixing handpieces has grown into one of the industry’s best-kept secrets for equipment sales, service, and support. Rebekah shares the story of growing up folding flyers for her father’s repair company before eventually becoming CEO and expanding Garland into a massive online sales and service operation supporting everything from ovens to mills. Chris joins in to talk preventative maintenance, service certifications, keeping ancient ovens alive, and why labs desperately need dealers that actually understand the equipment they sell. It’s equal parts family-business story, repair shop wisdom, and hilarious behind-the-scenes dental lab banter.

Finally, the future officially arrived when the podcast crew sat down with Antoine Coppens from Relu and orthodontic lab owner Christian Saurman of New England Orthodontic Laboratory. What started as four engineering students experimenting with AI in Belgium somehow turned into fully automated dental workflows capable of designing surgical guides, night guards, models, and restorations in minutes. The conversation explores how AI is reshaping lab workflows, reducing manual design time, integrating directly into LMS systems, and even learning individual lab preferences. Christian explains how his custom-built orthodontic lab management system helped eliminate workflow chaos and automate huge portions of production, while Antoine gives a fascinating look into where dental AI is headed next. Between AI-generated appliances, automated scan checks, and self-learning workflows, this episode feels less like science fiction and more like a preview of what labs will look like over the next five years.

Special Guests: Antoine Coppens, Chris Wilson, Christian Saurman, Rebekah Serrago, and Tony Aliatim.

If you’re passionate about creating natural, beautiful smiles—but want to simplify your workflow without sacrificing aesthetics—this is for you. I’m honored to be part of Ivoclar’s development team introducing a powerful new stain and glaze system featuring Structure Paste, IPS e.max Ceram Art. Create stunning depth and lifelike color in as little as one firing.

Let’s continue to innovate, simplify, and create meaningful change—one smile at a time.

When it comes to digital dentures, design is easy—manufacturing is where things get messy.

That’s why the Elevate Denture Solution brings it all together. Built by Roland DGSHAPE, Ivoclar, and FOLLOW-ME! Technology Group, it combines machine, materials, and CAM into one fully optimized workflow—so you get consistent, high-quality results without the guesswork.

Want to simplify production and scale with confidence? Check it out at rollanddga.com/elevate.

"Live" from the Ivoclar ballroom at Lab Day 2026, Elvis and Barb dives into conversations that perfectly capture what this industry is all about—innovation, relationships, and a whole lot of nerding out.

We kick things off with Frederic Rapp, who went from growing up in his dad’s basement lab in France to scaling it into one of the largest labs in Europe. After selling the business, he found his way back into the industry through innovation—helping labs unlock the gold mine sitting inside their own data with icortica. From dashboards to AI-driven insights and even voice-activated notes in the parking lot, it’s all about working smarter, not harder… and maybe not looking like an idiot when you walk into a doctor’s office.

Then things shift to a great partnership with Casey Baldwin and Darin Lockaby, where we get into a seriously cool collaboration between Ivoclar and DESS. Think plug-and-play workflows that let labs mill their own abutments in-house—FDA compliant, streamlined, and actually simple. With margins tighter than ever, this kind of control over production isn’t just nice… it’s becoming necessary.

From scaling labs to scaling data, from implants to AI, this episode is packed with insight, laughs, and a clear message: the labs that embrace technology (without losing the human touch) are the ones that are going to win.

Join us at exocad Insights 2026, happening April 30–May 1, 2026, on the stunning island of Mallorca, Spain. This two-day event features powerhouse keynotes, hands-on workshops, live software demos, and top-tier industry showcases—all in one unforgettable setting.

Barb and Elvis will be on site bringing you exclusive interviews, plus don’t miss the Women in Dentistry Lunch, celebrating career growth, wellbeing, and the real stories shaping our profession. And of course, cap it all off with the legendary exoGlam Night under the stars.

Tickets are limited. Visit exocad.com/insights-2026 and use code VFTBPalma15 for 15% off.

Special Guests: Casey Baldwin, Darin Lockaby, and Frederic Rapp.

• Vision 21 in Las Vegas Jan 15-17 https://www.nadl.org/nadl-vision-21
• Cal-Lab Association Meeting in Chicago Feb 19-20 https://cal-lab.org/
• LMT Lab Day Chicago Feb 19-21 https://lmtmag.com/lmtlabday
• Dental Lab Association of Texas Meeting in Dallas Apr 9-11 https://members.dlat.org/
• exocad Insights in Mallorca, Spain Apr 30 - May 1 https://exocad.com/insights-2026

This week, we finally bring on a guest who has been six years in the making: the one and only Jordan Greenberg, the North America Managing Director of FOLLOW-ME! Technology—better known as the HyperDent guy.

Jordan takes us on a wild ride through the world of CAM software, milling strategies, toolpaths, and the surprisingly fascinating story of how dental CAM even became what it is today. From his early days as a third-generation “dental nepo baby” to running a zirconia milling center with his dad, all the way to helping launch titanium-bar milling on Datron D5 machines, Jordan’s journey hits every corner of digital dentistry’s evolution.

He breaks down what CAM actually does in the simplest possible terms (yes, even Elvis-level simple), explains the magic behind toolpaths, tools, post-processors, and how HyperDent “drives the car” for hundreds of different mills. You’ll hear how materials get validated, why some ideas labs come up with are physically impossible, and why you should ALWAYS talk to your CAM provider before releasing new materials or components into the world.

Jordan also shares a behind-the-scenes look at solving problems like angulated screw channels, milling lithium disilicate pucks, and HyperDent’s upcoming work on milled dentures—including Ivoclar’s Ivotion processes coming to open CAM.

Whether you mill every day or still think CAM is just “putting a crown in a puck,” Jordan demystifies it all with humor, honesty, and more tech insights than we've ever had on the podcast at once.

* Dental Labs—The Ivoclar Flash Sale Is On!

* From November 3rd to 14th, Ivoclar is bringing you unbeatable deals on the equipment that will set your lab up for success in 2026.

* Upgrade your mill, your furnace, or expand your workflow—and save big while doing it!

* Plus, when you purchase a milling machine, you’ll get delivery, installation, and training—all included. That means your lab will be production-ready from day one.

* But hurry—these savings vanish after November 14th!

* Contact your Ivoclar sales rep today and power up your lab for the year ahead.

Elvis and Barb are gearing up for their chat with the HyperDent Dude himself, Jordan Greenberg from FOLLOW-ME! Technology. At LabFest, Elvis found out that every hyperDENT license comes with Template Editor Lite — a built-in feature that lets you make safe, customized tweaks to your milling strategies. Whether you want to prioritize surface quality or speed, this tool gives you the control to fine-tune your results while FOLLOW-ME! keeps everything validated and reliable.

Because in the end, us lab techs love to tinker — and hyperDENT makes it easy to choose your own CAM-venture.

Year-end chaos is here. Labs are slammed, deadlines are brutal, and mistakes are not an option. That’s when dental technicians rely on the one thing that never quits: https://www.rolanddga.com/applications/dental-cad-cam.

The DWX-53DC is a true workhorse—24-hour automated milling that keeps your lab running, your overhead down, and your ROI up. No redos. No downtime. Just consistent, precise results.

Built on decades of Japanese engineering, Roland delivers the reliability that keeps labs sane, profitable, and on schedule.

Finish the year strong with the mill you can trust.

Choose Roland DGSHAPE.

Precision. Reliability. Performance.

Learn more at rolanddga.com

Special Guest: Jordan Greenberg.