Voices from The Bench

Episode 433: From FDLA 2026: Morris Fucarino, Enja Dorjchuluun, Joseph Núñez Reyes

July 13th, 2026  |  1 hr 20 mins

3d printing, analog dentistry, analog techniques, articulators, barb, belt-driven handpieces, biomedical engineering, board service, boutique laboratory, cad/cam, cam, carbon printers, career development, career growth, casting, cdt, ceramics, certification, certified dental technician, collaboration, community, continuing education, continuing growth, craftsmanship, cross-training, customer service, dedication, dental community, dental content creator, dental craftsmanship, dental industry, dental innovation, dental lab, dental laboratory, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental podcast, dental technician, dental technology, dentistry, dentures, digital content, digital dentistry, digital transformation, digital workflow, e.max, education, efficiency, elvis, enja dorjchuluun, excellence, expansion, experience, fdla, fdla board, fdla symposium, florida, florida dental laboratory association, focus magazine, full gold crowns, future of dentistry, future technicians, general manager, gold restorations, gps digital dental lab, gps digital rpd, handpieces, hands-on education, heygears, high noble alloy, hiring, icpr junior college, implant restorations, implants, impressions, industry veterans, innovation, inspiration, instagram, ivoclar pm7, joseph núñez reyes, knowledge, lab day, labfest, laboratory careers, laboratory culture, laboratory growth, laboratory leadership, laboratory life, laboratory management, laboratory operations, leadership, legacy, lifelong learning, lithium disilicate, mentorship, milling, milling center, model work, morris fucarino, national board for certification, nbc, nesting, networking, next generation, night guards, one-man lab, operations, organized dentistry, orlando, passion, passion for dentistry, patients, perseverance, pfm, pmma, porcelain fused to metal, post-processing, problem solving, professional development, puerto rico, qc, quality, quality control, relationships, roland, roland mills, sakr dental arts, scanning, smiles, social media, soft tissue models, state association, stone models, success., supervisors, team building, teamwork, technician, technician education, technician pride, technician recognition, technician spotlight, technician stories, technician training, technicians, technology, turnaround time, voices from the bench, volunteering, waxing, webinars, workflow, workflow optimization, zirconia, zirconia milling

From the FDLA Symposium, Elvis and Barb sit down with three passionate technicians who represent the past, present, and future of the profession. Morris Fucarino reflects on an incredible 50 years as a CDT and the value of lifelong learning, Enja Dorjchuluun shares how she's helping shape the future of Florida's dental laboratory community through Sakr Dental Arts and the FDLA Board, and Joseph Núñez Reyes discusses his journey from Puerto Rico to GPS Digital Dental Lab and his dream of inspiring the next generation of technicians.

432: Felix Chung: Imagine That an Aerospace Engineer Turned into a Dental Nerd

July 6th, 2026  |  1 hr 3 mins

3d printing, 3shape, 98mm puck, additive manufacturing, aerospace engineering, cad design, cad/cam, compatible implants, crown and bridge, custom abutments, datron d5, dental business, dental cad, dental cam, dental innovation, dental lab, dental laboratory, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental podcast, dental software, dental technology, digital dentistry, digital transformation, digital workflow, dof scanner, engineering, entrepreneurship, exocad, exocad insights, felix chung, georgia tech, hyperdent, imagine, imilling, implant bars, implant components, implant dentistry, implant restorations, ims icore, in-house milling, innovation, jordan greenberg, keystone dental, lab day, laboratory efficiency, laboratory growth, laboratory workflow, milling, milling center, milling machines, milling strategies, mist, nasa, oem, open systems, outsourcing, prosthetics, restorative dentistry, scan bodies, sic implants, technical support, ti-base, titanium bars, titanium nitride, united states navy, voices from the bench, walter reed, zirconia, zirconzahn

This week we sit down with Felix Chung from Imagine to hear the incredible story of how an aerospace engineering graduate and NASA intern unexpectedly found his passion in dental technology. From building one of the industry's leading digital dentistry companies to discussing milling, CAD/CAM, implant components, and the future of laboratory workflows, Felix shares the lessons, risks, and innovations that have shaped his journey over the past 15 years.

Episode 431: exocad Insights 2026 Part 5: Beth Collington, Josh Jakson, & Robert Norton

June 29th, 2026  |  56 mins 10 secs

3d design, 3d modeling, advanced dental technology, advanced workflows, ai crown, ai dentistry, ai in dental labs, ai-assisted dentistry, ai-powered design, artificial intelligence, automotive parts design, bench talk, beth collington, cad design, cad designer, cad workflow, cad/cam, clinicians, continuing education, creative cad applications, crown and bridge, crown design, crown finalization, crown production, custom grills, custom jewelry, custom restorations, dental automation, dental business, dental cad, dental cad community, dental cad experts, dental cad software, dental cad training, dental collaboration, dental community, dental conference, dental craftsmanship, dental design, dental design innovation, dental design software, dental design techniques, dental discussion, dental education, dental educators, dental engineering, dental expertise, dental future, dental industry, dental industry leaders, dental industry podcast, dental innovation, dental innovation summit, dental jewelry, dental lab, dental lab future, dental lab professionals, dental lab technology, dental laboratory, dental laboratory management, dental laboratory podcast, dental laboratory workflows, dental leadership, dental manufacturing, dental manufacturing technology, dental podcast, dental professionals, dental prosthetics, dental restorations, dental scanning, dental software, dental software experts, dental software innovation, dental software platform, dental software training, dental software updates, dental solutions, dental technician, dental technician life, dental technician training, dental technology, dental technology conference, dental technology education, dental technology experts, dental technology trends, dental trends, dental workflow efficiency, dental workflow management, dental workflow solutions, dental workflows, digital dental education, digital dental laboratory, digital dental revolution, digital dental solutions, digital dentistry, digital dentistry podcast, digital design solutions, digital impressions, digital lab, digital manufacturing, digital prosthetics, digital restoration design, digital solutions, digital tools, digital transformation, digital workflows, emerging technology, exocad, exocad america, exocad community, exocad ecosystem, exocad innovations, exocad insights, exocad training, exocad users, exocad users meeting, exohub, freeform design, future of dentistry, future-ready dentistry, industry insights, industry leaders, industry networking, innovation in dentistry, intraoral scanning, josh jackson, lab technology, lab-to-clinic communication, laboratory best practices, laboratory conversations, laboratory digital transformation., laboratory education, laboratory education and training, laboratory efficiency, laboratory excellence, laboratory growth, laboratory innovation, laboratory management, laboratory operations, laboratory perspective, laboratory productivity, laboratory support, laboratory technicians, laboratory technology, laboratory technology trends, mallorca, mallorca conference, modern dental laboratory, modern dentistry, next generation dentistry, podcast, production laboratory, production workflows, professional development, restorative dentistry, restorative technology, restorative workflows, robert norton, software development, software flexibility, technician education, technician insights, technician perspective, technician training, technician-led innovation, technology adoption, technology and dentistry, technology in dentistry, vftb, voices from the bench, workflow automation, workflow improvements, workflow integration, workflow optimization, workflow technology

While at Exocad Insights in Mallorca, Elvis and Barb catch up with Beth Collington, President of Exocad America, to discuss the continued growth of digital dentistry, the importance of education, and how Exocad is helping make digital workflows more accessible across the industry.

Then Josh Jackson and Robert Norton join the conversation to share insights from the lab and training side of Exocad. From AI Crown and Crown Finalization to creative applications beyond dentistry, they discuss the latest innovations, real-world workflows, and where digital technology is taking the profession next.

430: exocad Insights 2026 Part 4: Dr. Zhiqiang Luo, Alyson Bravo, & Tobias Specht

June 22nd, 2026  |  1 hr 7 mins

analog skills, ann arbor, bite finder, brazil, cad/cam, career development, career journey, case planning, china, clinical faculty, clinical instructor, clinical scientist, clinician, clinicians, collaboration, communication, community, community building, conference highlights, continuing education, countryside of brazil, cross-functional collaboration, customer feedback, customer support, customer-driven development, data acquisition, dental care, dental conference, dental convention, dental craftsmanship, dental designer, dental ecosystem, dental education, dental industry, dental innovation, dental lab, dental laboratory, dental leadership, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental professionals, dental software, dental students, dental technology, dentures, design software, digital adoption, digital center, digital communication, digital dentistry, digital dentures, digital future, digital solutions, digital transformation, digital workflow, dream trip, education, education and training, education programs, event experience, exhibition hall, exocad, exocad insights 2026, exocad reseller, fixed restorations, fixed workflows, friendships, future clinicians, future of dentistry, glam night, global connections, global dentistry, global travel, hands-on learning, hong kong, ids, ids germany, implementation, industry partnerships, industry trends, innovation, innovation culture, innovation pipeline, inspiration, international attendees, international dental community, ivoclar, ivotion, keynote, laboratory communication, laboratory excellence, laboratory owner, laboratory partnerships, laboratory workflow, learning, lectures, lifelong learning, majorca, mallorca, mentorship, milling, motivation, networking, paraguay, paraná, passion for dentistry, podcast community, podcast listener, presentations, problem solving, product development, product integration, product launches, professional growth, professional inspiration, professional networking, prosthetics, remote design, removable prosthetics, removable workflows, restorative dentistry, restorative solutions, scanners, self-taught, siosp, social media, software integration, software training, spain, speaker, são paulo, teamwork, technician, technician training, technicians, technology adoption, technology leadership, training, travel, university of michigan, user feedback, voices from the bench, work ethic, workflow efficiency, workflow integration, workflow optimization, workflow refinement

This week from exocad Insights 2026 in Mallorca, Elvis and Barb sit down with Dr. Zhiqiang Luo to discuss how dental education is evolving alongside rapidly advancing digital workflows and why strong analog fundamentals still matter. They also meet Alyson Bravo, a dental technician from Brazil whose journey to the event highlights the power of digital dentistry, global connections, and lifelong learning. Rounding out the episode, Tobias Specht from Ivoclar shares insights into the company's latest innovations, its ongoing collaboration with exocad, and how customer feedback continues to shape the future of digital dental technology.

426: DLAT 2026 Part 3 with Tiffany Prater, Sydney Ribera, Marlin Gohn

May 25th, 2026  |  1 hr 2 mins

acrylic, acrylic designs, acrylic pouring, aesthetic dentistry, analog dentistry, anterior crowns, argen, bonding, cad/cam, calibration, cantonese, conference lectures, continuing education, crown aesthetics, crown failures, crown milling, crown retention, custom retainers, dental artistry, dental assisting, dental business, dental cad, dental cements, dental collaboration, dental community, dental conference, dental craftsmanship, dental creativity, dental digital transformation, dental education, dental equipment, dental finishing, dental frameworks, dental future, dental humor, dental industry, dental innovation, dental lab, dental lab podcast, dental labs in china, dental lectures, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental materials science, dental mentors, dental mentorship, dental milling, dental networking, dental podcast, dental presentations, dental regulations, dental stories, dental support, dental technician, dental technicians, dental technology, dental technology trends, dental troubleshooting, dental workflow, digital dentistry, digital dentures, digital workflow, dlat, easyrx, entrepreneurship, fda, full arch zirconia, furnaces, glow in the dark acrylic, gradient translucency, gt zirconia, guangzhou, hands-on learning, hawley retainers, hygiene school, implant crowns, implant dentistry, implant platforms, incisal translucency, industry trends, invisalign, jbc acrylics, lab efficiency, lab life, lab management, lab owner, lab technology, laser welder, laser welding, mandarin, mentorship, milled gold crowns, milling burs, milling machines, milling strategies, multilayer zirconia, nesting, nesting supports, occlusion, org, ortho community, ortho tech, orthodontic appliances, orthodontic conference, orthodontic creativity, orthodontic education, orthodontic lab, orthodontic mentorship, orthodontic resource group, orthodontic retainers, orthodontic workflow, orthodontics, pfm, polishing, porcelain fused to metal, posterior crowns, primers, printed dentures, printed models, private labs, private practice, public speaking, restorative dentistry, retainers, saline cleaning, selective laser melting, sintering, slm, small business, soldering, texas freeze, tie-dye retainers, training, translators, translucency, vendor booths, voices from the bench, wire bending, zirconia, zirconia crowns, zirconia discs

At the 2026 DLAT meeting, Tiffany Prater and Sydney Ribera talk about mentorship, orthodontic lab work, and blending creativity with today’s digital workflows. Then Marlin Gohn from Argen shares insights on new zirconia technology, milling strategies, and what labs around the world are doing to stay ahead.

425: DLAT 2026 Part 2 with Tony Aliatim, Rebekah Serrago, Chris Wilson, Antoine Coppens, & Christian Saurman

May 18th, 2026  |  1 hr 13 mins

3d printed models, 3d printing, 3shape, ai calibration, ai dentistry, ai design, ai learning, ai scan analysis, ai workflow, aligners, amann girrbach, apis, artificial intelligence, automated design, automated workflows, axis dental, barcoding, biomedical engineering, cad/cam, calibration, cam software, cbct, ceo, chairside milling, clinicians, cloud workflow, crown design, ct scan, custom solutions, customer support, customization, dental ai, dental ai software, dental automation, dental business, dental business growth, dental cad, dental community, dental conversations, dental conversations podcast, dental craftsmanship, dental culture, dental e-commerce, dental education, dental engineering, dental entrepreneurship, dental equipment repair, dental excellence, dental future, dental implants, dental industry, dental innovation, dental innovation podcast, dental lab, dental lab technician, dental labs, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental milling, dental nerds, dental networking, dental ovens, dental parts, dental podcast, dental prescriptions, dental printing, dental repairs, dental scanners, dental scanning, dental service, dental service center, dental software, dental support, dental systems, dental technician, dental technology, dental tools, dental trends, dental workflow, design presets, detroit, digital cases, digital dentistry, digital impressions, digital lab, digital manufacturing, digital models, digital orthodontics, digital transformation, digital workflows, dlat, doctor portal, e.max, engineering, engineering solutions, equipment service, exocad, family business, fda compliance, fda validation, future of dentistry, garland dental, handpiece repair, hyperdent, implant abutments, implant crowns, implant milling, implant workflow, in-house lab, industrial milling, intraoral scanner, invisalign, lab automation, lab efficiency, lab equipment, lab growth, lab life, lab management software, lab operations, lab productivity, lab solutions, lab systems, lab workflow, lms, lmt chicago, machine learning, mandibular canal, manufacturing technology, margin lines, michigan, midwinter meeting, milling, milling accuracy, milling burs, milling centers, milling machines, milling tools, modjaw, mri, neolab, nesting software, new england orthodontic laboratory, night guards, online dental sales, orthodontic appliances, orthodontic lab, orthodontics, ovens, panoramic radiograph, pediatric dentistry, plug and play, pmma, pnp, preventive maintenance, production workflow, productivity, relu, repair technicians, repeatability, resin printing, restorative dentistry, robotic surgery, roland, rxwizard, scan alignment, scan quality, segmentation, silicone printing, smart mills, social media marketing, splints, stem cells, stl files, stl workflow, straumann, surgical guides, surgical planning, takema, tech support, technician workflow, tissue printing, titanium, trade shows, training, validated workflows, versamill, vhf, voices from the bench, women in dentistry, workflow automation, workflow efficiency, workflow integration, workflow optimization, workflow solutions, zirconia, zirconia crowns

At the Dental Laboratory Association of Texas Meeting 2026, Elvis and Barb sat down with Tony Aliatim from Axis Dental Milling, Rebekah Serrago and Chris Wilson from Garland Dental Services, and Antoine Coppens from Relu alongside orthodontic lab owner Christian Saurman from New England Orthodontic Laboratory. The conversations covered everything from industrial dental milling and equipment repair to AI-driven workflows that are changing how labs design and manufacture restorations. From preventive maintenance and milling strategies to fully automated AI design systems, this episode is packed with insight into where dental technology — and the lab industry — is headed next.

424: DLAT 2026 Part 1: Ortho Outlaws and Vulcanite Veterans with Jason Dyas & Jim Collis

May 11th, 2026  |  1 hr 16 mins

3d printing, 3shape, 3shape automate, aao, acrylic dentures, acrylic work, additive manufacturing, ai dentistry, ai design, ai orthodontics, ai workflow, analog dentistry, aos wire bender, appliance fabrication, articulators, automated design, automated wire bending, bay area, bench grinder, bridge design, build plate, california, cdt, certified dental technician, chicago midwinter, cloud storage, clyde, collins dental consulting, construction work, crown and bridge, crown and bridge technician, crown design, crozats, dental archives, dental artistry, dental automation, dental branding, dental cad, dental cam, dental collaboration, dental community, dental conferences, dental consulting, dental content creator, dental craftsmanship, dental design, dental education, dental education courses, dental entrepreneurship, dental equipment, dental equipment reviews, dental evolution, dental future, dental history, dental humor, dental industry, dental influencer, dental innovation, dental innovation community, dental instructors, dental lab, dental legacy, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental mentorship, dental photography, dental podcast, dental printers, dental printing setup, dental r&d, dental reviews, dental safety, dental sales, dental scanning services, dental school, dental software, dental stories, dental teamwork, dental technician, dental technicians, dental technology, dental trade show, dental troubleshooting, dental videos, dental workflow, dental youtube, denture design, denture printing, denture repairs, denture workflow, dentures, desktop scanner, digital adoption, digital dentistry, digital dentures, digital lab, digital learning, digital models, digital ortho pros, digital orthodontics, digital scanning, digital transition, digital workflow, dlat, dlat 2026, dremel, dreve, entrepreneur, exocad, facebook, fax marketing, fep screen, fishing, frozen printer, future of dental labs, future of dentures, future of orthodontics, gaming generation, garage lab, germany, golf, hands-on course, harley davidson, harvest materials, hawley retainers, ids, implant dentistry, implant restorations, impressions, industry veteran, influencer marketing, instagram, jackson magnets, jason dyas, jim collis, knoxville, lab burnout, lab consulting, lab craftsmanship, lab culture, lab day west, lab management, lab networking, lab owner, lab startup, lab stories, lab technology, lab workflow, laser welder, linkedin, lodi, magnet overdentures, modern dental lab, monomer, naturalized denture bases, next generation labs, non-alcohol cleaner, northern california, online learning, order forms, org, ortho appliances, ortho lab, ortho outlaw, ortho technology, orthodontic appliances, orthodontic community, orthodontic lab, orthodontic lab pros, orthodontic lab solutions, orthodontic meetings, orthodontic resource group, orthodontics, orthodontists, photogrammetry, podcast guest, porcelain teeth, pre-magnets, print calibration, printer camera, printing resins, product reviews, removable dentistry, removable lab, removable prosthetics, resin heating, resin odors, resin printing, rhino cleaner, roi, sacramento, scanning, seo, social media marketing, social media merch, sonic xl, startup lab, stl files, stockton, stone models, storage sheds, study model scanning, sunstone laser welders, technology adoption, technology in dentistry, tennessee, traditional dental lab, transmandibular implants, triton college, trucking, voices from the bench, vulcanite dentures, wash and cure, wash station, wayne zaruba, wire bender, wire bending, workflow optimization, younger technicians, youtube education, youtube videos

Live from DLAT, this episode features two incredible conversations with Jason Dyas and Jim Collis. Jason shares how Ortho Outlaw grew from a garage ortho lab into a social-media-driven tech platform focused on digital workflows and wire-bending technology, while Jim reflects on 45 years in dental technology, teaching digital dentures, 3D printing, and the evolution from Vulcanite dentures all the way to photogrammetry.

421: Katherine Steinbock-Dyke: From Girl Scout Cookies to CEO of Whip Mix

April 20th, 2026  |  1 hr 3 mins

3d printing, analog dentistry, analog vs digital, articulators, asiga, australia, bench culture, bench work, business evolution, cad cam, career growth, ceo, collaboration, continuous improvement, corporate culture, customer relationships, dealer network, dental, dental community, dental education, dental equipment, dental industry, dental lab, dental labs, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental resins, dental schools, dental technician, dental technicians, dental technology, digital dentistry, employee benefits, entrepreneurship, europe, family business, furnaces, future of dentistry, global markets, gypsum, heritage, hr, human resources, hybrid workflow, ids, industry insights, industry trends, innovation, innovation strategy, international business, katherine steinbock-dyke, lab day, lab life, lab owners, lab workflow, laboratory, large labs, latin america, leadership, legacy, management, materials science, mentorship, mixers, model trimmers, networking, next generation, operations, partnerships, podcasts, polymers, product development, production, relevance, small business, storytelling, succession planning, team building, technician, technicians life, trade shows, voices from the bench, whip mix, win program, workflow efficiency

This week we chat with Katherine Steinbock-Dyke of Whip Mix about growing up in a family-run dental company and unexpectedly working her way to CEO. She shares her path from HR and corporate roles into operations, product development, and ultimately leadership—highlighting the balance between tradition and innovation in today’s evolving lab landscape. The episode mixes stories of continuous improvement, digital transitions, and industry travel, all wrapped in the perspective of someone focused on keeping a legacy company relevant for the future.

415: Lab Day Chicago 2026 (& Cal-Lab) Part 1 with Jeff Stronk, April Newell, & Joey Hunter

March 9th, 2026  |  1 hr 16 mins

additive manufacturing, analog dentistry, april newell, cal-lab, cal-lab 100, chrome cobalt, dental, dental 3d printing, dental business growth, dental career paths, dental craftsmanship, dental frameworks, dental industry trends, dental innovation, dental lab leadership, dental lab management, dental lab owners, dental laboratory, dental manufacturing, dental meetings, dental technician, dental technology, denture finishing, denture waxing, dentures, digital dentistry, implant bars, industry networking, jeff strock, joey hunter, lab day chicago, lab education, lab workflow, laboratory, metal printing, night guards, orthodontic appliances, partial dentures, peer-to-peer learning, removable prosthetics, resin printing, technician, technician skills, titanium printing, tooth setup, voices from the bench, wire bending

At the 100th anniversary meeting of the Cal-Lab Association, Elvis talks with Jeff Stronk about a successful first day filled with great speakers, strong attendance, and meaningful peer-to-peer conversations between lab owners. He also chats with April Newell about the rapid growth of dental 3D printing and how metal and resin printing are expanding what labs can produce. Finally, longtime technician Joey Hunter shares her 30-year journey in removables and her experience attending LMT Lab Day Chicago 2026 for the first time.

406: Stuart Steinbock: Lean, Keen, and Milling Machines

January 5th, 2026  |  1 hr 2 mins

3d printing, additive manufacturing, aligners, articulators, cad/cam, carbon, casting investment, continuous improvement, crystal ultra, dental, dental equipment, dental manufacturing, dental mills, dental stones, digital dental, digital dentistry, direct-to-consumer dentistry, entrepreneurship, family business, full-arch workflows, industry evolution, international sales, iso compliance, lab efficiency, lab management, laboratory, leadership, lean manufacturing, milling systems, ortho appliances, orthodontic labs, process innovation, product development, quality systems, resilience, startup culture, technician, voices from the bench, whip mix, workflow optimization

Barb and Elvis talk with Stuart Steinbock about his deep family roots in dental manufacturing, the evolution of Whip Mix, and how lean thinking and product development helped shape modern lab workflows. Stuart also shares his journey beyond the family business into startups, 3D printing, orthodontic labs, and ultimately leading Digital Dental. It’s an honest conversation about innovation, entrepreneurship, and navigating change in both the dental industry and life