Voices from The Bench

436: Alyse Hifko & Martin Schmid Take Us Inside the Ivoclar Academy

August 3rd, 2026  |  48 mins 10 secs

3shape, all-on-x, alyse hifko, apprenticeship, auto nesting, brushes, buffalo, cad/cam, cad/cam dentistry, cam software, ceram art, ceramics, ceramics course, chairside dentistry, clinical education, commercial laboratory, connectors, continuing education, dental careers, dental community, dental craftsmanship, dental education, dental industry, dental innovation, dental lab, dental lab owner, dental laboratory, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental milling, dental podcast, dental professionals, dental technician, dental technology, dentures, design limitations, digital dentistry, digital dentures, digital technician, digital workflow, dry milling, e.max, education, efficiency, elvis dahl, esthetic restorations, esthetics, firing, firing protocols, flat tools, full-arch restorations, germany, glazing, hands-on training, hybrid milling, implant restorations, implant workflows, in-person education, infiltration liquids, innovation., ivoclar, ivoclar academy, ivotion, johnny jackson, lab life, laboratory efficiency, laboratory excellence, laboratory growth, laboratory innovation, laboratory management, laboratory workflow, lithium disilicate, maintenance, martin schmid, mentorship, milling, milling limitations, milling software, milling strategies, mississauga, nesting, pink esthetics, porcelain layering, precision, production efficiency, productivity, programmill, programmill 7, programmill cam, programmill dry, research and development, restoration design, restorative dentistry, restorative workflow, santa fe springs, screw channels, sintering, stain and glaze, support structures, technical support, technician skills, technician training, titanium milling, troubleshooting, veneers, voices from the bench, wet milling, white esthetics, wieland, workflow automation, workflow optimization, zirconia, zirconia veneers, zirconium oxide

Ivoclar is taking education to the next level with the new Ivoclar Academy, and Elvis sits down with Martin Schmid and Alyse Hifko to learn what makes these hands-on courses a game changer for today's dental technicians. From creating lifelike esthetics with Ceram Art to unlocking powerful features hidden inside ProgramMill CAM software, this episode is packed with practical tips that can help any lab improve its workflow, no matter their experience level.

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.