Voices from The Bench

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.

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.

422: Renata Budny, Roberto Rossi, & Eugene Vega: The Never Ending Education in a Dental Lab

April 27th, 2026  |  1 hr 3 mins

3d printing, aesthetics, analog dentistry, anatomy, artistry, asiga, bench work, boutique lab, cad/cam, career development, career growth, career pathways, case acceptance, case planning, ceramics, city tech, collaboration, communication, continuing education, cosmetic dentistry, craftsmanship, crown and bridge, custom shade, dental, dental education, dental industry, dental lab life, dental materials, dental milling, dental printers, dental school, dental students, dental technician, dental technology, dentist relationships, dentures, diagnostic wax-up, digital dentistry, digital impressions, digital transition, digital workflow, efficiency, emax, employee culture, entrepreneurship, exocad, experience vs education, finishing, fixed prosthetics, full arch, future of dentistry, graduation, hands-on training, high-end lab, hiring, implant restorations, implants, impressions, industry challenges, innovation, lab efficiency, lab environment, lab growth, lab management, lab owner, lab perks, lab startup, lab to doctor, lab workflow, laboratory, layering, leadership, mentorship, mentorship in dentistry, milling, model work, morphology, motivation, new york city college of technology, occlusion, patient experience, polishing, porcelain, problem solving, production lab, productivity, prosthodontics, qc, quality control, removable, scaling a lab, scanning, shade matching, small business, smile design, synergy, team culture, teamwork, technician, technician retention, technician shortage, technology adoption, time management, training, troubleshooting, voices from the bench, wax-up, work ethic, work-life balance, workflow management, zirconia

Elvis reunites with Renata Bundy alongside lab owner Roberto Rossi and technician Eugene Vega for a conversation that connects education to real-world lab life. They share how technicians often start with little experience, face early challenges, and need the right mentorship and environment to grow. Roberto highlights building a quality-driven lab while navigating digital workflows, and Renata reflects on preparing students for those realities.