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.

From wire-bending machines and digital ortho workflows to Vulcanite dentures and photogrammetry, this episode from the DLAT floor is packed with stories, laughs, and a whole lot of dental lab wisdom.

First up, the crew sits down with Jason Dyas — better known these days as the man behind Ortho Outlaw and everyone’s favorite outlaw mascot, Clyde. Jason shares his journey from construction work and garage-built orthodontic appliances to running successful ortho labs and diving headfirst into digital technology. What started with fax-machine marketing and Walmart bench grinders eventually evolved into automated wire-bending machines, digital scanning, social media content creation, and a growing mission to help older labs embrace modern workflows instead of shutting their doors. The conversation covers everything from AI-driven ortho tech and the future of wire bending to building a brand, traveling to industry events around the world, and how Ortho Outlaw became one of the most recognizable new names in orthodontic lab social media.

Then the podcast catches up with longtime friend of the show Jim Collis for an incredible deep dive into 45 years of dental technology experience. Jim talks about teaching hands-on courses at DLAT, helping labs transition from analog workflows into digital dentures and 3D printing, and why education is still the key to success in modern dentistry. From discussing AI-assisted denture design and automated workflows to reminiscing about fixing Vulcanite dentures and the earliest days of implants, Jim delivers one amazing story after another. Along the way, he shares lessons from his CDT journey, the mentors who shaped his career, his passion for consulting and education, and why he still loves this industry after nearly five decades. It’s equal parts history lesson, technology discussion, and classic Voices From the Bench chaos — complete with Star Trek references, Slurpee stories, and enough off-topic tangents to make Barb proud.

Special Guests: Clyde, Jason Dyas, and Jim Collis CDT.

Over the years, we have talked to a lot of families in dental. Husband and wife. Fathers and Sons. Mothers and Daughters. Bothers. Sisters. But never have we talked to 5 family members at the same time all in the industry. Let us introduce you to the Szara's (sort of). Many of you might already know. First up is the guy that started it all, Wayne Szara Sr. Wayne went to technical school, he did dental technology in the Navy. After he opened up his own lab in his house and taught at the local dental technology program. He introduced the profession to his brother-in-law. Mike Capps (the non-Szara), who had the passion to be his own boss and went on to open a great lab outside of Chicago called Technic Dental Lab. Wayne had two sons that spent their youth with dad in the house working in the lab, and there was no way they couldn't be influnced to join this great industry. Wayne Szara Jr went through the school but took a different path and spent some time with Sterngold before spending the last 20 years with ZimVie teaching people around the world about implants and attachments. Steve Szara decided to get into Ortho, opened his own lab, and also created a name for himself online teaching and inspiring others in ortho lab work. And now, Steve's daughter Erin Szara after years helping her dad in his lab and growing up with all this dental inspiration, starts her journey in dental school to become the dentist that all the others originally wanted to be.

Elvis and Barb on Steve Szara and Cade Tippett YouTube channel from 2019!

Your digital inspiration is important to Ivoclar and they have the technology to support your digital future. Whether you are just about to introduce digital production into your laboratory, or if your laboratory is already set for the digital revolution – Ivoclar has the technology, support, and service package for YOUR specific needs. From the NEW and impressive PrograScan scanners to the PrograMill line up of milling systems and Programat furnaces, Ivoclar has you covered with technology AND trusted materials like Ivotion, e.max and ZirCAD Prime. All of this under one roof!

Customize YOUR Digital journey today by contacting your friendly Ivoclar sales representative!

Does your lab use Magic Touch? If not, you should think about switching just so you can use icortica. Icortica is a program that uses all the data you already collect in Magic Touch and puts it in one easy to see, use, and understand dashboard. Look at every account and see trends, sales, notes, payments, and even remake percentages. Use the data you already have to take your lab and your customer service to the next level. Elvis uses it daily and swears it is a huge part to his success working at the lab. Head over to icortica.com/voices to learn more or send an email to Rob Nazzal at rob@icortica.com and tell him you heard about it on Voices From the Bench!

Special Guests: Erin Szara, Mike Capps, Steven Szara, Wayne Szara CDT, and Wayne Szara Sr.