Automating the Model Printing Workflow
HeyGears UltraCraft A3D offers time and labor savings with its large platform and intelligent mass production
October 1, 2024
Volume 15, Issue 8, October 2024
Page(s): p. 16
With a dental technician career spanning 52 years and two continents, Claudio Bucceri, owner of Swiss Dental & Technical Art in Seattle, has learned the value of quality products and customer service. It all started in Switzerland, where Bucceri was born and raised. He completed his 4-year apprenticeship and worked there for several years before relocating to the United States to work for Los Angeles-based dental laboratory in 1978. Two years later, he moved to Seattle to work in-house for a dentist before starting his own laboratory.
Over the years, Bucceri's laboratory has taken many forms, from building up to a large laboratory with a partner, to splitting off and buying his own laboratory again. He grew his team to 22 employees and then shrunk it back down to 10, where he feels he can operate in the ways he prefers.
That said, with fewer employees, each pulls more weight, and when the employee who operated his two 3D printers left, Bucceri found himself having to step in to ensure work continued. "This employee was primarily dealing with these two printers, loading them, printing, cleaning, etc., all day long," Bucceri says. "Operating those printers was really a full-time job all on its own, and suddenly I was doing it all on top of my usual workload. I was there on weekends printing because every two hours I had to change the plate and reload, so I was pretty tired."
Luckily for Bucceri, it was around that time that he was introduced to the HeyGears UltraCraft A3D printer at Lab Day West in Anaheim, California. The UltraCraft A3D is a fully automated 3D printer capable of intelligent mass production for 24/7 operation without manual supervision. It features automated resin refill in just 150 seconds, automated parts removal in just 90 seconds, and delivers the printed product in a smart case layout to cut down sorting time. With its AI-powered model design, it cuts down the workflow for model printing from 5 minutes/model to 1 minute and will trim and fix models, generate unsectioned models with dies, and add articulators and labels.
Although Bucceri was hesitant to invest more money on 3D printing when he already had two printers that he liked and that worked well, he couldn't deny that automation would help make up for the loss of his employee, so he decided to take a chance. "Installing this machine really was a game-changer," he says. "It basically replaced the employee I'd lost, and even when I hired a new employee, they were able to immediately learn how to use it, and it greatly improved the printing workflow. The automation allows you to load the machine before you leave in the evening, and the next day you have 50 models that are cut off and ready to clean and cure. And being able to do 50 models in 1 load instead of 5 or 6 also improves efficiency and allows us more time to invest in other aspects of the case."
Although Bucceri was also a bit hesitant about the UltraCraft A3D being a closed system, he has come to appreciate that HeyGears can provide everything he needs to print and offers deals for buying resin in bulk. "Between the reduction in my labor costs, and the savings I get buying large amounts of resin at a time, my investment in the UltraCraft A3D has really paid off," he says.
In addition to efficiency and maintaining a balanced workload, Bucceri also values building strong relationships with his dentist clients and with his manufacturers. He appreciates when dentists understand and appreciate what the laboratory work entails and when his manufacturers are present and generous with their support. "I value loyalty and good communication and clients who truly appreciate the work that we do in the laboratory," Bucceri says. "Everybody seems to be chasing the last dollar and looking for the lowest possible price. Many dentists today have started to view laboratory work as just a commodity they order, it arrives, and that is it. They don't even know where it comes from or what is involved"
Similarly, Bucceri appreciates that the HeyGears team is invested in his success with the machines he has purchased and that they are responsive when support or maintenance is needed. "I actually liked the people that I worked with on my previous 3D printers," Bucceri says, "but there was a time difference that made getting a quick response and scheduling support very difficult. With HeyGears, everything is done by text or phone call, and the responses are immediate so I am never waiting around with my printer offline. In addition, HeyGears has a maintenance program in which they come out to my laboratory every 3 months to service the machines.
Bucceri became such a fan of working with HeyGears, that he now also has two other HeyGears machines that are dedicated for printing night guards, so the UltraCraft A3D can be dedicated for bulk printing models.
HeyGears UltraCraft A3D is designed for fully automated and intelligent dental lab production, featuring automated resin refill and part removal to minimize manual intervention, large-scale production capability for consistent and high-quality printing, a large build volume for accommodating bigger and more complex prints, and 12-hour unmanned production overnight to enhance productivity and operational efficiency.
For more information, contact:
HeyGears, Inc.
https://www.heygears.com/
949-418-9418
