What is the secret to success?

It rarely just depends on what one does, but also on how and why you got there. Success not only involves skills and knowledge, but above all there is dedication and a commitment to value. For many years, Zfx Dental has been a leader in the manufacturing of custom prosthetic components as well as being a provider of equipment to support the digital work flow. They have often set new standards in this field including the Zfx Inhouse5x milling machine. At the Zfx Development Centre in Bolzano (South Tyrol) we spoke with DT Andreas Geier, one of the two managing directors of Zfx Dental, about the secret of success of the Inhouse5x milling machine

Mr. Geier, Do you still remember when laboratory work involved waxing and casting?
Of course, as a trained dental technician I am very experienced in traditional, manuallaboratory procedures. This background has become an important basis for all Zfx developments. Only through the foundation of sound dental technical-oriented thinking we can develop our products so that the user benefits in everyday laboratory practice.

As one of the two directors of Zfx Dental you live for CAD/CAM. What is the appeal of the Zfx Inhouse5x milling machine?
This is not quite correct. I do not live for CAD/CAM, but for dental technology. These are two different things for me. It is not enough to only have knowledge of computer-aided design and manufacturing technology to development a world-class dental CAD/CAM system and the associated components. There must be an understanding of why certain applications are useful. This is the famous „why“ question. The goal at Zfx Dental hasalways been to support the work of the dental technician and ensure that the processescan be made more efficiently without compromising in the end result. To accomplish this objective the system must follow the laboratory procedure while staying within accepted dental parameters. The development of the Zfx Inhouse5x incorporates not only has my knowledge and experience, but also that of my colleagues in the project design andCAD/CAM development teams. With the Zfx Inhouse5x we did not want to just developanother CAD / CAM system, but rather create an open milling machine that is designedprecisely to fit the requirements of daily laboratory work. With this motivation in mind, wehave developed, tested and continuously optimized the system. That in my opinion is one of the recipes for success.

Now almost every vendor says his milling machine is “innovative”. What elevates the ZFX-inhouse5x above other CAD / CAM systems?
Through the feedback from our global franchise partners we have developed a deep insight into the requirements and have access to a pool of “real cases” involving over 100,000 units. The biggest innovation from my vantage point is that we have fed these collective experiences into the machine. Zfx Inhouse5x is a milling machine developed by dental technicians for dental technicians. Optimal dynamics, precision in all five axes and the ability to wet and dry mill in a solid, compact unit are unrivaled.

Where is the machine manufactured and how is production accomplished?
The milling machine is manufactured by Zfx, allowing us to maintain control and utilize ourexpertise. This requires a bit more effort on our part, but ultimately results in a higher quality and increased customer satisfaction. Some supporting components are provided by suppliers under tight quality control.

The machine has had two successful years on the market. Are new announcements coming soon?
Due to high interest in the unit and the many new materials now available in the dental market, we are working on hardware and software upgrades. At the 2015 IDS in Cologne we will unveil a re-design of the housing unit as well as new automation solutions for single-tooth restorations including utilization of pre-manufactured implant abutment blanks – just to name a few.