Dental Lab Equipment Key Terms

Learn the uses of common dental lab equipment

Whether you're stocking a dental lab or you want to get into the dental business, you will need to know some of the key terms used to describe dental lab equipment. Equipment and supplies such as casting machines, vacuum mixing units, abrasive blasters, dental duplicators and milling machines are machines used in the process of cleaning and creating dental structures such as crowns, fillings and dentures. Other equipment, such as dust collectors, help keep a dental lab clean.

 

Casting machines

Casting machines melt alloys and cast dental structures such as crowns. When selecting a casting machine, you should choose one that produces a strong centrifugal force in order to create dense castings.
Try: To learn more, visit Canyon State Dental Supply, which has pictures of casting machines and offers more information on them.

Dust collectors

Dust collectors are machines that keep your dental lab clean and sanitary. Choose a dust collector that has a good filter system which is capable of filtering plastic particles and dust.
Try: Visit the website for Handler Manufacturing to get more information about dust collectors and to see several examples.

Vacuum mixing units

Vacuum mixing units mix quick setting materials such as plaster and silicone. A good machine will produce mixes that are smooth and free of bubbles.
Try: Check out InterguideDental.com to view a variety of vacuum mixing units. You can click the pictures to learn more about each product's features.

Abrasive blasters

An abrasive blaster is an enclosed unit used to clean or treat the surfaces of dental castings. They include a system to capture and filter debris.
Try: Buydentalequimpent.com has pictures of several models of abrasive blasters. You can click each model name to learn more about the features and capabilities of abrasive blasters.

Denture duplicator

If a patient damages his or her dentures beyond repair, you can use denture duplicators to easily make a copy of a patient's dentures.
Try: Go to Lang Dental Manufacturing to learn more. It shows a good example of a denture duplicator, explains the benefits of the machine and describes what is in a denture duplicator kit.

Milling machine

A milling machine cuts a dental crown or other structure from a block of dental ceramic. Milling machines can cut to very exact specifications, making them ideal for creating something as small as a dental crown.
Try: Dental-Milling-Machines.com explains the configurations of dental milling machines.

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