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 In our dental laboratories facilities, we use a variety of dental milling technologies including the Cercon system. A few weeks ago, we received a letter offering a FREE UPGRADE of our Cercon Dental Milling Software, but before we committed to the upgrade, we did a bit of research and ended up not doing the upgrade, at least for now.
When a large manufacturer offers something out of the blue like this, you should probably ask yourself, WHY IS THIS UPGRADE FREE?
TNSTAAFL = There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
The reason that the upgrade is free is that it will link your system almost irreversably to Cercon's brand of zirconia blocks, which could cost you $1000 to $3000 per month in additional media costs. While aftermarket zirconia manufacturers are searching for a work-around, the best thing to do at this point is wait on the upgrade.
Cercon's brand of zirconia blocks cost much more than competitive blocks, which have the same strength ratings (950 MPa) and often higher translucency (as much as 30% higher) and better warranties (lifetime, in some cases). So, what is the difference? The difference is price - Cercon wants to lock you into paying their price,
With the lab tech business in the US under pressure from discounters and off-shore outsourcing, the last thing you want is to be forced to buy more expensive materials over the entire life of your milling machine. The decision to upgrade to the new cercon software will make your lab instantly non-competitive.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of Cercon blocks compared to the higher translucency cercon-compatible blocks that we use in house:
| Comparison |
Cercon |
Other |
Difference |
| Cost of Box of 5 C-12 Blocks |
$177.30 |
$125.00 |
Save 30%
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| Cost of Box of 5 C-30 Blocks |
$555.20 |
$337.00 |
Save 40% |
| Cost of Box of 5 C-38 Blocks |
$730.70 |
$443.00 |
Save 40% |
| Cost of one C47 Block |
$377.50 |
$217.50 |
Save 42% |
| Media Hardness |
950 MPa |
950 MPa |
same |
| Hardness after Sintering |
1350 MPa |
1350 MPa |
same |
| Translucency |
standard
|
high
|
30% Better |
| Warranty |
1 year |
Lifetime |
Better |
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Consider an Open System: Currently, there are several manufacturers of "closed" milling machines, and their business model is to sell the machines to you cheaply so that they can lock you into their media (the razor and razor-blade model of marketing). However, there are also several manufacturers of open systems which allow you to purchase the most economical materials. We suggest that you consider one of the following OPEN milling systems as you expand your automated milling needs:
Want to know more? If you own a Cercon Milling system and want more info on the upgrade, or are considering purchasing the Cercon system, please use the contact us page to get more of our experience with this product.
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