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 Dental Laboratory Milling Supplies, who introduced the very successfull Crystal Zirconia line of Dental Zirconia three years ago, became the first (and still only) company to produce a zirconia block for the Sirona inLab milling systems for under $10.00 US. Unveiled in the October 2009 issues of Dental Lab Products magazine and Laboratory Management Technician magazine, the new zDent line of dental zirconia is currently being produced ONLY for Sirona inLab equipment at this time, but Scott Atkin, President of DLMS, offered "We're partnering with HC Starck from Germany on this product, because they are THE worldwide leader in ceramic materials science, quality, and precision manufacturing. Our smaller zDent blocks are created with a brand new state-of-the-art uniaxal press, which is specifically designed for smaller precision block-forming."
According to the www.zDent.com website, the zDent line is a medium-translucency formulation with a polished finish, not as milky or opaque as some other zirconia, while maintaining a strength rating of more than 1400 MPa. The new website not only allows dental laboratories to purchase the materials online, but they can also download Material Safety Data Sheets, Instructions for Use, and Sintering Instructions directly from the site. In a market where technical details and layers of ever-changing standards and information often makes maintaining complete customer information difficult, zdent.com is the first website we have seen to offer full transparency of information regarding prices, materials, and processes, answering every question we could come up with, most of it in the sliding panels on their front page.
HC Starck manufactures the zDent blocks for Sirona inLab milling machines in an ISO 9001 certified manufacturing facility based in Germany. HC Stark is a worldwide company with thousands of employees and more than a dozen locations throughout Eurpope, the US, and Asia. While HC Starck is known worldwide as a ceramic and metal powder manufacturer, they are using Tosoh brand zirconia powders from Japan to manufacture zDent blocks -- Tosoh brand powders are the finest zirconia powders in the world right now, with more than 80% market share in dental applications of zirconia. HC Starck has been successfully manufacting their own line of zirconia blocks for distribution in Europe, and has signed an exclusive manufacturing agreement with DLMS to create the zDent blocks specifically for the North American market.
With OEM zirconia costing sometimes two or three times comparable prices of zDent materials, the new lower pricing is definately expected to make a stir. Scott offered, "Our Crystal Zirconia line is currently #1 in the US market, and it offers more variety and a better warranty than ever available in this market. However, in recent months, and especially as the economy declined, we were truly disappointed to see some of our customers accept a much lower grade of zirconia from China or elsewhere just to save a dollar or two. When we met with the folks at HC Starck, who had not been able to break into the US market because of fierce competition here, we told them that the ONLY way that a new product could compete in the US would be with BOTH industry-best-pricing and industry-leading standards of quality. The vision for the zDent product line was born out of a decision to use the economies of internet-focussed marketing combined with high volume highly efficient HC Starck manufacturing processes.
For more information on zDent, visit www.zdent.com or call DLMS at 480-948-0466. |
