Glidewell Laboratories, currently the world's largest dental laboratory, is manufacturing crowns and bridges with Roland desktop milling machines. The parts are milled in about eight minutes and then cast in gold or used to create tooth-colored crowns.

"Roland's Rapid Custom Manufacturing (RCM) technology is changing our industry."

"Roland's Rapid Custom Manufacturing (RCM) technology is changing our industry," said Jim Glidewell, president of Glidewell Laboratories. "Our crowns and bridges drop right into place and require little to no chair-side adjustment. Turnaround times are less than five days."

Glidewell starts with the physical model of a patient's teeth and, using a 3D scanner, creates a perfect digital replica. This allows technicians to design and manufacture models that can be cast in gold or ceramic for crowns and bridges with a perfect, custom fit.

From prototype to final production, Roland RCM technology makes it possible to quickly produce parts that are a custom fit for each patient. RCM enables medical manufacturers to customize their designs on a case by case basis.

The technology offers a major improvement over current clinical processes, such as mass-producing one-size-fits-all parts or tediously hand sculpting unique parts. Roland RCM solutions offer the flexibility to choose from a wide range of FDA-approved materials.

Roland MDX and JWX series milling machines produce highly detailed parts with smooth surface finishes and tight tolerances. They are ideal for producing prototypes, medical implants and other RCM parts from wood, brass, aluminum and a wide range of plastics. Roland RCM solutions come complete with CAM software, creating a seamless workflow with all major 3D CAD applications.