exocad workflows: what dentists and labs need to know

exocad is one of the two CAD platforms most dental laboratories design in, alongside 3Shape. If you are outsourcing design, you do not need a licence yourself — but understanding what the software expects makes the exchange far smoother.

What exocad needs from your scan

The designer imports your scanner export directly. Almost every scanner on the market produces a compatible file, but the case still needs to be complete.

• STL, PLY or OBJ for the prepared arch, the opposing arch and the bite
• The implant system, connection and scan body type for implant cases
• DICOM data if the case involves guided surgery or implant planning
• Photographs for shade and characterisation on anterior cases

The libraries question

For implant work the designer must hold the library for your specific implant system and scan body. This is the single most common cause of a delayed implant case. Name the system, diameter and connection in your first message, and the laboratory can confirm compatibility with the quote instead of discovering the problem mid-design.

Reviewing an exocad design

You do not need exocad to review a design. Ask for an STL and open it in any free viewer, or ask for screenshots of the margin line, the occlusal contacts and the emergence profile. A designer who is confident in their work will send these without being asked.

Training versus outsourcing

Learning exocad is a real investment — a licence, a training course and months of case volume before you are faster than an experienced designer. For a practice or a small laboratory doing a handful of digital cases a week, outsourcing the design is almost always cheaper and produces better results sooner. Bring it in-house when the volume justifies it, not before.

Working with an exocad designer remotely

On LabMatch you can filter laboratories by the software they work in, compare portfolios and indicative prices, and send the case into a private workspace. The quote comes first, the design comes back for approval, and payment unlocks the final files.