Which Dental Mill Cuts Which Material: Compatibility Matrix
The single most common pre-sales question we get is whether a given mill can cut titanium or glass ceramic. The answer is not a marketing claim, it is a machine configuration: dry mills handle the polymer and zirconia family, and the wet configuration is what unlocks the metal and glass-ceramic family.
Every mill in our range cuts zirconia, PMMA, wax, PEEK and composite resin. That is the baseline, not a differentiator. What actually separates the models is whether the machine is configured for wet milling, because coolant is what makes titanium, CoCr and glass ceramic practical to machine in a dental lab.
The matrix below is generated from the current product data, so it reflects exactly what we publish for each model rather than a summary written once and forgotten.
Machine × material matrix
Read this as the material list each model is specified for. The machine column links to the full specification page, including the spindle, axis count and tool capacity that determine how fast the material can actually be removed.
| الطراز | المواد | التكوين | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDM5D 5-Axis Dental Milling Machine | Zirconia, PMMA, Wax, PEEK, Composite resin | جاف | عرض |
| CDM5DW 5-Axis Dental Milling Machine | Zirconia, PMMA, Wax, PEEK, Composite resin | جاف | عرض |
| CDM5Z 5-Axis Dental Milling Machine | Zirconia, PMMA, Wax, PEEK, Composite resin | جاف | عرض |
| CDM5Z-Pro 5-Axis Dental Milling Machine | Zirconia, PMMA, Wax, PEEK, Composite resin | جاف | عرض |
| M600 5-Axis Dental Milling Machine | Zirconia, PMMA, Wax, PEEK, Composite resin | جاف | عرض |
| SDM5T 5-Axis Dental Milling Machine | Zirconia, PMMA, Wax, PEEK, Composite resin | جاف | عرض |
| ماكينة طحن الأسنان المدمجة SDM6T بخمسة محاور | الزركونيا, PMMA, الشمع, PEEK, الراتنج المركب, سيراميك الزجاج, CoCr (خيار رطب) | جاف + رطب | عرض |
Why wet milling exists
Titanium, CoCr and glass ceramic all put heat into the tool and the workpiece. In dry milling that heat has nowhere to go: the tool edge softens, the material work-hardens or chips, and dimensional accuracy goes with it. A coolant circuit removes the heat at the cut, which is why these materials are machined wet.
On the SDM6T the wet configuration is a machine option, not a software setting. It adds the coolant circuit and the tooling that goes with it, which is why the dry and wet configurations are quoted separately rather than as one price.
A machine specified for dry milling cannot be converted to wet milling by changing the CAM strategy. The coolant circuit is hardware. If titanium or glass ceramic is on your roadmap, specify the wet configuration at the point of order.
What the matrix does not promise
A machine that can cut a material is not the same as a workflow that can finish it. Three things sit outside the machine column and are worth checking before you buy for a material you have not run before.
- The tool. Every material family has its own bur geometry and coating. A machine capable of titanium with a zirconia bur in the spindle will still produce a scrapped part — the bur selection page covers the matching.
- The CAM strategy. Feed, step-down, step-over and the toolpath order all change with the material. The machine profile we ship includes strategies for the supported materials, but the values still have to be checked against the blank supplier's data sheet.
- The finishing step. Zirconia needs sintering, glass ceramic needs crystallization, and both change the dimensions of the milled part. Milling accuracy only becomes restoration accuracy once that step is under control.
Choosing on material, not on model number
If your lab is a zirconia and PMMA shop, a dry mill is the right purchase and paying for a coolant circuit buys you nothing. If you produce implant bars in titanium, custom abutments in CoCr, or chairside glass-ceramic restorations, the wet configuration is the requirement and everything else is secondary.
A useful way to settle it: list the materials you milled last month and the materials you expect to mill in two years. Buy for the second list, because the material mix of a dental lab changes faster than the machine does.
- 1List current materials
Write down every material the lab processed in the last three months, with an approximate share of the workload.
- 2List the 24-month plan
Add the materials the lab intends to bring in-house, especially titanium, CoCr or glass ceramic.
- 3Check the finishing equipment
Zirconia needs a sintering furnace and glass ceramic needs a crystallization furnace. Confirm both exist before specifying the mill.
- 4Match the configuration
Dry configuration for the zirconia and polymer family, wet configuration for the metal and glass-ceramic family.
الأسئلة الشائعة
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