If your lab is considering a remote CAD partner, compare the working hours, design handoff, file formats, review process and data handling. A provider’s location alone does not tell you whether those arrangements will work for your cases.
If you need white-label capacity for your own caseload, see how our dental CAD support for labs is set up for overflow, holiday cover and recurring work.
When an external CAD team can help
Consider outsourcing when your current design queue needs:
- Overflow capacity when more scans arrive than your designers can complete by the agreed deadline.
- Holiday or vacancy cover without adding a permanent role for a temporary gap.
- Specialist design capacity for indications or implant libraries your team does not handle every day.
Compare the workflow, not just the location
Ask each prospective partner for concrete answers about:
- Working-hour overlap. When are inquiries answered, cases accepted and revisions reviewed in your time zone? When does the promised turnaround begin?
- File transfer and data handling. How are scans shared, stored and deleted? What patient information is actually needed for design? Ask for the contractual and privacy information your organisation requires.
- Case communication. Can the designer work from your prescription, material constraints, implant library and preferred contact or occlusal settings? Who clarifies missing records?
- Production compatibility. Will you receive an editable exocad project, STL exports or both, in a version that fits your lab’s milling or printing workflow?
Patient data: Share only the information needed for the design, follow your organisation's privacy process, and confirm the transfer and contract arrangements before uploading records. Your privacy adviser can assess any legal requirements for your specific workflow.
What “EU-based” means for your workflow
If you and your design partner have overlapping working hours, you can:
- Clarify incomplete records during the same working day.
- Agree on a practical deadline before the design clock starts.
- Review and request changes while both teams are available.
For the service scope and supported indications, see our exocad design services.
Questions to ask any outsourcing partner before you start
- Do your designers work natively in exocad, or are they converting files from another CAD platform?
- Can you show me a demo case built for the indication I send most?
- What are your standard SLA commitments for turnaround, and what happens if they’re missed?
- How is patient data handled, and is an NDA or DPA available?
- Is pricing per designed tooth, with no flat case fee or monthly minimum?
- Are revisions included unconditionally?
Red flags to avoid
- No clear data handling policy or refusal to sign an NDA
- Turnaround claims that don’t account for time zone differences
- Revision charges or caps on revision rounds
- Monthly minimum case commitments
- “exocad compatible” rather than “native exocad” — these are different things
CAD design with a 12-hour standard turnaround
Tell us your indication, records and deadline. We confirm the scope and arrange secure file transfer before design starts. Start with two CAD elements (teeth) free, from one case or two different cases.
Claim 2 free elements →