Time is money — and in the dental laboratory that is literally true. When Ivoclar introduced a new generation of IPS e.max ZirCAD with fast-sintering protocols, it did not just change a number on a display. It changed the entire rhythm of the work.
01The ProblemWhy Conventional Sintering Held Up the Workflow
Traditional zirconia sintering cycles took four to eight hours. A whole day spent waiting for a single crown. The laboratory had to plan its work a day ahead, urgent cases were a nightmare, and a chairside workflow was practically impossible.
Ivoclar answered this problem with reworked material chemistry and an optimized temperature profile — in two complementary solutions for the laboratory and for chairside practice.
02Two Paths, One GoalZirCAD Prime and ZirCAD MT Multi
Chairside: ZirCAD Prime Block + Programat CS6 — 15 minutes
IPS e.max ZirCAD Prime Block is a chairside solution for single-visit treatment. After milling in CEREC systems (MC X, MC XL, Primemill), the crown is sintered in the Programat CS6 furnace in just 15 minutes. The result is a full-value zirconia restoration with a strength of 1 100 MPa — with no compromise in quality.
Labside: ZirCAD MT Multi + Programat S1 — 75 minutes
For laboratories working with discs, IPS e.max ZirCAD MT Multi offers a speed program in the Programat S1 furnace that shortens the sintering of a single-tooth crown to approximately 75 minutes. Compared with the conventional overnight cycle (5–8 hours) this is a dramatic reduction that makes it possible to complete urgent work within a single working day.
03Strength and EstheticsWhere the Material Really Shines
Speed would be worthless if the material paid for it in strength or esthetics. And here comes the most important message: it does not.
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Japanese Dental Science Review (2023) analyzed 26 studies and clearly showed that fast sintering has no statistically significant effect on the translucency, three-point or biaxial flexural strength, or fracture toughness of yttria-stabilized zirconia. The material retains its clinically relevant properties regardless of cycle length.
IPS e.max ZirCAD MT Multi combines two zirconia grades in a single blank: 4Y-TZP in the dentin zone provides a strength of 850 MPa, while 5Y-TZP in the incisal zone delivers high translucency. The result is a multilayer gradient from cervical opacity to incisal translucency — in a single blank. Monolithic restorations therefore look natural without the need for porcelain layering, which further shortens laboratory time and eliminates the risk of veneering-ceramic chipping.
04StrengthsWhat You Get in a Single System
The new generation of ZirCAD is not just about speed. It is a comprehensive upgrade:
- Strength of 850–1 100 MPa depending on the variant — reliable for anterior and posterior monolithic crowns and bridges
- Multilayer gradient (MT Multi: 4Y-TZP dentin + 5Y-TZP incisal) for natural cervico-incisal esthetics in a single blank
- Chairside workflow — ZirCAD Prime Block + Programat CS6 makes a restoration possible with 15 minutes of sintering
- Labside speed sintering — ZirCAD MT Multi in the Programat S1 in 75 minutes instead of 4–8 hours
- Monolithic construction — no layering, no risk of veneering-ceramic chipping
- Ivoclar's proven platform — building on the e.max system with more than two decades of clinical data
Speed sintering with the Programat CS6 delivers a complete sintering cycle in just 15 minutes — enabling true single-visit restorations without compromising material integrity.
Ivoclar · IPS e.max ZirCAD Prime product documentation
05Clinical ImpactWhat This Means for Practice
For a laboratory working in tandem with a clinic, fast sintering is a direct economic argument. Urgent crowns with MT Multi can be delivered the same day — a 75-minute sintering cycle means that milling in the morning and finished work in the afternoon is a realistic scenario, not an exception.
For a chairside practice with the Programat CS6 and the ZirCAD Prime Block it goes even further: a restoration from milling to the final crown within a single visit. Fewer provisionals, shorter treatment time, more satisfied patients.
Zirconia has always been a material of the future. With IPS e.max ZirCAD and fast sintering it is finally also a material for this afternoon.
Tým za platformou Cicero. Píšeme o digitalizaci ordinací, klinickém workflow a o tom, jak technologie mění každodenní praxi.