How do I send 3Shape files to a design service?

Send the complete scan set for the case (STL, PLY or OBJ from any intraoral or desktop scanner) together with a work ticket. If your lab uses 3Shape Communicate, you can ask your partner whether to send through it; otherwise the partner sets up a case exchange with your lab.

What should a dental lab include in a work ticket for outsourced CAD design?

Include the restoration type and tooth numbers, the material, your mill or printer, and your design preferences such as contact strength, occlusal clearance, cement gap and minimum thickness. For implant cases, name the implant system.

How do I check the quality of an outsourced dental design before milling?

Choose a partner that reviews every case before delivery, sends a preview you can inspect, and treats the case as unfinished until your lab approves it. Ask for refinements before milling or printing, not after.

How to Send 3Shape Design Cases to an Outsourcing Partner: Files, Deadlines and QA

When a dental lab starts outsourcing CAD design, the design itself is rarely where time is lost. Time is lost in the hand-off: a missing bite scan, a work ticket without a material, a question that waits a full day for an answer. This guide walks through what to prepare before you send your first 3Shape case to a design partner, so the case comes back ready for your mill or printer.

It is written for lab owners and CAD/CAM technicians. It covers files and communication between labs and design services, not clinical decisions.

Step 1: Send the right scan files

SubDesignCenter accepts scans from any intraoral or desktop scanner as STL, PLY or OBJ files. Whichever partner you work with, completeness matters more than format.

Crowns and bridges: prep scan, opposing scan and bite scan.
Implant restorations: a scan with the scan bodies captured, plus the name of the implant system.
All-on-X / full arch: scan-body scans, a scan of the approved setup or existing prosthesis, and the bite.
Models and bases: the scan file, plus the model type and the printer you will print on.

If your lab already works in 3Shape Communicate, ask your partner whether you can send that way. SubDesignCenter sets up a case exchange that fits each lab, and labs on 3Shape Communicate can also send through it. Each of our service pages lists what to send for that case type.

Step 2: Write a work ticket your designer can act on

A scan without a ticket forces your designer to guess or to wait. A useful ticket answers four questions:

What is the restoration? Tooth numbers, type, number of units.
What material? Designs are prepared for the material named on the ticket.
Which machine? Your mill or printer, so the file is prepared for your workflow.
What are your design preferences? Contact strength, occlusal clearance, cement gap and minimum thickness.

Preferences are worth writing down once in full. A good partner keeps them on file and applies them to every case from your lab, so you stop repeating them on each ticket.

Step 3: Keep patient information to the minimum

Your design partner needs enough to keep cases organized, and no more. At SubDesignCenter, the patient's first name and your lab's case number are all we need. Leave out last names, dates of birth and contact details. Patient gender and approximate age can help shape the design, but they are optional.

Also check file names before you send. A file name that combines a full name and a date can identify a patient even if the ticket does not.

Step 4: Agree on deadlines before the first case

Deadlines work best when they are agreed in advance, not negotiated per case. Ask your partner three things:

What is the standard turnaround, and does it count business days? At SubDesignCenter, the standard turnaround for crown and bridge, implant and model cases is 2 business days.
How are multi-stage cases scheduled? Full-arch All-on-X stages follow a schedule agreed for each case.
When does work actually start? SubDesignCenter works on Korean time, so cases U.S. labs send in their evening are designed while the lab is closed.

Step 5: Build QA into the loop

Outsourcing should not remove your quality control; it should move it to the right place. Look for three things in a partner's QA process:

A review step before delivery. Every SubDesignCenter case is reviewed before it is sent back.
An easy way to check the design. A 3D preview link lets you inspect and approve a design in a web viewer on a phone or PC.
Clear approval. A case is finished when your lab approves it. If something needs to change, you request a refinement and the designer adjusts.

At SubDesignCenter, every case also includes a conversation with the designer about material choice, design decisions and how the design will mill or print.

Pre-send checklist

Complete scan set for the case type (prep, opposing, bite, or scan bodies)
Files exported as STL, PLY or OBJ
Work ticket names restoration, tooth numbers and material
Implant system named (implant and All-on-X cases)
Mill or printer noted
Design preferences sent once and confirmed on file
Patient first name and lab case number only, with no last name, date of birth or contact details
File names checked for identifying information
Turnaround and approval steps agreed in writing

Start with a test case

The fastest way to find gaps in a hand-off is to run a few real cases through it. New labs can send SubDesignCenter three free test cases (crowns, or bridges of up to 3 units) to check the file exchange, the ticket format and the review loop before committing.

If you want to talk through how your lab sends cases, reach us through the contact section on our site. Design prices are on our pricing page.