Desktop Health, a healthcare business within Desktop Metal, Inc. committed to developing 3D printing and biofabrication solutions for personalized medicine, today announced the appointment of industry veteran, Lou Azzara, to advance its digital dental healthcare strategy with dental laboratories and its global dental practice for 3D printing technology solutions.
Azzara will lead a best-in-class team focused on increasing digital transformation across the Desktop Health platform. Leveraging dental labs’ core capabilities, this dedicated team will design and implement the workflows and infrastructure to support innovative 3D printing technologies, resins, and software solutions, to build the most dynamic and competitive platform within the dental ecosystem.
“Dental parts is a $30 billion market with 10 percent digital workflow1. This represents a massive opportunity to deploy our technology and team to increase digital reliance,” said Michael Jafar, President & CEO of Desktop Health. "This platform will also serve as a key manufacturing advantage for our future healthcare applications."
Azzara’s distinguished career spans nearly 30 years, creating and scaling breakthrough healthcare products, most notably in the dental healthcare industry. He recently served as CEO of the Dental Services Group® (DSG) where he led the company through an acquisition that resulted in the creation of the second largest dental laboratory network in the world. In addition, he was co-founder of one of the most recognized brand names in the dental world, CaptekTM. Previously, he led the development of Argen Digital, the largest digital solution center serving the dental laboratory, and for several years, provided digital technology and advanced restorative solutions to the dental industry at BEGO® USA. Azzara is actively engaged within the dental industry, serving in numerous advisory roles as well as supporting dental and technology education.
"We are at a period of monumental advancements in digital dentistry where we can dramatically influence a paradigm shift in personalized medical device manufacturing methods,” said Azzara. “Desktop Health is building a platform that allows us to be closer to the customer and, for the first time, invest in the inherent DNA within dental laboratories to deliver personalized end-products that are rooted in research and innovation. Through this initiative, Desktop Health will be the first to invest in the end-to-end ecosystem of the dental lab, putting disruptive technology-based solutions into their hands to enhance their workflow. This will allow us to be available to every single dental lab in the industry and leverage global manufacturing capacity to service a broader healthcare community.”
Desktop Health’s business is focused on bringing additive manufacturing (AM) technology to the dental and healthcare community to improve patient outcomes, turn-around times and pricing. Over the past several months, Desktop Health has acquired Beacon Bio, developer of biofabrication capabilities (currently in late stage R&D) and introduced several breakthrough materials for the development of dental device applications, including chrome cobalt as well as FDA 510(k)-cleared FlexceraTM Base and FlexceraTM Smile alongside a powerful AM technology portfolio that includes EnvisionTECTM print platforms and Desktop Metal’s high-speed metal binder jetting technology, the Shop SystemTM.
“Through innovation and science-based solutions, we are bringing added value to our dental and healthcare customers and their patients,” said Jafar. “Desktop Health is the only business with the speed, capabilities and now go-to-market partnerships, to create a technology-advanced parts platform with additive manufacturing at its core that will enhance the client experience and impact the future of personalized dental device manufacturing.”
1 Source: Global Industry Analysts, Inc., Dental Laboratories – Global Market Trajectory & Analytics (July 2020).
