Dental, Orthodontic & Prosthetics Manufacturing worked example

Scan-to-Production Lead-Time Buffer with average daily case demand of 600 cases / day: a worked example

This worked example runs the scan-to-production lead-time buffer numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: average daily case demand of 600 cases / day instead of the typical 1,200 cases / day. Estimate case buffer needed while digital scans move through intake, design, approval, nesting, printing, milling, or fabrication release.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Average daily case demand: 600 cases / day (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 1,200)
  • Scan-to-production lead time: 85 days (held at the documented default)
  • Digital workflow buffer: 1.1 cases (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Lead-time case demand = average daily case demand × scan-to-production lead time.
  • Protected days of supply works out to 6.42 days at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Unprotected days works out to 7.06 days at these inputs.
  • Inventory works out to 600 pieces at these inputs.
  • Daily usage works out to 85 pieces / day at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where average daily case demand sits at 1,200 cases / day and the headline result is 12.83 days, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 6.42 days.
  • Use it when setting WIP targets for a digital lab, onboarding a new high-volume clinic account, or diagnosing why finishing cells keep stalling between scan intake and production. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Protected days of supply: 6.42 days (headline result)
  • Unprotected days: 7.06 days
  • Inventory: 600 pieces
  • Daily usage: 85 pieces / day

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Scan-to-Production Lead-Time Buffer calculator, set average daily case demand to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.