406: Stuart Steinbock: Lean, Keen, and Milling Machines
Barb and Elvis talk with Stuart Steinbock about his deep family roots in dental manufacturing, the evolution of Whip Mix, and how lean thinking and product development helped shape modern lab workflows. Stuart also shares his journey beyond the family business into startups, 3D printing, orthodontic labs, and ultimately leading Digital Dental. It’s an honest conversation about innovation, entrepreneurship, and navigating change in both the dental industry and life
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Show Notes
Join Ivoclar (AND US!) this February at LMT Lab Day in Chicago. Ivoclar will be offering 16 different educational lectures over the three-day event, giving dental professionals plenty of opportunities to learn, connect, and grow. Visit labday.com/Ivoclar to view the full schedule and register, and be sure to stop by and see the Ivoclar team in the Windy City.
Come see and talk to Elvis and Barb at all these amazing shows coming up in 2026
- Vision 21 in Las Vegas Jan 15-17 https://www.nadl.org/nadl-vision-21
- Cal-Lab Association Meeting in Chicago Feb 19-20 https://cal-lab.org/
- LMT Lab Day Chicago Feb 19-21 https://lmtmag.com/lmtlabday
- Dental Lab Association of Texas Meeting in Dallas Apr 9-11 https://members.dlat.org/
- exocad Insights in Mallorca, Spain Apr 30 - May 1 https://exocad.com/insights-2026
This week we sit down with Stuart Steinbock for a wide-ranging conversation that blends dental industry history, innovation, and personal resilience. As a fourth-generation member of the Steinbock family, Stuart shares the origin story of Whip Mix—from an egg beater with patented features to a global dental manufacturer—and his own unlikely path into the family business, including international expansion, lean manufacturing, and product development that helped shape how labs think about efficiency and quality
The conversation follows Stuart’s journey beyond Whip Mix into startups, direct-to-consumer aligners, 3D printing with Carbon, pandemic-era manufacturing, and running a high-volume orthodontic lab, before landing at Digital Dental as president. Along the way, Stuart offers candid insights on entrepreneurship, digital workflows, ortho vs. restorative mindsets, leadership through change, and the human side of the dental industry—ending with a powerful personal update on family, recovery, and finding balance after adversity
Special Guest: Stuart Steinbock.