The suction system often works far from the chairs, in an equipment room nobody visits. Yet it has a lot to tell you: vacuum, alarms, amalgam level. Cattani provides two ways to listen: the machine's display and the SmartApp. Here is what they bring to your practice.
Which suction systems are compatible?
According to the Smart manual, the following suction systems can be controlled with the SmartApp, on a tablet or smartphone:
The Turbo-Smart HP manual states that it, too, can be controlled with the SmartApp. For the Micro-Smart Cube, Cattani highlights the wireless connection via tablet or smartphone.
Wi-Fi: since October 2015
The wireless connection did not appear by chance. The Smart manual specifies that Turbo Smart units produced from October 2015 onward have a new keypad, with a removable external display, and Wi-Fi.
Is your suction system older? Do not jump to conclusions. Ask a specialist to check your machine's configuration.
What the machine tells you
It all starts with the diagnostic display. According to Cattani's documentation, the suction system informs the operator about:
- vacuum;
- maintenance;
- current draw;
- machine temperature;
- amalgam level;
- operating hours.
Faults appear on the display. The machine stores events, which allows an accurate diagnosis. The Turbo Smart HP leaflet makes the point: event memory supports an accurate diagnosis of faults.
The benefit: fewer trips to the equipment room
Cattani sums up the value of SmartApp in one sentence: the practice monitors the status of its suction system without going down to the equipment room. For a busy team, this is no gadget. It is what makes daily monitoring realistic.
Because that monitoring is required by the manufacturer. The Smart manual asks you to check the display every day for any alarm signals. If there is a danger warning, contact the technician.
Three practical uses
The morning or evening check
Add a quick look at the alarms to the end-of-day routine. That is when the team already draws Puli-Jet Plus 2.0 through with the Pulse Cleaner and places the anti-foam tablets.
The amalgam container
The display signals 95% and then 100% container fill. At 95%, plan the replacement: according to Cattani's UK subsidiary, waiting until 100% can interrupt the practice's activity. Tracking the amalgam level avoids an unpleasant surprise in the middle of an appointment.
The technician's visit
Every 12 months, Cattani's documentation calls for a check of the maximum recorded temperatures and all alarm signals. Operating hours are also a reference point: motor bearings are replaced, if necessary, every 10,000 hours. The machine's data make these checks faster and more accurate.
What the app does not replace
SmartApp keeps you informed. It does not do the maintenance for you. The hands-on tasks remain essential: drawing Puli-Jet Plus 2.0 through with the Pulse Cleaner every evening, placing anti-foam tablets every day, replacing the dirty Hydrocyclone filter, changing the amalgam container. According to Cattani, routine maintenance is the job of trained practice staff. Extraordinary maintenance is the job of a trained technician, with original parts.
Organize the monitoring
- Appoint one person responsible for monitoring, and a backup.
- Set a time: checking alarms is part of the daily routine.
- Note unusual events and pass them on to the technician.
- Keep the technician's contact details at hand, in case of a danger warning.
For the complete routine, read our article “Dental suction maintenance: the Cattani routine”. The schedules are on the Maintenancepage, and the manuals on the Documentation.
In short
- Turbo-Smart, TS, 2V, Cube, HP, Micro-Smart and Micro-Smart Cube can be controlled with SmartApp.
- Wi-Fi is fitted on Turbo Smart units produced from October 2015 onward.
- The display shows vacuum, maintenance, current, temperature, amalgam and operating hours.
- Alarms are checked every day.
- SmartApp informs; maintenance remains a task for the team and the technician.
A Cattani specialist can advise you
Want to know whether your suction system is SmartApp-compatible, or set up monitoring at your practice? A Cattani specialist will support you.
Ask a Cattani specialist for advice
Sources: Cattani documentation, manual Smart 04-2024 (FR), p. 19, 20, 31 and 32; Cattani documentation, manual Turbo Smart HP 06-2023 (FR), p. 26; Cattani documentation, Turbo Smart brochure 02-2020, p. 4 and 5; Cattani documentation, Turbo Smart HP leaflet 05-2023, p. 4; Cattani documentation, Turbo-Smart / Micro-Smart extraordinary maintenance poster (Sept. 2023), p. 2; Cattani ESAM UK (Cattani subsidiary), Smart suction maintenance guide, p. 7.