The present invention relates to a method for the design and manufacture of a dental component with a surface, wherein a 3D model of the dental component is designed by means of a CAD unit and the dental component is manufactured by a CAM unit on the basis of the 3D model. In order to provide a method which significantly shortens the time required for the design and manufacture of a dental component, so that the length of the dental session at which the patient must be present is shortened, it is inventively proposed that the 3D model is manufactured in at least one first design step, in which a first 3D submodel is designed with at least one first surface section, and a second design step in which a second 3D submodel is designed with at least one second surface section, wherein the first design step is completed before the second design step and the CAM unit begins the manufacture of the first surface section of the dental component based on the first 3D submodel before the design of the second 3D submodel is completed.