AP-HP reduces cadaver reliance with innovative silicone 3D printing adoption

Paris’s public hospital network is bringing industrial 3D printing into its training programs through a new partnership with French manufacturer Lynxter. 

Based at Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP)’s in-house 3D printing platform PRIM3D, the project will test the use of silicone printers to create medical simulators designed to replace some of the cadavers and animals used in education.

Set up in January 2023, PRIM3D operates as a 200 sq. m workshop that houses a wide range of techniques such as fused deposition modeling (FDM), stereolithography (SLA), Polyjet, and both liquid and filament MEX. The facility develops a variety of models and devices, including simulators for medical training, patient-specific medical tools, anatomical models for surgical planning, and research prototypes. 

While it primarily serves AP-HP staff, it also collaborates with researchers, start-ups, and private companies, and it is closely linked to AP-HP’s campuses and simulation centers.

“This partnership with Lynxter allows PRIM3D to explore new technologies in the service of hospital innovation,” said Dr. Delphine Prieur, Operational Director of PRIM3D.

Odapt ostomy bag made using silicone 3D printing. Photo via Lynxter.

Testing silicone models for medical training

As part of the partnership, Lynxter has installed three of its printers at PRIM3D: the S300X – LIQ21, the LIQ11, and the S600D. These machines use a liquid extrusion process, MEX – LIQ, to produce silicone components that can mimic the qualities of human tissue. 

By varying flexibility, elasticity, and opacity, the printed parts can be adapted for different uses while remaining biocompatible and in line with medical standards. They are expected to be applied in surgical simulators, detailed anatomical reproductions, and custom devices for teaching and pre-surgical preparation.

The hospital is treating the facility as a testing ground for how this technology fits into daily practice. Evaluations are underway across clinical, educational, and research settings, with healthcare professionals directly involved in determining the most useful applications.

For AP-HP and Lynxter, the partnership is meant to move medical training toward tools that combine multiple technologies and can be tailored more closely to specific needs, while also reducing dependence on traditional anatomical resources. 

Engineers and clinicians are working together on the project, with the aim of developing simulators that are both practical and ethically sound.

“PRIM3D catalyzes the diffusion of new technologies, making them more rapidly accessible to caregivers and patients. Our technologies are in good hands, and we can make them even more relevant thanks to the feedback of an experienced and passionate team,” said Thomas Batigne, CEO of Lynxter.

Thomas Batigne, and Dr. Delphine Prieur. Photo via Lynxter.

3D printing silicone for medical use

Silicone has become an attractive material in the medical sector because it is biocompatible, flexible, and able to replicate the feel of human tissue. Its adaptability makes it suitable not only for training models but also for implants and long-term medical devices.

Bengaluru-based start-up Prayasta unveiled the Silimac P250 3D printer developed for implant-grade elastomers such as silicone to create personalized soft-tissue implants and prostheses. Designed for industrial-scale, continuous operation, the system allows customization not only of shape and size but also of weight, texture, and stiffness. 

It features a 14,000 ml material capacity per refill, an in-built UV sterilization system, and contamination-free supports to maintain hygiene. With real-time curing through IR lasers and heaters, the printer delivers faster, high-resolution output, is fully automated, meets Industry 4.0 standards, and works with elastomeric and two-component materials.

In 2019, researchers at ETH Zürich and South Africa’s Strait Access Technologies (SAT) developed silicone-based artificial heart valves using 3D printing. The valves were designed from patient CT scans, with computer simulations predicting how they would deform under physiological forces. 

Production involved spraying silicone resin onto a crown-shaped mold, followed by collagen fibers deposited through direct ink writing to add strength and thickness. Tests showed the biocompatible valves allowed blood to flow as effectively as conventional replacements, while manufacturing time dropped to about 90 minutes from several days. The team aimed for a 10–15 year lifespan, though clinical adoption remained a decade away and dependent on commercialization.

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Author: Ada Shaikhnag