News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
And that’s why you really should never say never in 3D printing. When Sarco was introduced a couple of years ago as a 3D printed assisted suicide pod to simplify euthanasia we wrote that off as a publicity—or at most an artistic—stunt (so much so that we did not even cover the story). But we should not have written it off. Now the Sarco pod has been OK’d by the Swiss authorities (one of the first nations to legalize euthanasia).
The medical 3D printing industry marked an exciting milestone in Canada this week: Health Canada (a government department tasked with national health policies) has approved a 3D printed medical implant made by LARA 3D in Quebec City. The 3D printed device, a patient-specific mandibular plate, is the first made by a Canadian manufacturer to be granted authorization for implantation.
California-based PrinterPrezz has been on the move lately, first with the high-profile acquisition of Vertex Manufacturing and shortly thereafter with the inauguration of a new, larger HQ and Innovation Center in the Bay Area. Now the company is making the news again for installing two Dekstop Metal binder jetting systems, a Shop and a Production system.
Incredible AM (aka 3D Incredible) has been one of the pioneers in India for metal 3D printing with a state-of-the-art AM plant located in Pune. The company has now reported that it has produced over 600 3D printed implants and medical devices, making it one of the largest and most advanced such service providers in the world.
While microneedle patches have been studied for decades, the work by Carolina and Stanford overcomes some past challenges: through 3D printing, the microneedles can be easily customized to develop a 3D printed vaccine patch that could be used for flu, measles, hepatitis and COVID-19 vaccination.
Paragon Medical, a global provider of medical components and products, announced the groundbreaking on a new additive manufacturing facility in Pierceton, Indiana. Paragon Medical broke ground on the new medical AM facility with local dignitaries in attendance including Joseph Thallemer, Mayor of Warsaw; David Rosenberg, IEDC Executive Vice President; and Mary Martin, Regional Director in the Office of Senator Mike Braun.
Materialise has introduced its new Dental Module for Magics. This addition to the Magics software is designed to enable dental labs to fully optimize and automate their 3D printing preparation workflow for dental applications. With dentistry becoming more digitalized, Dental Module provides dental labs with the easy-to-use tools required to ensure a scalable 3D printing process.
Stryker, a major adopter of AM for implants production is establishing a new medical R&D Lab in Queensland, Australia that builds on existing partnerships with hospitals, researchers, universities and local governments to drive the transformation of research into viable, commercially available precision medical device technology.
What do certification bodies or notified bodies look at when validating additive manufacturing processes? In the MedTech sector, their focus will be on personnel qualification and, in particular, the process chain. In its new white paper, TÜV SÜD outlines the state-of-the-art manufacturing method and takes a closer look at the applicable standards. “We point out existing gaps and potential issues related to the additive manufacturing of medical devices, and outline feasible procedures”, said Simon Schlagintweit, Lead Auditor Additive Manufacturing at TÜV SÜD. The publication explains the individual steps in process chain qualification and validation and discusses the post-processing of products. The white paper’s target audience includes industry representatives, but also decision-makers in point-of-care diagnostics in areas such as research institutes and hospitals.
Bioprinting company T&R Biofab and B Braun, a major healthcare solutions provider, held a joint presentation to launch T&R’s new 3D printed PCL Craniofacial bone implants products. The event, hosted by B Braun Korea was held at the Dragon City Hotel in Seoul.