Medical Solutions

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING FOR MEDICAL

Utilizing additive manufacturing in the health industry, implants and medical devices can be customized for every patient for improved, personalized medicine. Our Advanced Digital Manufacturing™ process can help you take virtual concepts to a fully realized medical product. We work together with our clients to assess product requirements and functional specifications using Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) methods. Often, manufacturing steps can be reduced by designing devices to be printed to incorporate roughened surfaces and features such as trabecular structures for enhanced osseointegration.

Parts and devices are manufactured using our metal additive manufacturing (AM) / 3D printing DMLS technology, and can be post-processed with our heat treating and CNC machining capabilities inside our ISO 13485-certified multi-step manufacturing plan for medical devices.

Additive manufacturing is being explored for unlocking potential benefits by personalizing medical parts for every patient. DICOM files obtained by CT and MRI imaging scans can be converted directly to CAD model files which can then be 3D printed. Applications range from devices such as hearing aids, dental and orthodontic devices, and medical implants for osseo arthritis and cranial facial patients.

Ultimately, additive manufacturing can reduce medical device production costs, while at the same time providing the best technologies and manufacturing methods available.

YOUR DESIGN MANUFACTURED

1 YOUR IDEA

Think It.

You have a great idea, and whether you have FDA-approved CAD drawings ready, or a paper sketch of existing part modifications, we can help you bring that idea to reality.

2 OUR ENGINEERING DESIGN EXPERTISE

Prepare It.

There are many considerations that need to be addressed before geometry can be 3D printed in metal. Support structure strategies, build orientation, part consolidation for reduced weight, and more. All these are part of “Design for Additive Manufacturing” (DfAM) principles that our team of engineers can provide you.

3 ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING (3D PRINTING)

Print It.

Our Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) printers use a high power-density laser to melt and fuse metallic powders together to create devices and parts. We offer dedicated Cobalt Chrome and Titanium printers to our customers for regulated Aerospace and Medical applications.

4 POST-PROCESSING & FINISHING

Make It.

Parts are removed from the build plate and finished to your specifications. Polishing, sand-blasting, threading, and even mirror-finishing of metal parts is possible in this phase of production.

MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

SPINAL DEVICES

Complex geometries, lattice structures, part consolidation, and roughened surfaces are just a few examples of how Metal AM is revolutionizing the spine industry. The ability to additively manufacture small, very precise and high value devices enables small to medium OEM’s to compete with much larger companies.

KNEE REPLACEMENTS

Possessing a dedicated Cobalt Chrome additive manufacturing printer is a very unique Metal AM service for providers in North America, and is a distinct benefit to OEM’s developing knee implants. Our capabilities also include the ability to post process high wear knee implant surfaces to precise Ra levels, and our proprietary process which can achieve a mirror like-finish for critical areas.

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DENTAL IMPLANTS

Dental is where Metal AM made an initial impact in the medical industry. Small, high value devices that can easily be produced in a few hours changed the way dental implants were designed and manufactured. These devices make use of all the benefits metal 3D printing offers, including part consolidation, lattice structures, roughened surfaces, and very quick turn around production times.

CRANIAL IMPLANTS

The ability of metal additive manufacturing to create mesh-like surfaces from CT scanned data has revolutionized traumatic care. Osseointegration is a main driver of this technology, with bony ingrowth appearing faster on these mesh surfaces than with traditionally manufactured devices.

HIP CUPS

The ability to create engineered lattices structures that can be consistently repeated on our laser based metal additive manufacturing systems has enabled OEM’s to save time and money by reducing manufacturing steps. Hip cups are a perfect hybrid manufacturing solution, with a lattice structure on one side and a perfectly machined bearing surface on the other.

HIP PROSTHETICS

Metal 3D printing has enabled the manufacturing of hip stem implants with built-in lattice structures on the outside, and in some cases the entire surface of the stem, while sill maintaining structural integrity. We use simulation and topology optimization software to create a strut diameter of lattice for these types of devices to enable osseointegration while still being strong enough to withstand the forces produced by our bodies.

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NOT SURE WHERE TO START?

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

From the initial phase of a project, our engineering team can consult with you to help optimize your part or product to realize the full benefits of additive manufacturing. Whether your next step is 510k approval, or manufacturing planning for serial production, we have the experience you need to get to market laser fast.

We have invested in the listed software to allow us to consult on projects on a more advanced level. We have the simulation and optimization software needed to do research and development projects.

More importantly than investing in our technology, we have invested in the people who make our engineering consulting services come together. Our highly trained and experienced engineers are thought leaders in the additive manufacturing industry. From CAD modeling and engineering, all the way through manufacturing, get our engineering team working for you!

Altair HyperWorks Desktop solidThinking Inspire and Evolve Materialise 3-maticSTL
Altair HyperWorks Solvers – Optistruct & RADIOSS SolidWorks with Simulation Premium Moldex3D
Altair SIMLAB Siemens NX AcuSolve CFD Solutions
Interested in the benefits of Metal Additive Manufacturing? Let’s partner on your next project!