Commercialization of affordable 3D-printed medical devices is possible
Formlabs 3D printers can be used to make medical prints [Photo courtesy of Formlabs]
Accessibility and affordability of 3D printers are allowing small device firms to create and market a variety of personalized devices.
Gaurav Manchanda, Formlabs
Healthcare is becoming more efficient. Patients are starting to expect a personal approach. 3D printing isn’t a newly minted manufacturing technology, yet it’s reached an inflection point for bringing change in healthcare and dental applications.
3D printing used to be prohibitively expensive. It was only possible for the most well-resourced medical centers and device makers. 3D printers are becoming more affordable and more accessible. Medical providers and device manufacturers are now able to safely create novel, patient-specific parts that are biocompatible, sterilizable, and biocompatible.
3D printing is rapidly becoming the preferred method of manufacturing medical devices, implants, surgical guide, prosthetics, orthotics, and other medical applications. Medical device firms and manufacturers need to consider the technology for commercialization.
The road to 3D printing in healthcare
Medical products created with SLS3D printing [Photo courtesy of Formlabs]
3D printing is becoming more popular in the healthcare industry. This trend is expected grow as providers and manufacturers create personalized care plans, new medical devices, and educate patients. Technology is being developed to improve part production, deliver better materials, and reduce production times.
In order to advance additive manufacturing, healthcare leaders and 3D printing manufacturers are teaming up. Vizient, a major group purchasing organization (GPO), listed a 3D printing firm in its catalog. Other partnerships are helping to accelerate the delivery of life-changing medical equipment while maintaining regulatory compliance.
This industry support is complemented by technological advances that allow for faster workflows and new applications, which will further advance 3D printers towards commercialization in healthcare. Materials are an important component of 3D printing’s commercialization.
BioMed resins are used to 3D-print medical products [Photo courtesy of Formlabs]
Biocompatible, sterilizable materials like BioMed Clear, BioMed white, and BioMed black resins are needed by healthcare providers, manufacturers, as well as facilities. These materials are manufactured in an FDA registered, ISO 13485 certified facility. They can be used in applications that involve skin, blood, tissue, blood, tissue, mucosal membrane, or gas pathways in healthcare. They’re also compatible with common solvent disinfection and sterilization methods. Designed with patient safety in mind, these SLA materials — and biocompatible nylon materials for an SLS printer — are critical for creating medical devices, surgical instruments, surgical guides, and new innovations in ground-breaking healthcare research.
The industry can achieve its goal of improving patient care by combining 3D printing technology with healthcare marketing. 3D printing has been used by both small and large medical manufacturers to create prosthetics, dentures, implants, and other medical devices.
Small businesses already sell devices
Small firms are commercializing 3D-printed medical devices — including surgical instruments, inhalers, smart prosthetic hands, metabolic analyzer masks and more — and can show the path forward. 3D printing can be used to create new treatments and devices tailored to patients. It is also possible to prototype and manufacture them.
Novartis recently acquired Coalesce Product Development, a medical device company that uses 3D printing for innovative drug delivery devices. This includes injectors and inhalers for generic inhalation products. These devices offer significantly lower prices than brand-name options that can cost more than $380 per month.
Restor3d, another company, brings the benefits 3D printing to surgery. Stainless steel instruments have been used in more than 132,000 anterior discectomy and fusion procedures per year in the U.S. These instruments were expensive and difficult to use. Restor3d makes use of the 3D printing’s design freedom and continuous improvement to improve surgical care delivery. The company’s first 3D-printed, procedure-specific polymer instruments for foot and ankle and cervical spine implants were made from a combination of metal and 3D-printed polymer parts, benefitting hospitals with reduced sterilization and inventory costs.
The 3D-printed Tension Square [Photo courtesy of Formlabs]
3D-printed parts are also being used in medical devices. Mychael Overstreet — a veteran, firefighter and paramedic — used 3D printing to create Tension Square, a portable device that holds a needle decompression catheter securely in place while preventing damaging kinking, folding or dislodgement and preventable deaths in the field due to pneumothorax or collapsed lungs. He had no engineering experience and relied on 3D printing for testing and finalizing his design. This allowed him to experiment with a variety of materials to create a durable, long-lasting, lightweight, skin-safe, and durable design that can be used in 3D printers.
These companies and innovators are able to successfully commercialize 3D-printed end use parts. This is because the technology stack has never been easier. Medical device companies will benefit from the collaboration within the industry to learn from these early successes and chart their own paths to commercialization. This will help improve patient outcomes, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.
3D printing is used to design medical devices
Formlabs 3D printers [Photo courtesy of Formlabs]
Utilizing 3D printing to create commercialized healthcare devices has become an attainable goal, but it’s not yet the norm. 3D printing design can be used by companies to create new medical devices and precision healthcare in point-of care facilities.
Gaurav Manchanda works as the medical market development director at Formlabs. [Photo courtesy of Formlabs]
Gaurav Manchanda is the director of medical market development at Formlabs. He launched and leads the medical section for the 3D printer company. His goal is to promote 3D printing in healthcare by combining clinically-validated 3D printing technology, in house QA/RA expertise and accessible pricing. Manchanda oversees 3D printing market growth in priority segments such as medical devices and point-of-care orthotics and prosthetics. He also leads medical education and the life sciences.
The opinions expressed in this post are the author’s only and do not necessarily reflect those of MedicalDesignandOutsourcing.com or its employees.
