As a digital manufacturing technology, additive manufacturing (AM) offers certain advantages for cost-effectively manufacturing unique, individual parts. For many years, rapid prototyping was the major application that made use of this capability. More recently, the concept of ‘mass customization’ has emerged, especially in the automotive and consumer products industries, such as shoes and eyeglasses.
Of course, the medical devices industry may be the industry with the strongest set of applications for customized, individual products fabricated using digital manufacturing technology. From orthodontic aligners to orthotic devices such as insoles or braces, to orthopedic implants such as knee or hip replacements and much more, additive manufacturing provides many benefits for medical device manufacturers. 3D scan data is used to create a CAD model, which can be translated 1:1 to the 3D printer, which has fewer geometry limitations compared to other manufacturing techniques, such as CNC milling. Secondly, the low lead time and on-demand nature of 3D printing allows manufacturers to meet the needs of patients quickly. These geometry and design capabilities allow designers to use complex lattice structures to deliver better performance, such as lighter weight, improved biocompatibility, and improved strength and rigidity.
To learn more about the role additive manufacturing plays today in the medical device industry, including the challenges and advantages of the technology, engineering.com spoke with Victor Phan, Orthotist and AM Application Specialist at Korthotics, an orthotics and prosthetics service based in New South Wales, Australia, and Mateo Garcia, VP of Operations at Restor3D, a North Carolina, USA-based company that specializes in personalized implants and surgical solutions.