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3D Printing Webinar and Virtual Event Roundup, August 2, 2020

It’s another busy week in the 3D printing industry that’s packed full of webinars and virtual events, ranging in topics from medical materials and flexible electronics to polypropylene and market costs. There are four on Tuesday, August 4th, two on Wednesday, August 5th, and the week will end with the last KEX webinar on Thursday, August 6th.

ASTM’s AM General Personnel Certificate Program

Last week, the ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) training course all about additive manufacturing safety. Now, the AM CoE is starting its AM General Personnel Certificate course, which will begin August 4th and run through the 27th. One of its key focus areas is promoting AM adoption, and helping to fill the knowledge gap with training for the future AM workforce is a major way that the AM CoE is doing this. The online course is made up of eight modules covering all the general concepts of the AM process chain, and attendees will learn important technical knowledge that will allow them to earn a General AM Certificate after completing a multiple-choice exam.

“This course will feature 17 experts across the field of additive manufacturing to provide a comprehensive course covering all of the general concepts of the AM process chain to its attendees. The course will occur over the month of August consisting of two modules per week for four weeks. More information can be found in the course flyer.”

Online registration will open soon. This is not a free course—you can learn about the fees here.

Nexa3D & Henkel: Medical Materials Webinar

Recently, SLA 3D printer manufacturer Nexa3D and functional additive materials supplier Henkel announced that they were partnering up to commercialize the polypropylene-like xMED412, a durable, high-impact material that can be used to 3D print biocompatible medical and wearable devices; in fact, it’s already been cleared to print nasal swabs. Now, the two are holding a virtual leadership forum on “Advances and Breakthroughs in 3D Printed Medical Equipment and Device Materials,” like xMED412. Topics to be discussed will include new possibilities for 3D printing medical equipment and devices, the benefits of using AM to fabricate these products, and the advantages additive manufacturing has over medical materials made with traditional manufacturing. Panelists will engage with attendees after the discussion in a live Q&A session.

“3D printing has introduced all kinds of new possibilities for developing stronger and lightweighted equipment but we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible. These past few months have driven the industry to new realms of creativity with the need to quickly deliver medical supplies, devices and materials. With new lightweight, sturdy materials designed to withstand impact, moisture and vibration, access to lower cost medical equipment is becoming more widely available thanks to 3D printing.”

SOLIDWORKS Design Solution Demonstration

Also on August 4th, at 11 am EST, Dassault Systèmes will be holding a brief demonstration of its 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS design solution. This demonstration of the platform’s capabilities will last just 22 minutes, and will teach attendees how to collaborate and stay connected to data while creating new designs with SOLIDWORKS when connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, exploring the latest tools available on the platform, and design a model using both parametric (3D Creator) and Sub-D modeling (3D Sculptor) tools with the help of complementary workflows.

“SOLIDWORKS is the design tool that has been trusted by engineers and designers around the world for decades. Part of the 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS portfolio, SOLIDWORKS is now connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform with cloud-based tools that enable everyone involved in product development to collaborate on real-time data. Doing so enables you to efficiently gain the insight needed to create revolutionary new products.”

You can register for the demonstration here.

NextFlex Innovation Days

The last August 4th event in this week’s roundup is NextFlex Innovation Days, the flagship showcase event for the consortium of academic institutions, companies, non-profits, and local and federal governments that make up NextFlex and are working to advance US manufacturing of flexible hybrid electronics (FHE). The event will run through Thursday, August 6th, and will include panel discussions on how FHEs are continuing to transform the world, including a panel featuring a special guest speaker from the US Senate. FHE innovations that will be highlighted during the event include a wearable biometrics monitor from Stretch Med, Inc., flexible skin-like sensors from Georgia Tech, a flexible UV sensor out of the NASA Ames Research Center, miniaturized gas sensors that GE Research integrated into wearables and drone formats, and Brewer Science’s integrated FHE solutions in a brewery application.

“This multi-day virtual event will feature over 50 customer, partner and member company presentations online available at no cost. If you watch live, you’ll have the chance to interact with presenters and flexible hybrid electronic (FHE) experts from the comfort of home via webinars and virtual labs, or you can watch video demonstrations at your availability.”

Additive America & HP AM Webinar

HP is currently sponsoring a webinar series highlighting business in the AM industry that worked to transition their production processes in order to help fill the supply chain gap that’s been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This week’s episode, which will take place at 1:30 pm EST on Wednesday, August 5th, will feature a discussion with Additive America on “the lasting impact of COVID-19 on additive manufacturing.”

“Listen in on conversations with our customers to learn how they have adapted to the change in business climate, whether it be a shift in production workflow to address supply chain gaps, enabling a faster product development cycle to support changing customers’ needs, or bridge production.”

You can register for this webinar here.

Prodways, BASF, & Peridot Talk Polypropylene

Also on August 5th, Prodways, BASF, and full-service product development company Peridot Inc. will be holding a free webinar together called “Rethink Additive Manufacturing with Polypropylene.” Led by Lee Barbiasz from Prodways, Jeremy Vos from BASF, and Peridot owner Dave Hockemeyer, the webinar will focus on how PP 1200, a tough, chemically resistant, low density polypropylene enabled by BASF for selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printing, is being used to bridge the gap between additive manufacturing and injection molding, as well as growing opportunities and applications in short run manufacturing. Hockemeyer was an early adopter of the material, and will share a variety of use cases for PP 1200. There will also be a chance for attendees to ask questions about the material.

“3D Printing with Polypropylene is here! After more than three decades, 3D printing technology has evolved the ability to 3D print polypropylene material. Polypropylene enables scalability in manufacturing, reduces barriers to entry in 3D printing and reduces manufacturing costs by 25-50%!”

You can register for the webinar, held on Wednesday, August 5th, from 1-1:45 pm EST, here.

KEX Knowledge Exchange on Market, Costs & Innovation

The last entry in this week’s roundup will take place on Thursday, August 6th. KEX Knowledge Exchange AG, a former spinoff of Fraunhofer IPT, held webinars in July about powder bed fusion technology and post-processing, and the last in its series will be an online seminar on Market, Costs & Innovation. Sebastian Pfestorf from KEX and Lea Eilert, the project and technology manager for the ACAM Aachen Center for Additive Manufacturing, will be the speakers for this webinar.

“In this online seminar, you will learn:

Current AM market and industrial trends
What markets the technology has penetrated the most and why
How to go about implementing AM, including risks and uncertainties

You can register for the hour-long webinar here. It will take place on Thursday, August 6th, at 8 am EST.

Will you attend any of these events and webinars, or have news to share about future ones? Let us know!

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3DHEALS 2020 Virtual Medical Summit: 3D-Printed Materials in Healthcare

There were a multitude of sessions and sub-sessions to follow at 3DHEALS 2020 (running from June 5-6), with over 70 speakers and four workshops, covering many topics on complex design, and patient-specific treatment. Here at 3DPrint.com, we have covered many stories on materials, as researchers and manufacturers delve into their uses in other major applications too like automotive, aerospace, construction, and so much more.

At the “Material Science in Healthcare 3D Printing” session, medical applications were discussed in detail by Balaji Prahbu (Director of Strategic Marketing for Medical Device Solutions/Evonik Industries), Steve Kranz (Lab Manager and Senior Scientist at Origin), Sean Dsilva (Medical Marketing Segment Head for 3D Printing Henkel) Adhesive Technologies Division), and Mike Vasquez (Founder and CEO, 3Degrees). Topics covered included the importance of bioresorbable materials, biocompatible materials, those used to create devices and tools during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as workflow systems designed by materials engineers.

Balaji Prahbu opened the presentation with statistics on osteoporosis, a condition that causes millions of fractures in patients around the world. Currently, Evonik uses a variety of polymers to create materials and implants that assist in treating and healing and reconstructing human bone. While some materials dissolve in the body over time, other types of materials created by Evonik can also be used permanently.

The Germany-based company is also developing other new powders and filaments for patient-specific implants that can be produced in just a few hours and completely suited to the individual needs of patients—evidence of some of the greatest benefits in using 3D printing technology.

Sean Dsilva offered information regarding Henkel’s biocompatible materials, explaining more too about the keys to developing high-quality, high-performance UV resins—all tied together with effective workflow processes. The $20 billion company specializes in adhesives technology, including that for the medical field. Currently, Henkel offers four different levels of biocompatible materials:

Henkel’s materials can be used for an extremely diverse number of applications, from auditory devices like hearing aids, to prosthetics such as orthotics, bionics, and more. 3D-printed models can also be created, offering a host of benefits like better diagnostics, treatment, and education for patients and their families. Not only that, 3D-printed medical models allow for better training of medical students and allow surgeons to prepare for delicate procedures too.Henkel’s materials are also used to fabricate other industrial components like jigs, fractures, and devices.

Steve Kranz definitely offered some of the most interesting information regarding materials, and Origin’s recent transformation from software developer and 3D printer manufacturer to a ‘swab factory’ in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The San Francisco-headquartered company began manufacturing a variety of different 3D-printed swabs for testing purposes, as well as originally designing shields and other personal protection equipment, to include adapting snorkels to be transformed into N-95-style face masks.

Kranz began by explaining, however, that while Origin has—previous to the COVID-19 pandemic—been centered around software and hardware endeavors, they do not develop materials; instead, they rely on experts like Henkel, BASF, DSM and others.

“When COVID-19 hit, things changed for us. It was a lot different, so we had to adapt to survive,” explained Kranz. “We transformed ourselves from a platform that allowed other people to do 3D printing to becoming a factory, to printing parts ourselves.”

While the Origin team did initially begin creating other types of COVID-19 devices, Kranz stated that they quickly realized they could offer the most important contribution by 3D printing nasopharyngeal swabs. They began collaborating with nTopology, drafting a flexible, effective design.

While the two companies were able to work together in creating the actual swab, there were numerous obstacles. Some supplies were difficult to attain, such as isopropyl alcohol, gloves, and paper products. They were also challenged in scaling up with more inventory and other resources, dealing with waste, and hiring additional staff to work a lot of long, and “sometimes crazy” hours.

“That’s been Origin’s journey for the past couple of months. It has been very intense, challenging, strange at some times, but also really rewarding and I feel like we have learned a lot. We’ve kind of put ourselves right in the fire in terms of testing out our own production, our own capabilities, and we have learned a lot that is going to help improve our own printers in the future,” said Kranz.

Mike Vasquez opened by explaining that, as a materials engineer, he realizes that additive manufacturing is “fundamentally driven by materials, but it is complicated.” This is due to a lack of accessibility in many cases, an “opaque and often confusing” supply landscape, and limited standards. Material properties may be an issue as well, as they often do not match up with what users are expecting or needing for specific projects.

Because there can be so many challenges—and so much data—involved with creating a 3D-printed part, the 3Degrees team developed the TRACE process for 3D printing workflow management. In creating TRACE, they spoke with over 50 additive manufacturing users, auditors, manufacturers, and standards organizations. The workflow management tool, complete with comprehensive analytics is meant to be customized for different projects.

During the fabrication of 3D-printed medical devices, TRACE can be used to keep track of variables like data inputs, specifications for materials and machine processes, post-processing, and inspections.

Although originally set for ‘the heart of San Francisco’ as a venue, this year’s 3DHEALS Global Healthcare 3D printing conference became a virtual—and inspiring—event. Focusing on the continued impacts to the field of medicine, rather than cancel the annual event due to the COVID-19 restrictions, founder and CEO, Dr. Jenny Chen, committed to an online format, and along with seeing every speaker conform to the changes, she was even able to able 25 percent more in programming.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: 3DHeals 2020 – from the ‘Material Science in Healthcare 3D Printing’ session)

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U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory: 3D Printing Customized Ear Plugs for Soldiers

Researchers JR Stefanson and William Ahroon recently completed a study for the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, releasing their findings in ‘Evaluation of Custom Hearing Protection Fabricated from Digital Ear Scanning and Traditional Methods.’

Unless you have had significant hearing issues or are an otolaryngologist (ENT), you are probably not aware how difficult—and even dangerous—it can be to create ear canal impressions for quality hearing protection, something which can be critical for soldiers. Preservation, as well as healing of hearing, no matter how the loss occurred is important for human communication, social interactions, and safety too. For military personnel, hearing injuries could create vulnerability in survival skills, combat readiness, and even cause soldiers to falter in carrying out important missions.

“To decrease the risk of hearing injuries, soldiers routinely exposed to hazardous noise are enrolled in the Army Hearing Program (AHP) (Department of the Army, 2015), which aims to prevent noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) through implementation of operational and clinical hearing services, hearing readiness, and hearing conservation,” explained the authors.

While soldiers must have HPDs, workers in the US who are exposed to hazardous noise levels must also be provided protection from hearing injury; in fact, the authors cite OSHA statistics stating that around $242 million is spent on workers compensation claims due to reported hearing loss.

“Hearing injuries (hearing loss and tinnitus) have also been the two most prevalent compensatory disabilities from serving the in the U.S. military (Veterans Administration, 2019),” stated Stefanson and Ahroon. “Furthermore, the most prevalent form of acquired hearing loss is caused by noise (Nelson, Nelson, Concha-Barrientos, & Fingerhut, 2005). Thus, it is apparent from the numerous cases of hearing loss caused by noise, in both military and industry, that protecting workers from noise has not been done well to date.”

In this study, the researchers fabricated and customized six different samples of earplugs, using six different techniques, including three different scanning methods too. Keeping in mind that a one-size-fits-all mentality has not been advantageous previously, the researchers were on a mission to successfully 3D print ‘tailor-made,’ custom-molded HPDs that could block noise while also fitting the wearer comfortably.

AURA 3D ear scanning system by Lantos Technologies.

“Likely due to many of the factors mentioned, the use of custom earplugs in the military has been increasing,” stated the authors. “However, the process to create a custom earplug is neither timely, efficient, nor without a certain amount of risk.”

Custom earplugs are usually created following an ear exam, and then placement of an oto-block in the ear canal—meant to keep impression material from seeping into the ear canal. The oto-block is sealed and then the ear canal is filled with impression material, which can cure, is removed, and the ear is then thoroughly cleaned and inspected for any leftover material. When material is not removed sufficiently, the consequences can not only be extremely painful for the patient later, but even catastrophic.

“When an oto-block is used, impression material can be forced past the oto-block (i.e., sometimes called a ‘blow-by’). Blow-bys typically result when an oto-block does not sufficiently seal the ear canal (due to incorrect size or subject jaw movement while the oto-block is being inserted), excessive pressure from an impression syringe or impression gun, excessive jaw movement by the subject while the impression material is being introduced into the ear canal, complications from failure to conduct a proper otoscopic inspection, failing to observe impacted cerumen or TM perforations. Fatigue (especially in a one-person shop) and inattention also can result in blow-bys,” explained the authors.

Twenty-four volunteers agreed to participate in the study, consisting of fourteen males and ten females—all recruited from the USAARL Acoustics Branch Volunteer Listening Panel. In the end, due to other complications, twenty volunteers completed participation in the study. After earplugs were made, the volunteers were asked to return for real-ear attenuation at threshold (REAT) testing. They were also asked to fill out questionnaires regarding comfort.

3Shape Phoenix Scanner by 3Shape A/S

eFit scanner.

eFit scanner and docking station.

Scans were modeled with Cyfex Secret Ear Designer®, and then 3D printed on an Envisiontec Perfactory® Micro 3D printer using E-Silicone M for the customized earplugs. All fabrication was completed by the same operator, resulting in five subjects using 3D printed ear plugs from the impression scans, five from eFit scans, five from 3Shape scans, and five from Lantos scans.

Westone Laboratories Ear Dams (oto-blocks).

“While custom earplugs made from physical impressions had the highest average attenuation, not all custom earplugs are made equally. The process to produce a custom earplug depends on many factors including the skill and technique of the person making the impressions as well as the manufacturing process. The same is likely true for digital scanning fabrication methods, which depend on how well the scan was taken as well as the digital modeling and manufacturing process,” concluded the researchers. “Thus, while earplugs made from physical impressions showed the highest average attenuation across subjects, there were earplugs within this group that were less attenuating than earplugs made from other fabrication methods.”

“It should also be mentioned, as anecdotal but important observations, in this evaluation no complaints were observed when scanning subjects’ ears, but several observations of discomfort occurred during physical impressions. No injuries occurred but several stated the process was uncomfortable and one subject even stated, ‘I will never have them [physical impressions] done again.’ Thus, the digital scanning methods were preferred by the subjects over traditional methods.”

3D printing has made incredibly positive impacts within the medical field, and ENT doctors have benefited from a variety of different devices and implants.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: ‘Evaluation of Custom Hearing Protection Fabricated from Digital Ear Scanning and Traditional Methods’]

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AMS 2020: Keynote Presentations on 3D Printing in Metal and Medical Industries

For the second year running, and its third year total, 3DPrint.com and SmarTech Analysis have brought the Additive Manufacturing Strategies summit to Boston. With a theme of “The Business of 3D Printing,” the event continues its established coverage of 3D printing in the medical and dental industries, but adds a new metals track this year.

Lawrence Gasman, the President of SmarTech, welcomed everyone to the event, and then we jumped right into the thick of things, as Dr. Banu Gemici-Ozkan, Senior Market Intelligence Leader for GE Additive, presented her keynote, entitled “Metal Additive Strategies Enabling Next Generation of Adopters.”

Dr. Banu Gemici-Ozkan

Dr. Gemici-Ozkan explained that she’s been working with additive manufacturing for about four years, and her role is to oversee global operations, as well as support business in the metal AM space with the right applications.

“I’m in marketing, so I have to start with numbers,” she said, pulling up a slide of the “world of opportunities” for metal AM.

She explained that conventional manufacturing happens in many stages – you have to extract the metal, process it in chemical plants, assemble it into the final products, and several others that I’m definitely leaving out. Additive manufacturing can accomplish all of this in less steps, which is why it’s so attractive.

An example of an engine turbine came up, and at the bottom was a statement about how metal AM is competing with $570 billion worth of core conventional metal manufacturing processes. But, system redesign is what makes it competitive to this traditional methods – AM offers a simpler supply chain and leaner operations.

“It’s really exciting to see the potential of additive manufacturing,” Dr. Gemici-Ozkan said. “But where are we in this vision today?”

A timeline showed that the number of metal AM system installations in the first stage of the “diffusion of innovation,” in the 1990s, was less than 50…only the true innovators will put in the work of debugging these first systems and working out the kinks. The early adoption visionaries come in later, excited to invest in the technology.

“The customers are who drive the change,” she said. “So far, we’ve only seen innovators and visionaries.”

She explained that the next generation of the market will consist of the bigger players, or pragmatists, jumping on board. These adopters are cost-conscious, and will be looking for full solutions.

Then, she walked us through what she called the four “critical industries” in metal additive manufacturing. I’m sure you can guess them: medical, dental, aerospace, and automotive. When asked if they were there with the medical field, nearly half the hands in the room were raised, making Dr. Gemici-Ozkan’s point that this sector is a “great space to be in from a metal AM perspective.” The adoption drivers in this industry are cost and performance, with major applications in porous, biocompatible structures with fine features. Here, accuracy, repeatability, and traceability become really important.

Dental is the most mature industry for metal AM, a point that I heard multiple times throughout the day in different presentations. She explained that adoption drivers are lead time and customization; in this and the medical industry, the turnover time with metal 3D printed parts is roughly 24 hours, which you just can’t beat. Additionally, technology providers are focused on meeting customer needs.

In the aerospace industry, industrial production is the main focus. The materials are more versatile, and applications are in large parts and complex geometries with fine features.

“I could talk for hours about this industry,” she said.

“The potential is huge…this space offers a great potential from the industrial production perspective.”

She brought up the GE9X jet engine, which has 304 3D printed components and offers GE Aviation fuel savings of 10% when compared to its predecessor, the GE90, which only featured one 3D printed part.

The automotive industry is already automated, so its needs are focused on cost-conscious systems. Dr. Gemici-Ozkan said that AM technology providers “need to consider integrating their systems to the factory solutions.” The technology will have greater potential in this sector as material costs continue to come down, and she noted that binder jetting will be important in this space.

“Additive manufacturing is not a one-size-fits-all solution – it offers different solutions for different industries and applications,” Dr. Gemici-Ozkan said in summary. “It sounds like it’s all versatile, but these are the building blocks of mainstream technology.”

Then it was time for the next keynote presentation, “Medical 3D Printing: Building the Infrastructure for Innovation,” by Lauralyn McDaniel, Industry Manager, Analysis, for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Part of ASME’s mission is to improve people’s lives through engineering, which is definitely what 3D printing is working towards in the medical field.

McDaniel also started with numbers, with a slide stating that over one million patients had been directly impacted by AM, and that number increases to over two million when you take into account indirect impacts.

“Understanding the history of additive manufacturing in the medical industry can give us clues as to where we go from here,” McDaniel said, before launching into a brief timeline that began with the first 3D printed model from a medical image in 1988.

She explained that some of the factors leading to growth of the technology in the medical field include improved software, more material choices, precision medicine, faster and more precise processes, and the fact that more people share their resources and experience.

“You need published studies to generate the evidence that doctors need,” McDaniel explained.

Challenges include process bottlenecks, verification and validation processes, standards and regulations, and the workforce development.

Then, she cleared up something that many don’t always understand – most materials that people say are FDA-cleared are not, they have just been used in FDA-cleared devices. For example, titanium is often used in orthopedic implants, but the material itself is not cleared by the FDA, it’s just been cleared for use in the implant.

Continuing on to the regulatory process, McDaniel explained that there’s a “big difference” between a new product, and a new way to make the same product.

“The dental industry has a whole infrastructure set up to match patients with devices and implants, 3D printing just gives them a new, more efficient way to do it,” she said. “But anatomical models is a whole new product category.”

McDaniel said that ASME is supporting a series of discussions about the FDA’s concept framework for 3D printing at the point-of-care, and has worked with the agency to create validation and verification standards, including those for 3D printed medical devices. Just over half of the medical devices that have been cleared by the FDA are metal, so never fear, polymers are still significant in this space.

On the clinical side of things, standards aren’t quite as common, but she mentioned that the RSNA Special Interest Group is working to develop guidelines to help others with their own processes.

Some of the development highlights that McDaniel touched on include 3D printing-enabled tissue fabrication, clear dental aligners, which “exploded a bit because some of the patents expired,” tissue fabrication in outer space, and the fact that nearly 150 3D printed medical devices have been cleared by the FDA overall; at least three of these were patient-specific.

Moving forward with medical 3D printing, McDaniel said we need more collaboration and sharing of our experiences and resources, along with continuing materials development, improved software and AI, increased standards development, and more regulatory clarification, especially in hospitals.

Stay tuned to 3DPrint.com as we continue to bring you the news from our third annual AMS Summit.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

[Photos: Sarah Saunders]

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India: Researchers Continue to Review AM Processes in Bioprinting

In the recently published ‘A Review on Additive Manufacturing for Bio-Implant s,’ authors Tajeshkumar R. Jadhav, Dr. Nitin K. Kamble, and Pradnesh R. Padave explore one of the most fascinating topics in 3D printing today as researchers make huge strides in developing medical devices with the use of innovative materials.

While some scientists are focused on the complex task of tissue engineering human organs, many others have made huge progress in the area of patient-specific treatment. This includes the development of devices like titanium bone implants, while others continue to develop new 3D printed prosthetics, dental and orthodontic implants, and more. In this review, researchers from Patil College of Engineering in Pune, India discuss scientific advances in the biomedical realm with digital fabrication.

As millions of patients are operated on daily, medical scientists, doctors, and surgeons are always exploring new ways to treat patients better. Tissue engineering and 3D printing are quickly moving to the forefront as one of the most innovative alternatives for tissue, bone, and organ regeneration, usually through the fabrication of scaffolding and other biocompatible structures used to promote growth. Additive manufacturing via extrusion is being used often with a wide range of materials to include polymers, inks, hydrogels, pastes, and more.

“While applications of bioprinting of oral tissues are still in early stages, this strategy has displayed interesting results in various preclinical studies and seems encouraging, progressing beyond templates and models,” state the researchers. “However, for successful clinical translation it is important to develop a road map, which includes studies to receive the required FDA approval and CE marking at an early stage in the process.

Additive rapid prototyping process diagram

Steps are being taken to create more safety and standardization guidelines, while also finding a balance with new developments and methods for making patient-specific treatment plans and customizations previously unheard of in medicine.

While the technology of 3D printing and additive manufacturing has already led to countless, groundbreaking inventions—some of which may substantially improve or even save lives—there are still many challenges to overcome; for instance, equipment is often out of reach financially, materials may be difficult to come by, and there are other complexities and inconveniences like processing and finishing issues.

Scientists use a variety of different methods today for the fabrication of bio-implants, to include:

Inkjet printing
3D printing
Stereolithography
Selective laser melting
Bioprinting

Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)

Three-Dimensional Printing (3DP)

“Currently, there are three main ways that cells can be printed on the implants directly, (i) Inkjet, (ii) Extrusion and (iii) Laser Assisted Based (LAB). Indirect printing technologies do not print biomaterials. Such methods are used mainly for the construction of scaffolds which are then used for the seeding of cells, drug delivery systems, potential biochips or biosensors,” state the researchers.

Users have many options to choose from today but must be aware of the pros and cons of each method of digital fabrication, as well as that of different software, hardware, and materials.

Stereolithography (STL or SLA)

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Researchers are already working on both the macro- and micro-scale, however, learning more about how to manipulate larger materials as well as nanosized particles during in vitro studies.

“Direct fabrication of implants and prosthetics is however limited to the direct metal AM technologies that can produce parts using FDA (The US Food and Drug Administration) certified materials plus the small number of technologies that are capable of non-load bearing polymer scaffolds,” concluded the researchers.

“As more inter-disciplinary researchers are recruited into the field together with the advancement in biomaterials, it is likely that AM machines and techniques will be further improved over the years.”

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

– Additively manufactured scaffolds for periodontal regeneration. (a)
Biphasic scaffold facilitating fiber orientation (b) Biphasic scaffold in
combination with cell sheet technology (c) Enhanced biphasic scaffold (d)
Triphasic scaffold (e) First additively bio manufactured scaffold for
periodontal regeneration applied in human

[Source / Images: ‘A Review on Additive Manufacturing for Bio-Implant s’]

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GE Healthcare Life Sciences Opens $2M 3D Printing Center in Sweden

GE Healthcare Life Sciences has opened a new additive manufacturing (AM) facility in Umeå, Sweden that will be dedicated to integrating 3D-printed parts into the company’s production of biomanufacturing equipment. The site will be its second such center in Sweden, the first of which was opened in Uppsala, Sweden in 2018.

Together, the two centers will be used to for every stage of 3D printing, from prototyping to serial production. While the facility in Uppsala will engage in product design and validation activities, the Umeå perform serial production on those components.

The new site features an EOS 3D printer for polyamide parts, meant for serial production, as well as a powder mixing station and post-processing equipment. GE intends to fabricate parts for such bioprocess products as the newly released launched ÄKTA go chromatography system, as well as HiScale columns and Biacore SPR systems.

GE Healthcare Life Sciences engineers next to the 3D printer in Umeå. Image courtesy of GE Healthcare Life Sciences.

Olivier Loeillot, General Manager BioProcess at GE Healthcare Life Sciences, explained that the location of these centers was decided based on the fact that the company manufactures chromatography resins and bioprocess equipment in Sweden. As a result, GE will be able to deliver its technologies more quickly. As for the choice of 3D printing, Loeillot pointed out that 3D-printed parts are “smaller and more durable” than those made with traditional technology, which translates to “better quality, less waste, and simplified designs.”

Loeillot sees the new center as improving productivity to the company’s supply chain, which will benefit from increased agility offered by 3D printing. While we are still far from on-demand manufacturing closest to the point of use, GE is at least a step closer in co-locating its additive facilities within the same region, though it would have most likely launched any new site nearest to its main hub of activities for any given technology.

Other 3D printing activities engaged in by GE Healthcare include a partnership with Formlabs to 3D print patient-specific anatomical models, a process it wishes to streamline. The company is also working with pharmaceutical giant Amgen to test the viability of a 3D-printed chromatography column.

A 3D-printed anatomical model. Image courtesy of GE Healthcare Life Sciences.

For those following the industry, there’s no need to mention that this is part of a larger strategy on the part of GE to adopt 3D printing wherever possible across its supply chain. After pioneering 3D printing for production of fuel nozzles, then turbine blades in its aerospace division, the conglomerate began 3D printing end parts for its Oil & Gas company in Japan. What could have seemed like an elaborate and expensive marketing campaign with the highly publicized fuel nozzle proved itself to be a commitment to innovation and market dominance across its supply chain.

This most recent facility for GE Healthcare Life Sciences demonstrates that we are just at the beginning of a new era in which AM will be increasingly adopted and really will take a chunk out of the $13 trillion manufacturing sector.

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Florida: Advent Health Nicholson Center Opens 3D Printing Protoype Lab

Advent Health Nicholson Center of Celebration, FL, has just announced the launch of their Prototype Lab, an innovative new medical facility meant to encourage medical professionals in taking their ideas from a mere concept to reality—creating models and even devices that have the ability not just to change lives, but sometimes save them too. This is the wave of the future, with personalized medicine.

(Image: Advent Health Nicholson Center Prototype Lab)

Advent is known as one of the world’s leading medical training centers, continuing to provide new technology, industry knowledge, and testing. The Prototype lab will be open to physicians, researchers, engineers, and other medical professionals engaged in creating prototypes for devices.

They will have access to CAD modeling software, 3D printing, and different avenues for testing and changing designs easily.

“Our expert team can help bring an idea from ‘napkin sketch’ to reality, and our 3D printing capabilities allow inventors to hold an actual version of their device in their hands for evaluation,” said Jodi Fails, B.S., Biomedical Engineer and Prototype Lab lead at AdventHealth Nicholson Center. “Most product developers assist with creation but have to look externally for lab testing. However, with Nicholson Center’s Prototype Lab, we have the unique ability to take inventions straight from the printer to the lab for immediate testing on high-quality tissue.”

In the Prototype Lab, inventors submit their concepts to engineers who take time to understand the concept being presented, create an initial design, also very importantly—they submit a patent search to make sure there will not be any intellectual property conflicts. Once CAD 3D modeling has been completed, the design is brought to life on an in-house Objet350 Connex3 polyjet printer.

For prototyping, the Object350 is capable of printing over 1,000 different materials, to include:

Rigid plastic
Flexible rubber
Transparent materials
Full-color materials

New devices can be tested at on-site labs and can even be reviewed by the FDA.

“Beyond the technology and testing capabilities at Nicholson Center, our experts bring the pivotal industry knowledge that is so crucial to the early stages of product development,” said Lilly Graziani, Director of Corporate Development at AdventHealth Nicholson Center. “With a key balance of tradition and innovation, our engineers, physicians and clinical staff work with inventors to create a product that will reach the medical community’s ultimate goal: improving patient outcomes.”

3D printing in medicine opens the potential for impacts on a massive scale and with a multitude of labs and medical facilities already embracing the benefits of 3D design and on-demand printing. And while the technology emerged due to the curiosity and design needs of brilliant engineers in the 1980s today it is still used for its most central use: rapid prototyping.

While there are numerous medical inventors today who have created functional components and devices, the use of the prototype or model is still intensely valuable as it offers so much to everyone involved within the treatment process. First, with a 3D model being made from CT scans or X-rays, doctors and surgeons can not only diagnose an issue but can decide on a course of treatment. And while medical devices may solve a host of health problems or offer treatment, 3D printed models can be used to educate patients and their families, teach medical students and act as surgical guides in the operating room.

To learn more about the Prototype Lab or to schedule a consultation, click here.

(Image: Advent Health Nicholson Center Prototype Lab)

3D printed models are being used around the world today to explore health issues like tibial fractures, heart valve complications, and more, along with paving the way to better access in learning and sharing as medical professionals even have access to online libraries for files that can be downloaded for cases such as cardiac care.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

(Image: Advent Health Nicholson Center Prototype Lab)

[Source / Image: Advent Health Nicholson Center press release]

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TUM Purchases AMT’s PostPro3DMini for Post-Processing 3D Printed Medical Device Parts

UK-headquartered Additive Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) is a vertically integrated technology development and manufacturing company that creates automated digital solutions to help its customers unlock the potential of industrial 3D printing. In 2017, when the company was founded, it introduced its PostPro3D commercial offering, which automatically smooths elastomeric and nylon 3D printed parts. The patent-pending technology, which was officially released last year, provides an automated and sustainable post-processing solution for high volume, production 3D printed parts, and works on all types of filament- and powder-based 3D printing methods.

Now, AMT has announced the first sale of its new PostPro3DMini system, which was introduced to the market earlier this year. The Institute of Micro Technology and Medical Device Technology (MIMED) of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) confirmed that it has purchased one of AMT’s automated PostPro3DMini post-processing systems, which it plans on using to support its ongoing medical device research.

“We are really pleased to be working with the Mechanical Engineering department at TUM. This is a prestigious research institute that has been working on the progression of AM for many years. The fact that they have purchased the PostPro3DMini to support this research, and for such a demanding application in the medical device sector, is a real testament to the capabilities of the PostPro3D platform and how it can meet the demands for such applications that previously have not been met,” stated Joseph Crabtree, the CEO of AMT.

All of AMT’s post-processing systems are both UL- and CE-certified. The PostPro3DMini is based on the company’s proprietary, automated BLAST (Boundary Layer Automated Smoothing Technology) process, and offers all of the original PostPro3D’s advantages in a more compact unit. It’s a great size for design studios, research institutions, STEM programs, and smaller production runs, and is just as safe and sustainable for polymer 3D printed parts.

Speaking of safety and sustainability, AMT holds these as paramount to its philosophy, and so completed tests on EOS PA2200 3D printed parts processed with its PostPro3DMini. The results conform with all necessary cytotoxicity tests, in addition to skin irritation tests to normative references: ISO 10993-10 (2013), ISO 10993-1 (2018), and OECD TG 439.

The new PostPro3DMini system provides excellent smoothing and surface modification, which is able to achieve a surface quality that’s at least equal to injection molding for 3D printed polymer parts, if not even better. Rather than using water, the process uses a single, recyclable, non-toxic agent instead, and AMT’s automated post-processing hardware is well-suited for applications in medical devices.

The ISO:13485-certified MIMED at TUM has embraced 3D printing as a viable development and production method for its continued research into new medical devices. That’s why the department was on the lookout for a commercially available system for post-processing when it discovered AMT’s PostPro3DMini.

MIMED is currently developing individualized instruments for different medical applications using EOS PA2200 material; obviously, as this material is what was tested on the PostPro3DMini, the institute sees a lot of potential for the system. The PostPro3DMini will be integrated into MIMED’s 3D printing process for creating medical devices, in order for the institute to increase its range of SLS medical device parts.

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[Images: Additive Manufacturing Technologies]

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Enabling the Future: 3D Printed Frog Arm Prosthetic for Epilepsy Patients

While there is always the question of whether life imitates art, or vice versa, science and innovation today often imitate nature—and we humans seem to be getting better at it. A recent case and point involve a new e-NABLE prosthetic called the Frog Arm, developed by e-NABLE designer and volunteer, Peter Binkley.

Most of us take the ability to open our hands and flex our fingers completely for granted. For kids with severe epilepsy who have undergone difficult treatments, however, this can be impossible.

Upon discovering the enormous challenges kids with epilepsy face, Binkley began working with the Brain Recovery Project to create a functional limb replacement for children dealing with life after hemispherectomies—a surgery removing a portion of the brain’s hemisphere to help prevent dangerous seizures.

“In early 2016, I was approached by the Brain Recovery Project. They wanted me to pick up on Elizabeth Jackson’s amazing Airy Arm project. Elizabeth created a wearable arm that allowed a user to open his paralyzed fingers. They wanted something with a similar action. That is, a wearable device that opens the fingers via an extension of the elbow. The BRP wanted me to design a more low-profile, easy-to-wear solution. In September, I began sketching ideas for the Frog Arm,” states Binkley.

“Frog Hand (Frog Arm 0.1) would have been too difficult to manufacture. And I hadn’t even met a test pilot for the device yet, so I had a lot to learn.”

He met with his ‘test subject’ Cameron a few times, noting her exceptional social and academic skills despite the extreme medical treatments she had to endure. Soon after taking measurements and considering the level of functionality required in the prosthetic, Binkley created a 3D printed prototype accentuated with leather, screws, and a variety of cables:

“I was trying to make a device that could give users control of the wrist. With paralyzed tendons, flexing the wrist extends the fingers and extending the wrist flexes the fingers. I was trying to use that biomechanical fact to advantage. Large hair elastics hold the wrist in extension, so the normal position of the hand is closed. When the user extends the elbow, it pulls a cable that flexes the wrist, thereby opening the fingers.”

Numerous iterations were required for version 0.2, so Binkley moved on to the Frog Arm 0.3, using a 3D model and 3D printed forming blocks for better hinge design. He was forced to keep on editing his designs though, moving from 0.3 to 0.4 quickly also:

“The leap from version 0.3 to 0.4 was a big one. I had to attach directly to the fingers somehow. It seemed to me that Cameron’s only needed to be able to actively open her fingers, since they close on their own and remain closed at rest,” said Binkley.

Binkley used an elbow hinge for manipulating the cable, along with nylon tubing to serve as a braking system—allowing the fingers to move ‘relative to the carpals but not bound to the forearm.’ Leather cots made of distressed goat hide were placed around the fingers also. The forearm was not a good fit, however, and Binkley forged ahead to version 0.5.

While Cameron continued to have issues with finger extension due to such long-term paralysis, Binkley decided to discourage regular wear of the device for her due to fear of physical damage. He is continuing to work with another test pilot though, and his experimental open-source design has been released for the Frog Arm on Thingiverse.

e-NABLE has made a huge impact around the world in creating prosthetics for individuals of all ages in need of limb replacement. While these medical devices are meant to add to the quality of life for patients, many of the designs are spectacular—from those meant to help kids play violi n to integrating complex features like parametrics, and even adding to veterinary medicine with bird prosthetics.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: Enabling the Future]

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Researchers See Potential for 3D Printed Inhalers

US researchers created a study to compare conventionally made inhaler actuators with those that were 3D printed. The results were promising, as outlined in the recently published ‘Supporting Inhalation Drug-Device Combination Product Quality Using 3D Printing Technology.’ Continued, progressive research is critical to ongoing improvements in patient treatment—and especially with items like inhalers as they are used to treat breathing problems which could ultimately be life threatening.

The researchers harkened back to the original form of 3D printing with stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing, using a Form 2 3D printer, with both grey and clear photoreactive liquid resin. The 3D printed actuators were fabricated in both vertical and horizontal positions, with a layer thickness of 25 µm.

The Form 2 3D printer

“Combined with a marketed MDI drug canister (120 metered actuations, 40 mcg dose of beclomethasone dipropionate in 50 microliters of solution formulation per actuation), the 3D printed actuators were characterized for their performance attributes including spray pattern, emitted dose, and aerodynamic particle size distribution,” explained the researchers. “The results were further evaluated by confocal and conventional microscopy to understand the impact of 3D printing material and process parameters on the quality and performance of MDI products.”

The 3D printed actuators exhibited spray patterns of mean ellipticity of 1.067, while the three commercial samples showed a range from 1.038 to 1.078.

“The elliptical ratio of the spray pattern was therefore used as rapid screening for the initial evaluation of actuator nozzle printing quality,” stated the researchers.

In this study, the research team also performed in vitro performance testing, specifically regarding particle size distribution and emitted dose.

Both conventionally made actuators for the inhalers and 3D printed samples ‘showed a close similarity,’ offering intense potential for the future of creating them through digital fabrication.

“When properly validated, data generated using 3D printed inhalation devices has the potential to provide supporting information for the scientific review of NDAs and ANDAs for oral inhalation drug products (OIDPs) submitted to the Agency,” conclude the researchers.

“The study of 3D printed device components using a series of innovative analytical tools, including 3D imaging, micro-computed tomography, high resolution, and high speed in situ spray visualization techniques, may help the pharmaceutical industry efficiently develop new and generic orally inhaled drug products. The information obtained from these studies may inform recommendations for MDI device constituent parts related to quality and performance, and current MDI device constituent part user interface recommendations for generic MDI products.”

While 3D printing in relation to inhalers is an important innovation, this technology has been used to create a wide array of medical devices just in the past few years—from the use of antibacterial materials to patient-specific implants, to new ways for creating diagnostics and training models too. What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: ‘Supporting Inhalation Drug-Device Combination Product Quality Using 3D Printing Technology’]

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