Dinosaurs: First 3D Model of Embryonic Sauropod Reveals New Facial Features

In the eroded badlands of Argentina’s northern Patagonia, sedimented layers of Upper Cretaceous deposits at Auca Mahuevo offer a one of a kind view of the largest nesting site of fossilized sauropod dinosaur eggs. The intact hatching ground of the long-necked, large herbivores that roamed this exceptionally preserved land 80 million years ago was discovered in 1997 and, since then, has revealed many secrets about the reproductive habits of sauropods and their anatomical development. This dinosaur egg “sanctuary” in the lateral swamps of large streams and rivers where dinosaurs ceremoniously deposited their eggs would, later on, be gently covered by water, causing the muddy sheet-floods to bury the eggs and nests. The preserved fossils contain some of the most interesting remains ever found, from tiny embryonic bones to patches of delicate fossilized skin, and even a skull and teeth of one of the creatures.

Sediment filling the egg with the embryonic skull in situ. (Image courtesy of Martin Kundrat and the journal Current Biology)

Twenty-three years after the groundbreaking discovery, researchers report the first 3D images of the preserved embryo of a sauropod. A new scientific study published in the journal Current Biology on August 27, 2020, described the first near-intact embryonic sauropod skull analyzed from first-hand observations of 3D virtual high-resolution models. The new findings, led by Martin Kundrat of the Paleo BioImaging Lab at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, in the Slovak Republic, add to the understanding of the development of sauropod dinosaurs, a group characterized by long necks and tails and small heads, and suggests that they may have had specialized facial features as hatchlings that changed as they grew into adults.

“The specimen studied in our paper represents the first 3D preserved embryonic skull of a sauropod sauropodomorph,” said Kundrat, who is also an Associate Professor in Evolutionary and Developmental Biology at the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University. “The most striking feature is head appearance, which implies that hatchlings of giant dinosaurs may differ in where and how they lived in their earliest stages of life. But because it differs in facial anatomy and size from the sauropod embryos of Auca Mahuevo, we cannot rule out that it may represent a new titanosaurian dinosaur.”

Martin Kundrat at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble. (Image courtesy of Martin Kundrat)

The scientists recognized a well-exposed skull inside a fragmented egg, preserved in three dimensions with most bones virtually intact and articulated. Although the skull is visibly exposed on its left side, the 3D morphology and internal structure of all the preserved bones became accessible to the researchers through virtual replicas produced using scanning and imaging tools at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble.

In the study, Kundrat’s team used imaging technology called synchrotron microtomography to study the inner structure of bones, teeth, and soft tissues of the embryonic dinosaur. The scans allowed Kundrat and co-author Daniel Snitting, from Sweden’s Uppsala University, to find hidden details, including tiny teeth preserved deeply in tiny jaw sockets. They also discovered many previously unknown anatomical details in the cranial bones, including embryonic braincase components that kept their original shape and what appear to be the remains of temporal muscles.

The outer fragment of the original egg. (Image courtesy of Martin Kundrat and the journal Current Biology)

According to the researchers, sauropodomorph embryology remains one of the least explored areas of the life history of dinosaurs. But these new 3D models allowed investigators to reconstruct the most plausible appearance of the skull in titanosaurian sauropods before hatching, with useful details for taxonomic or developmental comparisons among related dinosaurs.

The preserved embryonic skull inside the fragmented fossil egg was scanned using the ESRF’s beamline ID 19, a multi-purpose long (145 m) imaging beamline. The scans were collected with propagation phase-contrast synchrotron microtomography using a pink beam with two different energies. Once the scanned data of the specimen was complete, the researchers turned to Mimics, a medical 3D image-based engineering software from Materialise, one of the leading providers of additive manufacturing software in Belgium, for the segmentation and 3D rendering of the skull.

On the left: digital reconstruction of the cranial bones and reconstruction of the skull in anterior view showing incomplete skull roof. On the right: reconstruction of the head appearance by Vladimir Rimbala and premaxillary horn of embryonic skull. (Image courtesy of Martin Kundrat and the journal Current Biology)

Finally, the scientists reconstructed the internal structure and vasculature of the premaxilla (a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the upper jaw) thanks to German software provider Volume Graphics’ VGStudio Max 2.2, one of the most advanced software platforms for industrial CT data analysis and visualization.

Once the researchers had the 3D models, they were able to analyze the details in the sauropod’s prenatal cranial ossification. Kundrat and the study’s co-authors suggest “an alternative head appearance for babies of these Patagonian giants,” with a specialized head and face that transformed as the young dinosaurs grew and matured into adults. In fact, the visually enlightening findings suggest that the baby sauropods may have hatched out of the egg with the help of a thickened epidermal prominence rather than using a boney “egg-tooth.” The team also uncovered evidence that the titanosaurian hatchlings emerged with a temporary single-horned face, retracted openings on the nose, and early binocular vision.

Left: the craniofacial region in ventral view showing the premaxillary and maxillary alveoli and the rostral premaxillary projection forming a basis of the horn-like process. Middle: the skull in antero-ventral view. Right: 3D rendered first mesial premaxillary teeth. (Image courtesy of Martin Kundrat and the journal Current Biology)

“Our study revealed several new aspects about the embryonic life of the largest herbivorous dinosaurs that lived on our planet. A horned faced and binocular vision are features quite different from what we expected in titanosaurian dinosaurs,” added Kundrat. “Dinosaur eggs are for me like time capsules that bring a message from the ancient time. This was the case of our specimen that tells a story about Patagonian giants before they hatched.”

The work is expected to enlighten the understanding of dinosaurs and how they lived. This newly unveiled reconstruction enabled experts to recreate anatomical aspects based on intact cranial features never seen before, revealing biological and geochemical characters that distinguish the new specimen from previously described titanosaurian embryos from Auca Mahuevo.

3D rendering of the opaque and semi-transparent premaxilla in medial and lateral views. (Image courtesy of Martin Kundrat and the journal Current Biology)

Although the egg fragment was originally illegally exported from Argentina and brought to researchers’ attention only later when study co-author Terry Manning, a Paleo Technician in Arizona, realized the unique preservation and scientific importance of the specimen, it is now housed in the Museo Municipal “Carmen Funes” in Plaza Huincul, just miles from the Auca Mahuevo fossil site in Argentina under the curation of paleontologist Rodolfo Coria, who is also a co-author of the study.

For decades, the extraordinary discovery of the Late Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur nesting ground has fascinated researchers worldwide. The dozens of intact eggs opened a window to understanding the life of the giant sauropods, and particularly their reproductive habits and early life. Now, 3D imaging and scanning technology can help uncover new traits and anatomy of these dinosaurs, with details never before seen.

A magnified perspective of the embryonic Titanosaurian skull along with a skull reconstruction. (Image courtesy of Martin Kundrat and the journal Current Biology)

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3D Printing Congress in Argentina: Novel Ideas and a Harsh Landscape Ahead

A new edition of the 3D Printing Congress in Argentina wrapped up last Thursday after two days of workshops, supplier stands and speakers talking about the challenges and solutions of manufacturing using 3D printing. From biomaterials to resins, 3D printing in the automotive industry, 3D medical simulators and biomedical inventions, some of the most innovative uses for the technology show that it is advancing in the country, albeit somewhat slower than expected.

Sergio Cavaliere, Product and Applications Manager for Advanced Machine Systems (AMS), said to 3DPrint.com: “The local market is volatile, complex and caged by controls, yet at the general manufacturing level we notice that companies have begun acquiring additive manufacturing technology, perhaps not at the hyper expectation levels we forecasted five years ago, still, they know that if they don’t begin to use 3D printing, they will lose competitiveness.” 

Held 6 to 7 November in the City of Buenos Aires, the event gathered more than 3,500 3D printing enthusiasts, professionals, and researchers who eagerly discussed how to achieve better, cheaper and more efficient results, as well as what’s on the horizon for local 3D printing companies. This year’s main themes focused on 3D printing in industry and biomedicine. 

Last year, when the Mercedes Benz plant in Buenos Aires was looking to improve its production line of trucks and vans, they consulted Cavaliere and AMS. The manufacturing process specialists recommended they acquire an additive manufacturing machine to accelerate production. The local branch of the German vehicle maker soon began using a Stratasys F270 24/7 and in only 23 days created the devices needed for the manufacturing engineering of the assembly line.

Workshop: Creating unique shapes with the 3D pencil

“In general and around the world, almost 70% of all 3D printing is used for prototyping. However, this is not the case for Argentina, where industries are searching for ways to use the technology in manufacturing aids–like jigs, fixtures, platforms and tools (mainly in automotive). This means that they require more durable materials with high thermal and impact resistant qualities. And while most machines sold locally today are PLA printers that are very common for prototyping, they are not useful in manufacturing. That’s the reason our product sparked a lot of interest among attendees at the Congress,” suggested Demian Gawianski, CCO of Kodak 3D Printing during an interview with 3DPrint.com.

The very popular Kodak booth

Gawianski considers that 3D printing know-how has been growing in recent years, more focused on industry and engineering applications. In 2012, Argentina-based Smart International began developing and manufacturing 3D printers and in 2018 they released Kodak’s Portrait 3D printer, a new professional 3D printing solution, which was developed through a global brand licensing agreement.

Furthermore, the team behind Kodak showcased parts that are being produced as part of their new segment, an alliance with renown polymer manufacturers worldwide, such as BASF, Owens Corning, Clariant, and DSM. “The pieces printed with our machines using BASF stainless steel are very alluring for manufacturers because they have 80% stainless steel and 20% of a polymer which after a few post-processes becomes 100% stainless steel,” explained Gawianski. “Our machines are certified to work with already established materials from large manufacturers, allowing our customers to develop engineering pieces with high resistance.”

Stainless steel gear made with BASF material 319 L, Kodak

Not to be missed was Juan Manuel Romero’s talk about his Game of Thrones spoons, made earlier this year exclusively and in partnership with HBO Latin America, just in time for the premiere of the world-wide awaited sixth and final season of the show. The innovative development even competed at Cannes’ International Festival of Creativity during the 2019 award season. 

“3D printing offers infinite novel possibilities for jewelry creations, characterization, and improved quality. The precision approach of the machines is an advantage to more traditional methods of creating jewelry,” said Romero to 3DPrint.com. “Back in 2014 we realized that we needed to scale production without losing the design edge, and 3D printing gave us all that and more.” 

Romero, the owner of Quimbaya, has been a goldsmith jeweler for over 10 years, yet he learned quickly that using 3D printing to go from design to molding makes a big difference towards his end product. He states that “morphologically, the jewelry design has no limit, while with conventional methods, the same level of accuracy could never be achieved.” For his Game of Thrones spoons, he used Photocentric’s Precision 1.5 machines to create the prototype and the molds that were then used to make the metal spoons. The four spoons (representing the most iconic houses of the series: Stark, Lannister, Targaryen, and Greyjoy) traveled from Argentina to Europe with HBO, they became a very popular and desirable item due to the visibly unique quality, traits and intricate work. 

The very popular green shade PLA color

One of the most popular booths among attendees was PrintaLot. The company director, Mariano Perez​​, has underlined the success of his filaments: “Our client portfolio used to be made up mainly of hobbyists, and today we mostly get industrial market orders from companies that are driving the digital transformation of the industry”. In this sense, he adds that “we began working with other markets in the region, like Brazil, which has a big demand for our products.” One of the biggest orders the company got from Brazilian clients was a request for a new PLA color, the green-blue shade made famous by jewelry maker Tiffany. 

“3D printing machines and materials are changing the production processes of different economic sectors and creating new business models. We also began reselling Wiiboox Sweetin, the gourmate food 3D printer, and Ultimaker, because we noticed  many local entrepreneurs were searching for this type of solutions,” Mariano told 3DPrint.com.

In addition to the increasingly popular local 3D printer suppliers exhibiting the latest MakerBot, Formlabs, BCN3Ds, and Trideo (one of the most popular local brands), new and creative applications drew big crowds. Like a surgical simulator; 3D bioprinters to treat wounds in diabetic patients; bespoke 3D printed titanium implants, and the WalkingMaker, a 3D printer with wheels that extrudes material obliquely.

Nicolas Meer, co-creator of a pediatric surgical simulator for medicine residents said: “we spoke to pediatric surgeons who suggested the best way to teach the techniques of laparoscopy to students and future doctors was through a simulator, instead of waiting for a real case or practicing with animal parts. I have been working with 3D printers since 2012 so I decided to design and print a small simulator that wouldn’t cost more than $500.”

Even though spirits run high during the event, the landscape ahead is looking dim for the technology locally. With few endeavors and a complex economical situation, startups that once bet on creating their own technology, quickly noticed that it was better to import the printers from other countries. As is usual in the Latin American region, most of the machines being used come from Europe, Asia, and the US. Some of the best selling brands include Formlabs, Photocentric, MakerBot, and on the high end, Stratasys. Nonetheless, both political and economic uncertainty tends to drive up job losses, hold up the economy and seriously affect growth, so we can expect local companies will begin to look to other countries and regional markets to expand. Funding is limited and international investors are carefully looking at the local scenario ahead. However, interest is rising and every year, more people become knowledgeable of the technology, looking at the field as a reliable, creative and fundamental part of their work.

The team behind the Congress

[Images: Kodak, 3D Printing Congress Argentina, Quimbaya, Print-a-Lot and 3DPrint.com]

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Children’s Hospital in Argentina Finally Gets 3D Printed Presurgical Models

For the first time, a presurgical technique using 3D printing was used on four children suffering from congenital heart disease (CHD), holding promise for future developments. The idea was proposed by Ignacio Berra, a pediatric cardiovascular surgeon at Garrahan Hospital, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, who worked with 3D printed aortic valves of the patients and a 3D printed device of his own creation to carry out tests prior to aortic valve repair surgery. 3D printed medical models are being developed to assist professionals while preparing for complex surgery all over the world. So far they have been quite successful since doctors get to manipulate the model, just like they would do in the actual surgery. Using medical imaging to recreate anatomical models of a patient with any of the different materials available today, leads to accurate and customized models. It’s not the same going into surgery after looking at a 2D formatted image of a child’s heart than actually being able to grasp an exact replica. Berra has been attempting to implement pre-operative planning at the hospital where he works for a few years and just last month he was able to do so, partly thanks to his 3D printing startup, LEW, which developed the four aortic valve reconstructed models for free. In a country where public hospitals have no research institutions associated with them, this is a big step.

Ignacio Berra at Garrahan Hospital

Berra operates on an average of 15 children every week. One-third of complex children heart diseases in the country are resolved at Garrahan Hospital; also children from Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and even the southern cities of Brazil travel there just to get surgical procedures. Berra has worked at Garrahan since 2006, except when he won a scholarship to train together with other researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard School of Medicine four years ago. When he returned, he was eager to use 3D printing for medical devices and so started working on developing presurgical models of the aortic and pulmonary valves in children with severe aortic insufficiency, as well as applying his 3D printed intraoperative test device for aortic valve repair (which he developed during his time in Boston).

The idea–which could also be performed in adults–would benefit 50 children with aortic valve failure every year. According to the specialist, if the aortic valve does not work properly, it can interfere with blood flow and force the heart to work harder to carry blood to the rest of the body, which causes difficulty breathing, fatigue, chest pain, loss of consciousness, arrhythmia and can lead to sudden death from heart attack. Moreover, in an interview, Berra suggested to 3DPrint.com that performing cardiac surgery in a child is far more complex than adults because the anatomy is not always the same. Actually, he says that the anatomical configuration of the aorta changes a lot. So this is why he insists on preparing prior to the surgery by training on a 3D printed aortic valve model that is completely customized. 

“To get the full picture of what I would encounter during the surgery, I had to first print a replica of each of the four children’s aorta from a CT scan, using Matlab. Once the model was done, I then stitched a pericardium valve (pig pericardium is quite common at this stage because it assimilates the human one) to actually simulate the child’s valve. Finally, using a device I designed in 3D to evaluate the repair of the aortic valve, I pressurized the model with a solution to simulate the diastolic pressure the patient will have, and used an endocamera to evaluate the valve and test whether it closes well and would be able to withstand the blood flow post surgery. After the test in the lab was complete, I moved ahead with the actual surgery,” explained Berra.

The 3D printed aortic valve model without the pericardium (left) and with stitched pericardium (right) for testing prior to surgery (after a while, the pericardium dries up)

The customized models help generate personalized medicine and successful surgeries. That was exactly what happened during Berra’s four surgeries, with children achieving complete recovery and going home quicker than they would have otherwise. During surgery, he uses part of the pericardium (the membrane that covers the heart) of the patient to rebuild the valve that is malfunctioning, so it adapts perfectly to the anatomy. So far, other techniques used to reconstruct children’s valves include the Ross procedure (using a diseased aortic valve) or a mechanical prosthesis.

Software modeling of an aortic valve

Berra is currently in talks with Carin van Doorn, Head of Congenital Cardiac Surgery at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, which is part of the UK’s NHS Trust network (the biggest provider of specialist NHS services in England), in the hopes to work together rebuilding valves for children who suffer from a disease that obstructs the right ventricular outflow tract in England. Berra is hoping to first reconstruct the valve using 3D software, before moving to the operating room (OR) where he hopes a prosthesis made with the patient’s own pericardium will last longer (just like he did in Argentina), this significantly reduces the number of times the patient needs to go back into the OR during his lifetime. 

Berra is the first medical specialist in the country to work with 3D printing and encourages others to follow his lead. But it has not been easy. The country is not part of the technological revolution that has evolved quite rapidly in developed nations. With limited financial resources, low levels of learning, limited opportunities for the poor (36% of the population), and chronic conflicts with teachers’ unions, it might take decades to catch up to the rest of the globe.

“To solve problems, the way North America, Europe and Asia are doing, we need education at each and every level, and not just education, technological know-how from the earliest years. That’s one of the things that’s missing and it’s hurting our chances to be a competing force in the region. Every day I struggle to implement 3D printing technology at public hospitals, to help surgeons during procedures, and patients to recover quicker, but it’s no easy task, people are still afraid of change and bureocratic procedures are timely and costly,” he revealed.

The aortic valve model after being printed on Stratasys

Berra’s company LEW produces presurgical models, both for his personal use at Garrahan Hospital and for fellow doctors that are curious about implementing 3D printing technology to their work. Each model made on the company’s Stratasys Objet30 Prime with Stratasys‘ own resins costs around $200, and they are not yet charging fellow doctors and hospitals for them.

At LEW, Berra is currently developing a perfusion system that allows preserving an organ for transplantation in conditions similar to those of the human body and is expected to double the number of interventions in the country, and along with his team, they are developing an artificial heart, also using 3D printing.

The specialist claims his work to help young patients will not stop, no matter how many hurdles he has to tackle in the way. With aspirations to work mainly in Argentina, Berra does not discard moving to the UK or Boston, where his ties with other specialists in the field could help him achieve his goals. Like many in the field, he believes training pediatric surgeons for the future should involve acquiring knowledge on 3D printing technology to aid the work, and with a limited amount of cardiovascular surgeons specializing in children, they can use all the help they can get.

[Images: Ignacio Berra and 3DPrint.com]

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Pediatric Surgeon 3D Prints a Aortic Valve Repair Testing Device

Nations around the world are taking steps to prevent heart disease, with both advice and legislation to promote healthy eating habits, annual check-ups, and even antismoking laws and regulations. But for some patients, it is not about a change in lifestyle, since heart ailments are part of their daily life. For children born with congenital heart disease (CHD), a birth defect in the heart that can be the cause of serious health complications later on in life, pediatric surgeons around the globe are trying to raise awareness about this most common birth defect. According to estimates, one in 1,000 babies is born with the condition every year. This means an annual 1.3 million CHD births. It usually entails an anomaly in the heart walls, valves or blood vessels, ranging in effect from simple defects to life-threatening conditions. In Argentina, pediatric cardiovascular surgeon Ignacio Berra has been searching for solutions to CHD his entire adult life and last year he designed and perfected an intraoperative test device for aortic valve repair using 3D printing.

How the device works

Since 2006, Berra has worked at Garrahan Hospital, in Buenos Aires, but in 2015, he won a scholarship to train together with other researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard’s School of Medicine, where he began working on the device. The technique was presented at the Aortic Symposium held by the Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), and detailed how pediatric surgeons are trying to intraoperatively test and visualize the valve in its diastolic state (part of the cardiac cycle during which the heart refills with blood). The aortic valve pressurization device enables a regurgitant aortic valve to be inspected under typical diastolic conditions at the start of the repair to better understand mechanisms of aortic regurgitation (AR) as well as allowing surgeons to do a postoperatively test the efficacy of repair and the robustness of valve closure.The gadget was printed on a Stratasys Objet30 Prime 3D printer with a super clear biocompatible resin to allow for visual inspection and is described by Berra and fellow researchers as a two-piece cylindrical tube with a length of 26 cm and a working channel with inlet and outlet valves, as well as a pressurization chamber, which has two side ports. On one side they use it to test the pressure, thanks to a sensor, while the other side port can be used to introduce measurement tools, for example, an endoscope to allow visualization of the valve and aortic root.

“One of the key factors when developing this type of innovation is reproducibility. Especially in developing countries, such as Argentina, where we would benefit from generating this type of device, cheaply, for daily use in operations. Our hospitals are solely about care, so they are missing the in-house research facilities that others have in Europe and North America. This means that in order to keep working and improving the device (as well as generating other projects), I had to create my own 3D printing company, called LEW, with a fully equipped operating room for pre-clinical trials, a Stratasys Objet30 Prime, Stratasys own resins, software and industrial engineers and designers who help us develop the ideas,” explained Berra to 3DPrint.com

The aortic valve pressurization device

According to the specialist, in children, surgical repair of the valve is usually preferred over valve replacement. However, aortic valve repair is technically challenging and is currently in transition from surgical improvisation to a reproducible operation and an option for many patients with aortic valve disease. A major challenge for surgeons during aortic valve repair is to intraoperatively assess valve dysfunction before repair and to predict valve competence after repair. Up until now, there has been no similar test in use for the aortic valve, although the concept has been proposed. So the device is ideal for with children with CHD.

“The model was originally designed in the computer and then 3D printed in three parts and used at Boston Children’s Hospital to test the pressure valve. This means that, by pressurizing and using an endoscope, surgeons can see the closed aortic valve during the intraoperative period while the aorta is transacted, and it only takes one minute. To perform the preclinical trials I used pig hearts, but the method has advanced more in the US, since they are soon going to start a clinical study to formally test its validity with the FDA. In Argentina, we are only using it to test a model of the aorta prior to surgery, but we expect to begin using it in children soon,” Berra went on. 

Trying out the technique at the lab

The technique validates, during the surgery, that the operation was successful and ensures that the child will be fit to continue living a normal life. Berra suggested that “without the aortic valve pressurization device it is difficult for a surgeon to intraoperatively predict valve competence after repair solely on the basis of what they see, that is, to know for sure that the valve will not yield, because if it breaks after the surgery, the turbulent blood flow can lead to endocarditis, a serious infection of the valves.”  According to Berra and the researchers behind the device, this new capability could increase the success rate of aortic valve repair, leading to higher repair rates and encouraging less experienced surgeons to attempt it. 

“Although surgeons are heavily trained, surgeries are not all that simple, each case is different, especially in children with CHD. When we have to work with patients that have such complicated pathologies, there is a need to generate new solutions with what we have on hand, and unfortunately in Argentina, availability is not in our dictionary. Doctors fight against an ancient bureaucratic system to translate an idea into a reality with the potential to save lives,” he revealed. 

Berra’s ambition for research and innovation is a family trait. His father is a veterinary and researcher who instilled a desire for knowledge. Both him and his dad are part of LEW, as well as his sister, an immunologist, and brother, an engineer in charge of designing all the devices before they go through the printer. They are also working on perfecting a 3D printed artificial heart which they plan to make commercially available in the country, and which will cost much less than what an imported version costs, usually around $70,000. With this and many more projects in the works, the company could soon become one of the few generating novel ideas in the region.

[Images: Ignacio Berra and 3DPrint.com]

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Interview with Juan Carlos Miralles: 3D Printing in Latin America has Taken Longer than Expected

Juan Carlos Miralles

It is quite common for emerging Latin American countries to follow global technology trends, but 3D printing hasn’t gained enough force to even begin to disrupt some of the main industries. Latin American economies have posted average annual GDP growth rates of about 3 percent, far slower than growth in some other developing regions. Furthermore, a report about productivity growth in Latin America by the World Bank, states that the technologies found in the factories are far less productive and closer to obsolescence than those in the United States. Only 22 percent of firms in the region innovate, which is very poor compared with 62 percent of firms in Europe and Central Asia. And even when they do innovate, Latin American firms do it cautiously. In an interview with 3DPrint.com, Juan Carlos Miralles, Stratasys Sales Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, tried to shed some light on the importance of using 3D printing technologies in local universities and hospitals, as well as educating younger generations in 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Miralles is very interested in the impact that medical models can have on the overall performance of hospitals and clinics, especially as pre-surgical models for complex procedures, also as cost-effective 3D printed anatomical replicas for medical education and training. For him, this means that the adoption of these advances in healthcare would help the region grow at a faster rate. According to Miralles, Brazil leads through research and development of 3D printing in medicine, and with one of the world’s biggest public health care systems, it’s no wonder it’s getting quickly ahead of the pack. 

In 2013, just after Stratasys acquired Objet, Miralles was hired as Territory Manager for the US-based firm, hoping to bring the 3D printing revolution to America’s southern cone. At the time, Latin America was lagging badly, there were only a few printers -both Stratasys and Objet- in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, so the company focused on increased participation of 3D printers in industries, but this took longer than expected.

“At the time, we felt we had to step up the expansion process for the technology, which we thought would be quick, but that did not happen. Actually, we noticed that when patents for our FDM machines expired, many small manufacturing companies in the region began producing 3D printers and marketing them as Stratasys FDM technology, so many people bought the cheaper versions. But after a while, they realized that they couldn’t do a lot with a $5,000 printer. So that was definitely a contributing factor that delayed the adoption of AM technology. Nevertheless, the market came around in 2015 and the Latin American tech community saw the difference between a professional printer and the hobbyist version,” Miralles told 3DPrint.com. 

Juan Carlos Miralles at ITBA’s Demo Center (Image: AMS Argentina)

Investment in modernization of products and processes is very low, shifting the full burden of innovation to universities, which are accountable for most of the research. With Foreign Direct Investment flows to Latin America and the Caribbean contracting for the fourth year in a row in 2017, to 161,673 billion dollars, (that’s 3.6% down from 2016 and 20% less than in 2011), it’s not a pretty picture. Still, projects like the Brazilian Air Force’s partnership with Stratasys to manufacture aircraft components, or Chile-based Honeycomb Graphics’ tri-dimensional coloring system, which the company plans to use to transform the world of the average 3D printer user, are a few of the examples of ways in which local public and private undertakings are trying to build up experience.

“The fourth industrial revolution changes the way goods are produced everywhere, and that eventually will hit markets in the region. Through the use of new technologies, small countries can produce at reasonable costs, so that places like Chile or Colombia can compete with China in terms of goods production as well as begin to generate added value to their industry. Today, the largest industries are in Brazil and Mexico, followed by Colombia, Argentina, and Chile. Leading the way is Brazil with significant advances in the use of AM technology, notably at the the Renato Archer Institute, which has made great strides in healthcare. Chile is a pioneer, approving laws that compel medical insurance providers to pay for biomodels in complex surgeries, something that is currently undergoing FDA aprrovals in the United States, for example. Yet, in other countries, like Argentina, doctors have to find their own means to 3D print a pre-surgical model for a patient, which is exactly what Ignacio Berra is doing at Garrahan Children’s Hospital, even using money of his own to pay for them. On average, we talk about millions of dollars in savings thanks to 3D printing, something many helth systems in emerging countries really need to start thinking about,” Miralles suggested.

On average, the specialist claims that savings in both time and money from pre-surgical medical models (biomodels) range between 50 and 60 percent. But public and private health systems in Latin America are taking too long to use the technology, which is why Stratasys is focusing on universities, creating alliances with renown institutions and developing Demo Centers to showcase their AM technology to industries and the academic community. Miralles suggested that the main purpose of this ongoing project is to establish long-term relationships with its customers so that they can forge their own applications using tools and technology from Stratasys. 

“The concept of Demo Center arises in universities, which have become accelerators in the adoption of the new machines. We provide the best product available so that they can, in turn, help local companies use AM in any type of processes,” he said.

There is only one Demo Center in each country, including Perú’s Pontificia Universidad Católica (PUCP); SENAI CETIQT Technology Center for Chemical and Textile Industry, in Brazil; Argentina’s Institute of Technology of Buenos Aires; the University of Santiago de Chile; Colombia’s Pontífica Universidad Javeriana; Guatemala’s Francisco Marroquin University, and soon we can expect a new Demo Center in Ecuador’s Technological University of the North. 

Stratasys Demo Center at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (Image: Stratasys)

“Companies are interested in incorporating additive manufacturing and 3D printing. However, a lack of resources, investment and a shortage of local well-trained professionals limit their ability to fully adopt the technology. More universities need to promote STEM careers to increase the number of professionals with capabilities aligned to the 4.0 industry goals. This change has to start at the different levels of education, otherwise, emerging countries will find it hard to make a conversion to future jobs and disruptive technologies. At Stratasys, we seek to promote regional small and medium industries, so that they can become interested in 3D printing, allowing emerging countries to move away from traditional forms of production and become more competitive at the global market level, and today that can only be achieved by applying the best technology out there,” suggested Miralles.

The Senai Cetiqt Fashion Lab and Demo Center in Brazil (Image: Senai Cetiqt)

Since 2013, Stratasys has grown in the region, with offices in Chile, Brazil, and Mexico and with over 1,000 machines in universities, industries, and hospitals. Miralles considers that there is a growth curve that is beginning to step up the pace.

“It all started very slowly for us and the technology in general, but now it might start getting more dynamic. Although I’m still waiting for the boom, where the increase in both research and commercial activity mean that many more people have started to incorporate the technology; perhaps in a few years when thousands of people and communities are benefiting directly from 3D printing, we can actually say that. I really hope so,” he concluded.

In South America, an event brought together experts and ideas for 3D printing in healthcare

3D Print Week (Si3d) at the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires (ITBA), Argentina, brought together local experienced 3D printing and additive manufacturing professionals. From entrepreneurs to students, industry experts and academia, even medical and dental professionals were invited to network in an environment embracing the impact of 3D printing in the industry and healthcare sectors. Attendees were also able to print their projects for free at the fully-equipped university 3D Lab, which is home to a Stratasys J750 PolyJet 3D printer, two Fortus 250mc, a Fortus 450mc, an Objet Alaris30, a CNC machine, and two desktop printers. The two-day event aimed to highlight the growing capabilities of 3D printing in the region, also provided the industry a place to discuss the future of 3D technology. Experts from ITBA, Stratasys, Hornero 3DX, and Garrahan Children’s Hospital shared their experiences with 3D printing models, materials and applications. Some of the topics discussed included 3D bioprinting, 3D facial scanning, and software, 3D printing in a nuclear power station, as well as the making of splints using 3D scanning and 3D printing. Si3d is a must-attend on the annual calendar in Argentina, where only two major 3D printing events take place every year and the local 3D printing industry is taking longer than expected to take-off.

Aeronautic engineer and co-founder of Hornero 3DX, one of the leading companies in Argentina providing 3D printing solutions for public and private sectors, Federico Bertoli, spoke to 3DPrint.com abo

 Hornero 3DX replicating a skull with one of their best-sellers BCN3D’s Sigmax (Credit: ITBA)

ut the tough reality facing most of the local 3D printer developers. “In 2014 we began designing 3D printing machines, but the lack of incentives for local manufacturers (who have to compete with cost-effective Chinese 3D printers), a decrease in investment for start-ups and very low financing for tech firms, made our venture a very high-risk investment, so we decided to import machines that could satisfy our customers needs,” said Bertoli, who had on display some of the 3D printers his company is currently selling, including ones from Barcelona-based BCN3D Technologies and Zortrax. “Creating 3D technology is quite difficult in Argentina. Other neighboring countries, like Brazil, have come a long way because they have seriously invested in the industry, where local manufacturers have intensified their research and development thanks to the support they are getting from the state, and they have access to all sorts of financing options. So, while in Argentina we can sell 10 machines per month, Brazil is closer to 100. Although there is a lot of interest from many small and medium businesses who wish to acquire the technology, most of our clients are barely getting by, trying to survive the current recession, which translates to even fewer investments in 3D printers.”

3D printing specialists showing some of their work to curious students (Credit: ITBA)

While dozens of students, 3D printing enthusiasts, and business owners walked through the packed corridors of the university, stopping by each stand, speaking to the experts about some of the challenges that arise during 3D printing, workshops and panels showcased successful projects in 3D printing and 3D scanning. The buoyant atmosphere of one of the top universities in Latin America, located in chic Puerto Madero district (very well known among tourists traveling to Buenos Aires) was a great setting for the event, especially since lots of people became very enthused about printing their own projects for free at the 3D Lab. From Harry Potter tokens to glasses for children who can’t afford them, the dozens of 3D printed projects were a raging success among attendees.

Trideo, one of the prominent local manufacturers of 3D printers was part of the event, showcasing some original eye-catching pieces. It’s co-founder, Nicolas Berenfeld, explained to 3DPrint.com why he also considers the country a very difficult place for a hardware business: “a few years back, there used to be a lot of developers of 3D printers in Argentina, however an increase in imports meant that many had to close their doors and transition to a different business model, mostly resellers of imported 3D printers. This approach is not entirely helpful for the development of 3D printing technology in the country since it doesn’t generate knowledge or add value to the industry.” Originally from Belgium, Berenfeld came to Argentina with a degree in business engineering, a strong belief that 3D printing can change the way we do things and a need to develop the technology in Latin America. His firm, Trideo, makes desktop and industrial 3D printers and offers professional 3D printing services for specific industry needs. Even though their industrial and professional printers are a big hit among many local small and medium firms, the entrepreneur had hoped Buenos Aires would become one of the great 3D printing hubs in Latin America.

“Right now, the country does not have the right conditions to export 3D printers or hardware in general. Firms that export to the world face larger demand, and under the right conditions, they can operate at larger scales where the price per unit of product is lower, but this doesn’t happen in Argentina. Countries like Spain, Turkey and many in Asia have asked for 3D printers from Trideo, but we just don’t have the scale to make them,” explained Berenfeld. Still, he claims that the 3D technology industry has begun to grow in other ways, there are more 3D printing consultants, prototyping apps, casting molds, spare parts for imported 3D printers and even filament developers (like Printalot).

During the highly publicized event, many healthcare professionals took the stage for an introduction into some of the most innovative medical uses for 3D printing. Rodrigo Salazar Gamarra, a dental surgeon and 3D printing innovator who creates facial prostheses with low-cost 3D technology, explained how his open-source, cost-effective methods are helping people everywhere, especially in poor communities where there is a great demand and need for fast cutting-edge healthcare solutions. Furthermore, one of the latest studies by the Renato Archer Information Technology Center in Brasil, where Salazar does a great deal of his work, indicated that the use of customized biomodels for complex maxillofacial operations can reduce surgical times by between 25% and 62%, reduce recovery times in hospital by 50% and have up to a total cost reduction of more than 24%.

Many projects focused on healthcare prototyping (Credit: ITBA)

At the local level, scientists Diego Fridman, Pablo Luchetti, and Luciano Poggi, revealed a novel incision and closure surgical device made with 3D printing technology, INCLODE, which can be placed prior to a surgical incision and does not require stitches to close the wound. It’s bye bye scars once the device is approved for use in humans; currently, it’s in the pre-production stages. The device, which won the Israel Innovation Award in late 2018, consists of an adhesive sheet with a guide for the incision and allows its expansion and subsequent closure, with the help of a mechanical seal. “The doctor can work on the wound and once the work is done, the skin returns to its original place. What’s great about the gadget is that it reduces operating time, sewing a wound takes between 15 to 20 minutes, while INCLODE does the work in just a few seconds,” added Poggi.

Live printing of dental prostheses at the event (Credit: ITBA)

Also interested in how 3D printing advances medicine is the director of the Stratasys branch for the Caribbean and Latin America region, Juan Carlos Miralles. At Si3d, he highlighted how important it is for hospitals to have 3D printers, allowing doctors to save up to 60% in surgery time. According to the expert, a great example is the Las Condes Clinic, a private healthcare institute in Chile, which acquired a single-material Stratasys machine three years ago that prints with high precision and can develop accurate bone models. “Using personalized biomodels for surgery planning has proved to increase the probability of success by 90%, which is great news for the over 16,000 orthopedic spine surgeries every year. The technology used in the country’s healthcare system could help over 700,000 patients per year in the region,” he proposed. Miralles is mainly concerned with the healthcare sector, and he went on to explain how 3D printing could benefit medical students who face many challenges when trying to use cadavers during the first years of medical school practices. For years, medical schools everywhere have suggested that there is a shortage of cadavers, in part because of the rise in organ donations, and cadavers without their organs are not suitable for medical education. “Finding cadavers for medical practice is very difficult, and when university research labs finally get them, they need a specific room temperature and procedures to avoid decay. Medical students are also limited because they cannot choose a body that has undergone a specific disease or condition, so this is where 3D printing technology becomes extremely useful, being able to scan a patient’s tomography, reproduce it and study a specific case could ease professionals and students.”

The Stratasys Latin America branch has been working closely with hospitals, universities, research institutions, and companies since 2013 to provide them with their best 3D printing technology. In Chile, quite a few institutions have teams with a high technological capacity to make precise biomodels, like the University of Santiago de Chile and hospitals like Clinica Las Condes and Orema ClinicCurrently, the Israel-based company has about a thousand machines in South America.

“3D printing is proving to be a revolutionary and efficient new form of production to meet the demands of the current market and we expect our educational institution will prepare students and future 3D printing innovators with knowledge and experience in 3D printing and additive manufacturing applications. At ITBA, we are very interested in the impact that the technology has on the medical and industrial sectors, and local universities are pushing the limits of what can be done, working alongside medical experts and engineering specialists,” said Jorge Leporati, coordinator of the Digital Manufacturing Laboratory at ITBA.

The event was a big success. With a majority of engineering students among the attendees, it was clear that once many of them get their degree, they plan to work with 3D printing technologies. Perhaps in a few years, Buenos Aires will standardize processes, scale up production and invest more in development of AM. Until then, experts suggest that we will see academia advance faster than the industry itself. And while manufacturers and enthusiasts are pushing for more government incentives for local companies, the Argentine Chamber of 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing is trying to put together another 3D printing event in late July to further advance knowledge, share experiences and get the word out about what they are doing. It’s an uncertain future for many entrepreneurs who expect that an improved economy in coming years will benefit their companies, but until then they need to work together and collaborate to keep the 3D printing industry up and running.

Latin America Just Got Its First Stratasys J750 3D Printer

The 3D printing community in Argentina has recently pushed forth into new horizons with the acquisition of the first Stratasys J750 in Latin America.The state-of-the-art model arrived in December of last year at one of the top engineering universities in Argentina and will aid researchers in medicine and industry related endeavours. The machine is part of an ongoing effort at the country’s top engineering university, the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires (ITBA), to incorporate 3D printing to its programme. Students, faculty and staff now have access to eight 3D printers in a facility that is open every day.

The new Stratasys J750 working full time at ITBA’s Digital Manufacturing Laboratory

Officially inaugurated in 2009, the University’s Digital Manufacturing Laboratory promises to place ITBA in a privileged position in the use of this technology throughout Latin America. The Stratasys J750 PolyJet 3D printer is designed to carry out surgical simulations, medical preparations, surgical guides and development of final products for industrial use. Both faculty and students have access to the lab’s additive manufacturing equipment housed at the university’s main building in the City of Buenos Aires which also includes two Fortus 250mc, a Fortus 450mc, an Objet Alaris30, a CNC machine and two desktop printers.

“3D printing in Argentina is having a huge impact on medicine and industry, and it’s also where most universities are developing their additive manufacturing processes,” said ITBA professor and the 3D Lab’s head of operations Jorge Leporati.

Professor Jorge Leporati at work at the Lab

According to Leporati, in the future they hope to build bone parts, prostheses that will be inserted inside the body, and surgical simulations.

“We recently created the missing part of a human skull and also aided an oncology specialist at Garrahan Children’s Hospital in Buenos Aires who needed to perform a complex operation of a kidney tumor,” explained the professor. “We printed the child’s organ to scale, simulating the hardness of the nerves and tissues helping the surgeon better prepare for the actual operation and thus making it less risky,” he continued.

It took 10 years for the Lab to get to where it is now, but with 3D printing becoming more popular and prevalent in industry and medical procedures, having access to this technology is important. The use of the lab and its facilities are currently being integrated into the Engineering and Industrial Design programmes. The laboratory will support joint research, materials development, testing of 3D printing technologies and new processes. Two applications that will be worth highlighting in the Lab’s future are impressions of pre-surgical models and 3D bioprinting. The development of realistic simulators for surgery, will allow the doctors to know exactly what they will encounter during a procedure, increasing safety and reducing costs, as well as facilitating the development of manual medical skills for students of medicine or professionals who are starting out in their careers, and it will also rule out the use of corpses and real tissue.

Some of the Stratasys J750’s most popular uses at the 3D Lab

The University is focused on fostering new product development and innovation with business and industry while providing sophisticated parts for customer companies that are interested in the learning opportunities that this technology brings. Working closely with some of the most interesting R&D departments in industry -such as steel tube manufacturer giant Techint– to develop the design of the prototypes that they want.

“We don’t just do the prototypes, we also work closely with the company educating and accompanying them in digitalised manufacturing so they can fully participate in the process. In Argentina a lot of the industrial firms still don’t comprehend the extent of 3D printing and it’s importance in saving time and money,” suggested Leporati.

The Lab has a wealth of new opportunities.

“For everyday users, this lab offers an added degree of quality for their projects, outside companies have the opportunity to develop prototypes in our Laboratory making the processes quicker and more efficient. Additionally, we also have plans to expand the lab’s capabilities by installing metal printers, for aluminum and titanium, as well as incorporating voxel based techniques,” explained the professor.

Testing out the new printer at the Lab

3D printing in Argentina is getting a bigger thrust from the academic community. While quite a few companies are starting to develop this type of equipment for industrial and commercial use, the machines are mostly aimed at making prototypes and not at manufacturing high-end products. In the future, they will play a more important role in production processes and in the manufacturing of small parts.

Still, Argentina is one step behind compared to the rest of the world and the Latin American region, especially when measured against Brazil or Chile. The expansion of this type of technology is hindered by regulations, a lack of investment in technology and an economic recession. Additionally, we cannot forget that the certifications, costs, requirements and training in 3D printing make implementations slower in Argentina. Local universities and other academic institutions are becoming quite prolific in 3D printing (especially in the health sector) but this success still cannot be replicated within the entrepreneurial community. This creates lag in 3D printing adoption. Furthermore, a lot of different rules exist at the local, state and federal level. In Argentina, rules and rates are subject to frequent adjustments and legislative changes, especially during periods of economic stress, making the production and development of these printers quite a risky endeavor. All of this makes “made in Argentina” printers very rare indeed. It seems for now that importing the world’s best is the best way forward for 3D printing in Argentina.