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3D Printing Webinar and Virtual Event Roundup, August 16, 2020

We’ve got virtual events and webinars this week covering everything from sustainability and forming to metal and medical additive manufacturing. Read on to learn what’s available!

NatureWorks 3D Considers Sustainability in AM

Biotechnology company NatureWorks 3D is hosting a webinar this Tuesday, August 18th, at 1 pm EDT, titled “Printing Consciously: Considering Sustainability in 3D Printing.” The free webinar will last about one hour, and cover topics such as circular vs. linear model of materials, mechanical and chemical recycling, best practices for used FFF 3D printing materials, environmental impacts of using bio-based and petrochemical-based filaments, and more. Dan Sawyer, the company’s Business Development Manager, and Deepak Venkatraman, Applications Development Engineer for NatureWorks, will share some thoughts and insights into how polymers fit into the circular economy approach in order to decrease the AM industry’s impact on the world.

“A renewed focus on climate change and the impacts petrochemical plastics have on the environment has many individuals and companies considering how they can incorporate more sustainable practices into their efforts. The additive manufacturing industry has long been a leader in how technology can fit into a progression toward a more sustainable production. In this webinar, we will dig into the sustainability attributes behind the materials often used in fused filament fabrication (FFF) processes that have an environmental impact. We’ll also talk about how 3D prints fit within common waste scenarios as well as new sustainability frameworks like the circular economy.”

There will be a question and answer session at the end of the webinar; register here to attend.

EOS Introduces the INTEGRA P 450

Also on August 18th, EOS is holding a webinar at 2 pm EDT to introduce its latest system, titled “From R&D to Production: Introducing the INTEGRA P 450.” This mid-size, SLS industrial additive manufacturing system was developed by EOS North America, based off of direct feedback from the manufacturing community and built to “meet the demand for additive manufacturing of polymers, it empowers designers, production engineers and material makers alike.” In addition to gaining an understanding of the INTEGRA P 450‘s material compatibilities and development opportunities, attendees will also learn about the company’s new open software platform. Speakers will be Fabian Krauss, EOS North America’s Global Business Development Manager, Polymers; Mohit Chaudhary, Additive Manufacturing Specialist, Polymers – Solution Engineering, for EOS North America; and Mike Conner, EOS North America’s Vice President of Service and Support.

“Discover how the INTEGRA P 450 is truly the most flexible and accommodating SLS industrial 3D printer on the market, with an impressive array of new user-friendly features that offer unprecedented productivity, material compatibility, and simple serviceability.”

Protolabs Discussing Forming and Formed Features

As part of its ongoing webinar series, Protolabs will be discussing sheet metal forming during its webinar, “A Deep Dive on Forming and Formed Features,” on Wednesday, August 19th, at 2 pm EDT. James Hayes, Protolabs Applications Engineer and the company’s technical applications engineering expert for sheet metal fabrication, will offer insight into forming techniques and equipment, as well as important design considerations for sheet metal forming, and how they can impact part geometry. You’ll leave with new knowledge and insight into how to leverage formed features, and improve sheet metal part designs.

“Understanding the ins and outs of sheet metal forming can be fraught with challenges, however there are some important things to know that can result in better designed, more cost-efficient parts. In addition, considerations between how different formed features can impact your product throughout its’ lifecycle can help you achieve your product goals and bring your ideas to market at record speeds.”

ASME’s AM Medical Live Webinar

Last week, ASME was powering the AM Industry Summit, for 3D printing professionals working in the aerospace and defense and medical device manufacturing fields. Now it’s hosting a live webinar this Thursday, August 20th, from 2-3 pm EDT, supported by Women in 3D Printing and titled “Integrating 3D Printing with Other Technologies at the Point of Care.” Speakers will be Sarah Flora, the Radiology Program Director for the 3D Lab at Geisinger Health; Amy Alexander, MS, Senior Biomedical Engineer at the Mayo Clinic’s Anatomic Modeling Lab; and the Director of the 3D Imaging Lab at Montefiore Medical Center, Nicole Wake, PhD. They will be discussing how 3D printing is often a very important medical tool when it comes to patient care.

“Whether anatomical models or guides are used for education or surgical planning, radiologists, surgeons, and engineers work together to improve the patient experience. Leveraging 3D printing with other technologies can expand the value within a clinical setting. Three leading clinical engineers will discuss technologies that can be used together to extend the usefulness of 3D printing including silicone casting, surface scanning, augmented reality, and more. Join the discussion to explore the unexpected ways to increase the benefits of 3D printing.”

The webinar is free to attend, and you can register for it here.

IDTechEx on Metal Additive Manufacturing

Finally, also on August 20th, IDTechEx will be holding its latest free, expert-led webinar, “Metal AM: Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain.” Presented by Dr. Richard Collins, IDTechEx’s Principal Analyst, the webinar, which shares some research from the company’s detailed “Metal Additive Manufacturing 2020-2030” report, will provide an overview of the latest key trends and market forecast for metal additive manufacturing, the latest material considerations and entrant analysis, technology benchmarking, the impact of COVID-19, and more.

“Metal additive manufacturing has been gaining traction. Increased number of use-cases, end-users progressing along the learning curve, more competition, and a maturing supply chain. The applications have been led in high-value industries most notably aerospace & defence and medical, many more are emerging in automotive, oil & gas, and beyond. These sectors have had very different fates during the global pandemic and the knock-on effect will be profound. There are some silver-linings and the long-term outlook is positive for this industry, but it will not be an easy ride. IDTechEx forecast the total annual market for metal additive manufacturing to exceed $10bn by 2030. This is not before a very challenging immediate future; a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Three different sessions of this 30-minute webinar will be offered, the first of which will actually take place at 9 pm EST, on the 19th. The next one will be at 5 am EST, and the final session will be at 12 PM EST. You can register for your preferred session here.

ASTM’s AM General Personnel Certificate Program

Don’t forget, the ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) is still offering its online AM General Personnel Certificate course, which continues through August 27th and is made up of eight modules covering all the general concepts of the AM process chain. Register for the class here.

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

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3D Printing Webinar and Virtual Event Roundup, July 7, 2020

We’ve got plenty of 3D printing webinars and virtual events to tell you about for this coming week, starting with nScrypt’s webinar today. 3Ding and Formlabs will each hold a webinar tomorrow, July 8th, and 3D Systems is hosting a virtual event on the 8th. There are two more webinars on July 9th, by KEX Knowledge Exchange and ASME, and Additive Industries is holding a virtual event that day. Finally, a 3D Health Hackathon will take place starting July 10th.

nScrypt’s Cutting Edge of Digital Manufacturing Webinar

On June 30th, nScrypt held the first of a two-part Cutting Edge Digital Manufacturing webinar series, and is holding the second part today, July 7th, at 1 pm ET. In part two of “Pushing the Envelope of Digital Manufacturing,” the speakers will be Eric D. Wachsman, PhD, from the University of Maryland; Eduardo Rojas, PhD, with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Hjalti Sigmarsson, PhD, from Oklahoma University; and Craig Armiento, PhD, with the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Topics of discussion in this webinar include the use of metamaterials, building radio frequency devices, systems, and the first 3D/volumetric electrical circuits and antennas, and the state of the art of 3D manufacturing. Register here.

3DIng “Let’s Talk 3D Printing” Webinar

Indian 3D printer manufacturer 3Ding recently began holding a weekly webinar about 3D printing-related topics, such as SketchUp training, different types of 3D printing, OpenSCAD, slicing, applications in rapid prototyping, and how to choose a 3D printer. Tomorrow, July 8th, the topic of the weekly webinar will be “Live Demo of FabX, Hydra Series 3D Printers & AMA.”

Surendranath Reddy, the founder, CEO, and CTO of 3Ding, is leading the remote webinar session, which will take place at 6:30 am ET and last about 45 minutes. You can join the session here.

Webinar on Formlabs’ New Materials

Formlabs recently launched two new materials, Flexible 80A and Elastic 50A resins, which allows customers to make soft, flexible parts with ease. In a webinar on July 8th at 2:00 pm ET, attendees will get to learn all about these resins with the company’s Materials Product Manager Kathy But and webinar specialist Faris Sheikh. Topics will include when to use these materials, optimal applications, 3D printing material properties like spring back, tensile strength, and shore durometer, and the Ross Flex Test.

“To make soft and flexible parts with traditional methods, such as RTV moldmaking, can be a lengthy process. If you’ve also tried directly 3D printing flexible parts, you probably know there’s not many high performing materials available. That is now changing.

“With the launch of our Flexible 80A and Elastic 50A Resins, you’ll be able to easily fabricate flexible parts that are both soft and hard.”

3D Systems’s Virtual Tradeshow

3D Systems is holding a virtual event on July 8th in order to teach attendees how to transform their manufacturing workflows. There will be a keynote address, networking opportunities, multiple live webinars, and even a virtual exhibition hall. The company will provide examples of digital manufacturing solution workflows with plastic and metal additive manufacturing, subtractive manufacturing, and on-demand services.

“Businesses are focused on lowering risk, resolving supply chain dependencies, streamlining supplier distribution and avoiding interruptions to supply access.

“Join 3D Systems at this exclusive virtual event to find out how Digital Manufacturing Solutions designed for today’s production needs, enable you to integrate additive and subtractive technologies into your manufacturing environment and workflow — providing increased agility, quicker lead times, improved productivity, and allowing you to offer new innovations to your customers.”

All presentations will be in English, and available on-demand for 30 days. Register here.

KEX Knowledge Exchange on Powder Bed Fusion

KEX Knowledge Exchange AG, a former spinoff of Fraunhofer IPT, offers technology consulting. As a service to its industrial and research partners, the company also has a web platform that offers over 7,000 profiles of AM technologies and materials, in addition to industry news, and has now launched a section devoted to webinars, with topics including post-processing and powder bed fusion (PBF) 3D printing.

“Together with one of our appreciated network partners, the ACAM Aachen Center for Additive Manufacturing, we now launched a webinar section,” Jun Kim Doering, a technical writer with KEX, told 3DPrint.com. “Due to the COVID19 situation, ACAM has shifted their focus to an online offering, including webinars on different aspects of the AM technologies and applications.”

The first, “Webinar Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) – Advanced insights into Process, Parameters & Hardware,” will take place this Thursday, July 9th, and Erik Feldbaum, ACAM Aachen Center for Additive Manufacturing, will speak. It’s free for ACAM members, and will cost €175 for non-members.

ASME on 3D Printing in Hospitals

AM Medical, powered by ASME International, will be holding a free, live webinar this Thursday, July 9th, on “Building the Business Case for 3D Printing in Hospitals.” Point-of-care manufacturing leaders will discuss necessary skills, where to find the proper resources, how to address reimbursement, and other important questions during the hourlong session, from 4-5 pm ET. Speakers are Andy Christensen, the President of Somaden; Jonathan Morris, MD, Neuroradiologist and Director of the Mayo Clinic’s 3D Printing Anatomic Modeling Lab; Beth Ripley, MD, Assistant Professor of Radiology with VA Puget Sound; Justin Ryan, Research Scientist at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego; and Formlabs’ Director of Healthcare Gaurav Manchanda.

“The ability to manufacture from the patient’s data (medical imaging or surface scan) has been compelling to a community always looking for ways to innovate. With improving patient care as the primary goal, 3D printing has directly impacted more than 1 million patients. More than 25 years ago, anatomical models began to be used for planning of complex surgical procedures. Today, hospitals are using the technology for surgical guides and more. With increasing numbers of hospitals looking to bring 3D printing into their facility, how are they building the business case?”

Additive Industries Hosting Digital Event

On July 9th and 10th, Additive Industries is getting the trade show season running again with what it calls “a corona-proof way to get out of the starting blocks.” At its two-day virtual event, attendees can visit the company’s digital booth, view presentations, and talk to the experts to learn more about the MetalFAB1 3D printer and how the company can help turn your ideas into reality…all without traveling or waiting in line.

“While the virtual domain has limitless possibilities, we still live in the physical world. With our exclusive industry additive manufacturing event – we are making the virtual world a reality.”

3D Health Hackathon

The Jersey City Rapid Maker Response Group (JCRMRG), a volunteer collective in New Jersey, is hosting a virtual Community Health Hackathon this week in order to foster community entrepreneurship and take on sustainability, supply chain, and manufacturing challenges that are related to healthcare and PPE (personal protective equipment) during COVID-19. There are three categories: sustainable PPE, modular solution labs, and day-to-day PPE, and the deadline to register is this Friday, July 10, at 12 pm ET. Panelists will meet the nine judges during a Zoom call that night to present their ideas, and then the next two days will be spent hacking. The final submission deadline is July 13th at 9 am, and winners will be announced on July 16th.

“Throughout the COVID-19 health crisis healthcare workers faced critical shortages in PPE created by supply chain disruptions and shortages. Jersey City Rapid Maker Response Group, as well as other groups like them around the country, proved that by quickly deploying 3D-printing capabilities and then extending those capabilities through rapid manufacturing – they were able to scale from producing 1,000 face shields a week to 10,000 face shields a day, both at a fraction of traditional pricing.

“We have reached out to leaders in the tech, manufacturing and 3D-printing communities to form a community-led virtual make-athon. Our collective goal is to continue to bring bright minds together to develop 3D-printing, manufacturing and community-based engineering solutions to address the ongoing needs surrounding supply chain disruptions in emergent and healthcare settings.”

The current prize pool is valued at over $7,500, so what are you waiting for? Register for the hackathon here.

Will you attend any of these events and webinars, or have news to share about future ones? Let us know! Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the comments below.

The post 3D Printing Webinar and Virtual Event Roundup, July 7, 2020 appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Interview with Firoza Kothari of Anatomiz3D

OEMs, materials companies and medical device firms are doing a lot of work with 3D Printing. What we’re not seeing is a lot of medical startups in the field. We’re not really seeing services emerge that facilitate medical models, medical device work or the development of medical solutions. Many people will tell you that patient-specific implants and medical 3D printing is a potentially large market, but where is the economic activity? And where are the companies that are going to facilitate this? One of the precious few is Anatomiz3D. The India based firm is offering a whole host of services and parts to the medical community. Firms like Anatomiz3D are essential if we want 3D printing in medical to spread and acellerate. I was very enthused to interview Firoza Kothari and learn more about them.

What is Anatomiz3D?

Anatomiz3D is an organization, which coalesces medical with the manufacturing industry, yielding customized solutions for medical applications. Our motto is to purvey personalized care in the form of Pre-surgical planning, Cutting and Drilling surgical guides, Custom Orthotics, Patient-specific implants and Implant moulds through the route of 3D Modelling and 3D printing technique.

We are consultants, trainers and partners to anyone who wishes to explore the medical field in AM, be it the surgical segment, education segment or medical device innovation. Our aim is to make this technology accessible to as many people as possible.

We have thorough knowledge and expertise to support and assist curative, restorative healthcare institutes. We aspire to see all the medical centres implementing this technology at their point-of-care. This will decrease the diagnostic time and get immediate care response in emergency cases.

An example of a calcified aortic valve

Why do you specialize in healthcare?

As a Biotech Engineer myself, my interest was highly piqued when I was introduced to 3D Bioprinting during my research about 3D Printing. With a vision to someday culture tissues and organs in a lab, Anatomiz3D started its journey towards personalised healthcare in a country like India which has immense surgical talent but also a population of 1.3B people to cater too. Surgical procedures need to be faster, easier and more precise to increase access to more patients.

What does that mean for your customers?

With aid from this technology, surgeons will be able to provide patient specific solutions that help with faster recovery and better quality of life for their patients. Surgical decision and procedures can be accelerated and lead to lesser probability of re-do surgeries.

Once medical set-up implements 3D printing at their Point-of-care, it will cater to all the cases well within the processing time than currently being utilised. It will make this personalization process a standard of care, which the centres and the patient both could benefit out of.

A Criss cross heart whereby the inflow ventricles of the heart are intertwined.

How did you get started?

Our first ever case was in Paediatric Cardiology, wherein a 6 month old infant was suffering from a complex congenital heart disease called DORV (Double Outlet Right Ventricle) with VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect). This patient was initially rejected for surgery considering the complications associated with a procedure of this level. But the medical team had heard of 3D Printing and reached out to us (Back then we were doing our pilots through our now sister concern – Sahas Softech) to take up the case, hoping to still be able to provide the infant with a last chance at a procedure. We designed the heart of the infant in collaboration with the medical team, studied the model together to understand the risks and the complications, and to our delight, they realised that the patient can actually be given the best possible surgical output. This was our first success story and it was also a huge boost to find out that this was the first ever case in India, not only in Paediatric Cardiology, but also in Soft Tissue Modelling over all. Since then, we have opened up multiple such avenues of application and intend to continue doing so.

What kind of parts do you make?

Our focus is always patient-centric. As per the doctor’s or surgeons’ requirement, we design the applications to serve their purposes. Our applications range from Pre-surgical planning, Cutting and Drilling Surgical Guides, Custom Orthotics, Patient-specific implants and Implant moulds.

Considering our experience with over 700 live cases, we have a library of complex cases across specialisations that serve as great teaching and training tools, reducing the need for cadavers and allowing for reproducible training across various locations and making learning possible to everyone.

Who are your customers?

Our proficiency lies in Soft tissue and bone modeling, cutting and drilling guides, custom implant designing, education models, product development, Hospital set-up Consultancy. We provide services to Hospitals, Doctors, Surgeons, 3D printing service providers, Medical device companies, Medical universities, etc.

What are your parts used for?

There are distinct advantages of our products and services

For the Surgeon

Addition to current 2D imaging techniques
Decision making: whether to operate a patient or not
Faster and more precise Patient Specific treatment planning
Student/Resident Education model
Such planning and practicing helps the medical team feel prepared and confident
Implant pre-contouring
Tools selection and Trajectory of screws can be fixed
Improved communication within the team

For the Hospital

OT time can be reduced

More operations performed in a day

The success rate can be defined over time

More patient intake

For the Patient

Reduced blood loss
Reduced time under anesthesia
Reduced overall costs
Improved recovery time

Why do customers choose you?

Garnering success in 700 plus cases, our establishment has made enormous progress and gathered proficiency over the years. This success was only possible due to the efforts we put as a team, along with support from the medical community, and try our best to make sure the doctor’s work is made easy and the patient can lead his life with high quality.

What technologies do you use?

We use an array of technologies such as SLA, SLS, CJP, FDM, Polyjet and DMLS. The choice of technology and material depends on the final application. We consult on the same by understanding the requirements.

How do you print guides?

We understand the osteotomy that the surgeon wishes to perform and the final result they aim to achieve. Accordingly, a jig is printed in a Biocompatible and an Autoclavable material that can be used in the OT on the patient.

What certifications do you have?

As a medical device company in customized products, we are in the process of gaining our ISO 13485 certification. Apart from that, we use FDA and CE certified softwares to carry out our segmentation work, to ensure the accuracy of patient data.

So you also do implant design and personalization?

The objective to merge 3D printing technology with medical was to provide an advanced, customized solution in each case. Initially, Doctors share their requirement and the patient’s data with us. With the information provided, Anatomiz3D’s team of engineers design and 3D print the customized implants according to the patient anatomy. This enables the doctor to perform the case smoothly and give a personalized solution to the patient’s case.

How do you work with pharma companies?

Pharma and medical device companies use our products during their product development phase, validation phase, or even as marketing tools. Customized patient data can really help them test their products across a lot of data.

What partners, are you looking for?

We are looking forward to partnerships with Hospitals to set up Point Of Care centers, Medical Device Companies to assist them in product development, 3D Printing OEMs and Service Bureaus to aid them in any medical requests, Medical Institutions to enhance training and Education.

What is holding 3D printing back?

Medical was in dire need of technological advancement to decrease the response time and provide a prompt, customized solution to their patients. As the technology is in its nascent stage, the foremost issue is acceptance. Initially, there is resistance seen toward a transformation. At first, people are sceptical to make the transit from their traditional methods. Then there is a question of cost, material capability, timelines, accurate designs and a few others to name.

The post Interview with Firoza Kothari of Anatomiz3D appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

AMS 2019 Day 2: Medical 3D Printing Keynote by HP’s Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences Strategy

Lawrence Gasman, SmarTech Markets Publishing

Our second annual Additive Manufacturing Strategies summit, held in Boston and co-hosted by SmarTech Markets Publishing, is in full swing after Tuesday’s two featured workshops. This year’s AMS event, “The Future of 3D Printing in Medicine and Dentistry,” now includes a track each for medical and dental 3D printing, along with a startup competition, an exhibition floor with 12 booths, and even more speakers.

Yesterday morning, Lawrence Gasman, the President of SmarTech Markets Publishing, officially opened the summit, and had some exciting news to share – while last year’s AMS had participants from roughly 11 countries, this year 24 countries, along with 27 US states, are represented. Gasman mentioned that the hope is for the AMS summit to be rooted in the entire healthcare industry, before introducing Dr. Ali Tinazli, the Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences Strategy for HP and the day’s keynote speaker.

Dr. Tinazli has been leading HP’s corporate-wide, global strategy for Healthcare and Life Sciences since 2015, and though he referred to himself as a “3D print novice,” spoke today about “3D Printing Going Mainstream for Health 4.0,” with the main theme centered around the democratization of medicine and the implications. He is currently working on a healthcare testing ecosystem made up of mobile diagnostics and small microfluidic parts, and, as a self-proclaimed fan of technology convergence, noted with admiration that an event such as AMS would not have been possible even a few years ago.

Dr. Ali Tinazli of HP

After giving a brief history of HP, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, and how it is “using technology to make a better future for everyone,” Dr. Tinazli explained why 3D printing excites him; the reasons include the fact that 3D printing is connecting HP’s core technology, can be used to customize products, and is also “the catalyst for the fourth industrial revolution” by enabling faster innovation. He noted that democratization is helping to make technologies, such as 3D printing, available to everyone.

Dr. Tinazli discussed blended reality, where the physical world tells us how to shape certain things and we then use this information to automate and digitize it. A good example of this is using CT scans to build medical devices and implants, which are then 3D printed and used on patients.

He noted that some specific megatrends (slow-changing, transformative, global trends), such as decentralized healthcare and an aging population, are indicating a transformation in life sciences, which, when paired with 3D printing, could create some major opportunities for disruption in healthcare.

3D printing is reinventing industries and “making the leap to factory production,” and Dr. Tinazli noted some of the economic justifications for adopting the technology, such as:

making objects at a faster speed, with less waste and low risk
ability to fabricate unique geometries on a massive scale
mass customization
scalable

While he noted that some of his favorite 3D printing topics are art and fashion (like me!), Dr. Tinazli said that healthcare is the oldest industry benefiting from the technology – current applications include skull patches, hearing aids, custom orthotics, prosthetics, insoles, and surgical planning.

He noted four classes of mainstream healthcare applications – orthodontics, dental prosthetics, hearing aids, and orthopedics – that see a combined 400,000 custom medical devices 3D printed per day…an impressive number, indeed.

Dr. Tinazli moved on to discuss some of the many innovative companies using 3D printing for medical applications, starting with the startup Smile Direct Club, which either delivers an impression kit directly to a customer’s home or has one of its remote SmileShops scan the teeth in order to fabricate custom dental aligners. Dr. Tinazli noted that dental is in an “interesting growth phase,” and also mentioned nivellipso, a Swiss company that uses HP’s MJF technology to 3D print dental molds.

One of Dr. Tinazli’s favorite examples is the custom earbud manufacturing solution that Formlabs debuted at CES 2018. He noted that the earbuds are made with the same technology and workflow as custom 3D printed hearing aids are, which is an excellent example of 3D printing solutions in the clinical world being applied to consumer products.

“The more I learn about new technologies, the more I think it’s about the user experience,” he stated.

[Image: UNYQ]

This was the perfect segue to the 3D printed UNYQ Align scoliosis brace, which is far more pleasant for teenage patients to wear for 24 hours than the traditional braces, which are typically heavy and far too hot.

Dr. Tinazli said, “User experience, even in medicine, neglected over the past decades, is getting better.”

Another example he brought up was HP’s FitStation platform, which is using 3D printing to deliver individualized, custom-fitting footwear and orthotics.

“Clinical applications can have an impact on the consumer,” Dr. Tinazli said.

The talk then moved on to point-of-care (POC) 3D printing, and how the use of 3D printed anatomical models before surgery can decrease the length of the operation, which in turn saves on cost and improves the patient’s experience and surgical outcome. This is where full-color 3D printing, which Dr. Tinazli called “a strong domain of HP,” can be very helpful.

He also touched on additional 3D printing applications that HP technology is being used to make, such as more comfortable cranial helmets for infants, prosthetics and sockets for braces, and eyewear.

Using the Jet Fusion 4210 3D printer, Dr. Tinazli said that it will only cost $700-800 for an entire build of 322 sunglass parts, which makes it possible to sell them “at a profit.”

In addition, the MJF 300/500 3D printer series is able to make sunglasses that have custom designs, like Minecraft-themed, and can even include QR codes to help lower the risk of counterfeiting.

Finally, Dr. Tinazli mentioned HP’s “latest baby: Metal Jet Fusion,” which was introduced in late 2018 and allows companies to “dive instantly into mass production.” Additionally, it can also be used for medical applications, such as 3D printing surgical devices and tools.

[Image: HP]

Then came the question and answer portion of the keynote. Someone asked what industries will be most immediately impacted by HP’s Metal Jet Fusion; Dr. Tinazli replied that HP is going after professional users in high value mass markets, like automotive and medical.

Another attendee asked about specific patient populations being looked at by HP.

“From 3D printing, we look at it as more of a B2B business, and it’s up to the companies we work with,” Dr. Tinazli answered. “We do not have any immediate exposure to patients.”

He expounded on this answer further during the next question, when a facial surgeon in the audience asked about the entire workflow of 3D printing in healthcare, in terms of training technicians and physicians to use the equipment to fabricate customized models, and if HP was doing anything to address the full spectrum of care, rather than just providing the 3D printer itself.

“We have all these internal debates about how deep we’re going into the service,” Dr. Tinazli answered, stating that the company could very easily find itself in the service business and competing with healthcare customers.

“That’s why we look at it as B2B. Otherwise we would be getting too close to our customers…definitely more lucrative, but presently we don’t do that.”

We’ll have more to share with you from AMS 2019, so stay tuned!

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

[Images: Sarah Saunders unless otherwise noted]