3D Systems may have had a rough year last year, but that hasn’t stopped the company from looking to the future, with a focus on some of its most exciting and cutting-edge technologies. According to Gartner, the medical sector is primed for some big 3D printing developments and 3D Systems has an entire division that stands to benefit the field of medicine. Now, that division will have its very own showroom with the grand opening of the 3D Systems’ Healthcare Technology Center in Littleton, Colorado.
Today, the company cut the ribbon on the new, 70,000-square-foot facility, which will serve as the center for 3D Systems’ global healthcare activities. The Healthcare Technology Center will collaborate with doctors and manufacturers to advance 3D healthcare solutions, such as 3D printed medical devices and implants, as well as Virtual Surgical Planning (VSP®), and immersive surgical simulation. At the same time as it offers 3D Systems’ existing healthcare products, the Center will also work to develop new ones.
To do so, the center will have manufacturing floors equipped with the company’s portfolio of 3D printers, including their Direct Metal Printing (DMP), Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), ColorJet Printing (CJP) and MultiJet Printing (MJP) technologies. The Center is ISO 13485 certified for healthcare and, according to the company, “operates in accordance with the FDA and MDD regulations for applicable medical devices, ranging from low risk models (Class I) to instruments and implants (Class II) to highest risk devices (Class III).”
In addition to 3D printing tech, the facility also houses a simulation experience center, where the company’s Simbionix line of training simulators can be demoed first-hand. Together with 3D printed models, these simulators offer an almost complete mixed reality pipeline in which users can 3D print patient-specific models from CT or MRI scans and rehearse procedures with haptic devices and simulators before a surgery is performed.
Kevin McAlea, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Healthcare at 3D Systems, said of the new facility, “Our new Healthcare Technology Center answers the growing need of the medical community for innovative and adaptive tools designed to provide better insights, better processes and better outcomes. Our extensive and growing offering of precision healthcare and medical 3D printing solutions provide the means and skills for medical and dental professionals to overcome today’s challenges and advance the future of care.”
At the ribbon cutting ceremony, the company had one very important guest of honor, Blessing Makwera, whose maxiofacial surgery was only made possible through Virtual Surgical Planning and 3D printing. Makwera commented at the event, “Today is an important day in medicine. My story illustrates how life changing this technology can be, and I am overjoyed to think of the many lives that will be impacted and improved by the capabilities made possible here.” Blessing’s story is an heart-warming one, which can be read about in more detail here or seen in the video below.
Also present at the event was Dr. Oren Tepper, Director of Craniofacial Surgery at the Montefiore Medical Center, who spoke of the Center as an asset for improving precision in medicine, “Awareness and access have been the biggest hurdles to adopting 3D technology in healthcare. This facility will be a tremendous asset to the healthcare community in developing and proving precise methodologies for some of medicine’s most trying cases.” The Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of 3D Systems, Chuck Hull, was at the ceremony, as well, where he commented, “From the first printed part, I knew 3D printing had the potential to impact lives, but I never imagined the revolutionary ways in which this technology would enhance healthcare and improve the quality of life for so many.”
The healthcare division of 3D Systems has always been my favorite, not just because of the life-enhancing applications the company’s healthcare technology offers, but also because it is a full realization of what I believe 3D printing companies can accomplish. Tying the digital world of 3D scans, haptic devices, and simulation with the physical world of 3D printing and people, the company has a complete pipeline that melds the two, something I anticipate from an increasing number of players in the field over the course of the next two years. So, if 3D Systems had to shut down their facility in Andover and close down their Cubify brand, I’m glad that some of those resources have been redirected into medicine.
