C&A Tool (Churubusco, IN) and WITHIN (New York City) have collaborated on the launch of a patient-specific, metal-implant design and manufacturing program called WITHIN Medical that combines the expertise of both organisations. The service offering combines free downloadable software developed by WITHIN, and 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) technology via Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) from EOS, and offered as a service by C&A Tool. Targeting medical, surgical and orthopedic designers and manufacturers, the software facilitates the creation of highly customized products that improve osseointegration or bone growth.
“With this program, companies now have the opportunity to explore the benefits that designing for DMLS can bring to their medical products — without investing in their own laser-sintering system,” says John Halverson, medical business unit manager at C&A Tool. “Through this technology, they’ll be able to discover firsthand how DMLS reduces manufacturing steps, improves product performance and allows them to tailor medical products to individual patient needs.”
In traditional medical manufacturing the smooth, rough and porous surfaces required for successful implantation are accomplished exclusively through secondary finishing — for instance, using machining along with plasma spraying or hand-sintering beads. DMLS eliminates many of these costly, additional processes by creating the necessary mix of surfaces as it builds the part layer-by-layer.
At the same time, the program offers engineers another benefit: the freedom to move beyond the limits of developing implants in predetermined sizes. Instead, they can choose to design patient-matched spinal reconstructions, acetabular cups, tibial trays and other parts from MRI or CT scan data.
To fulfill demand, C&A Tool has complemented its extensive in-house machining capability with an investment in six EOS DMLS systems (both EOSINT M 270 and M 280). For orthopedic applications, the systems use biocompatible materials, such as medical-grade titanium (Ti64) cobalt-chrome, and stainless steel alloys.
The new software gives every designer the medium from which to manufacture highly complex geometries, including lightweight yet strong micro-latticed structures. EOS’s laser-sintering technology produces these intricate organic geometries as single-piece components.
Protecting proprietary digital models as they are passed between designers, OEMs, service bureaus and contract manufacturers is also part of the new collaboration at C&A Tool and WITHIN.
“WITHIN Medical design software is free, easy to use and offers a high level of design control,” says Kaveh Mahdavi, project manager at WITHIN. “When developing WITHIN Medical, we focused on the end-to-end solution, everything from design to manufacturing to validation. When coupled with additive manufacturing, the quality is superior to any existing products on the market.”
Highlights of this collaborative initiative specifically tailored for medical manufacturers include:
- no upfront investment for the user in either machine equipment or software
- flexible business models (from unlimited builds to per-part builds)
- patient-specific products
- design freedom
- file encryption.
Insight into the capabilities of the Within Medical software is highlighted in the video below:
The latest Medical Report, available from 3DPI and Econolyst, gives further insight into the business benefits of AM in the Medical sector.
