Indian 3D printing service bureau, think3D, has opened a new 3D printing facility for medical device manufacturing. The facility is located in the AP MedTech Zone, a manufacturing park for medical equipment in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Nara Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the new 3D printing center.
AP MedTech Zone manufacturing park
The AP MedTech Zone has been in development since 2016 and think3D has been an active part of this project. The park, under construction in the city of Visakhapatnam, covers an area of 270 acres and is planned to be built in two phases.
Recently, the opening of the first phase of the park was announced. In phase 1, eighty companies will take part to manufacture medical equipment and by the end of phase 2, over two hundred companies will have joined the program.
India is the fourth largest market in Asia for medical devices. However, this market is largely import-based and the country imports over 80% of medical devices.
According to the technology cluster Make in India (a supporter of the AP MedTech Zone project),
“The Medical Devices industry in India is presently valued at USD 5.2 billion and contributes 4-5% to the USD 96.7 billion Indian health care industry.”
It is hoped that the opening of the AP MedTech Zone and think3D’s new facility will establish India as a major producer and exporter of medical devices.
The co-founder of think3D, Raja Sekhar Upputuri, said, “Medical device manufacturing requires huge up-front investment in R&D, machinery and QC facilities … the government has decided to set-up these common facilities in partnership with private entities and offer these facilities to manufacturers within park on pay per use basis thus reducing the upfront investment from manufacturer cost drastically. 3D printing & 3D design facility is chosen as one such common facility.”
3D printing medical devices
Think3D’s new operation will provide a range of on-site 3D printing and manufacturing services, including 3D scanning, 3D printing, CNC and molding techniques.
Currently, the facility houses various 3D printing technologies, such as the HP 4200, a Multi Jet Fusion system, EOS FORMIGA P110 SLS printer, and EOS M 290 metal 3D printer. 3D printers from Stratasys and 3D Systems are also available at the center.
Prudhvi Reddy, Director at think3D, said, “This facility will be used for prototype and batch production of parts for medical devices like MRI, ECG, Ultrasound machines and so on. Once these parts are manufactured, they shall undergo various tests in the biomaterial testing lab present in the park and thereafter these parts will be assembled and send to Gamma Irradiation Facility present inside the park for sterilization. This way, a complete ecosystem for product development, manufacturing, testing is available in the facility.”
The facility will be fully operational by 1 January 2019.
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Featured image shows think3D’s new 3D printing facility in the AP MedTech Zone park. Image via think3D
