3D printing in hospitals requires a complete solution

3D printing is gaining importance in the medical sector year after year. From models and surgical guides to implants: medical specialists see more and more opportunities to improve patient care with 3D printing. What specific solutions are there for the medical sector?

For some medical applications, an industrial FDM printer is sufficient, for others a high-quality multi-material printer is required that faithfully prints full-color models. This allows doctors to take individual patient care to a higher level. Stratasys responds to this with the J5 MediJet: this multi-material 3D printer has been specifically developed for 3D printing applications in hospitals and laboratories. The J5 MediJet is certified by the US FDA 510k for diagnostic applications. The 3D printer is also ISO 13485 certified. Specifically for very realistic models there is the J850 Digital Anatomy Printer.

Sterilize full color models

Materials play an important role when it comes to medical applications. The very important question is whether a 3D printed model or product can be sterilized. This is often a decisive question for medical applications. Stratasys has taken this into account from the start when developing the J5 MediJet. The medical models are often used in the operating room, for example to support keyhole surgery or robotic surgery. It is then necessary to sterilize the model to minimize the risks for the patient. The full-color models that the J5 MediJet 3D prints can be sterilized with steam, gamma rays and ethylene oxide (ETO). The material properties are identical before and after sterilization, as are the colors and dimensions.

Biocompatible materials

For other medical applications, biocompatibility may be important. The legislation and regulations are quite strict for materials that come into direct contact with the patient's body for a short or longer period of time. This is, for example, the case with surgical guides. Stratasys supplies various certified biocompatible materials, including for 3D printing of surgical guides. These allow surgeons to perform their operations more precisely and quickly, because they are precisely tailored to the individual patient.

RadioMatrix: CT scan and X-ray compatible

One of the recent materials for medical applications is RadioMatrix. This material has been developed for use in combination with X-ray technology. By adding specific amounts of RadioMatrix material to a 3D printed model that further consists of Vero materials, one can assign Hounsfield values ​​(HU) to the material slices (between -30 to 1000 HU). This creates contrast between anatomical structures, exactly as happens in real life with contrast fluid. With a CT scan or an X-ray of the model they look real. Surgeons can use this to practice or validate models. Another application is testing new medical implants on a realistic 3D human model. This material is printed with the J850 Digital Anatomy Printer.

Complete workflow

Stratasys provides a complete workflow for hospitals and laboratories that use 3D printing locally. By printing in-house, lead times are short and doctors and other physicians often have the model available the same day or the day after. With the Digital Anatomy Creator, these models are built digitally quickly and easily. The 3D printer is controlled directly from this GrabCAD software.

Call one of Seido Systems' specialists to discover how you can improve patient care with Stratasys 3D printing solutions.