A New York State heathcare provider has developed a 3D-printed artificial leg to help combat veterans and other amputees to swim again. Northwell Health’s prosthetic, “The Fin,” is the first such prosthetic leg attachment to give amputee swimmers the ability to navigate from land to the water and back without having to switch prosthetics. Northwell has begun
3D-printed corneas could save millions’ vision
July 17, 2018 By Leave a Comment
British scientists have 3D printed the first human corneas, yielding a potential fix to the worldwide shortage of corneas for implantation. The Newcastle University researchers created a bio-ink using stem cells from a healthy donor cornea mixed with alginate and collagen. They used a simple, low-cost 3D bio-printer to extrude the bio-ink in concentric circles to form the shape
Stratasys spins off two companies
June 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Stratasys is spinning off a pair of metal 3D printing companies, according to a report in IDTechEXResearch. The first company, Evolve Additive, is working on a selective toner electrophotographic process (STEP), which uses an electrostatically charged roller that selectively collects polymeric particles in the position appropriate for the individual build layer. The roller then deposits particles
Mack Molding invests $5 million to upgrade facilities
June 12, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Mack Molding (Arlington, Vt.) recently announced that it is investing more than $5 million to increase its manufacturing capabilities in its North Carolina and Vermont facilities. The company plans to increase the large part production capabilities in its Statesville, N.C. facility while also investing in new equipment and day-to-day operational needs at all three of
How researchers are 3D printing sugar scaffolds for tissue engineering and device manufacturing
June 7, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Engineers at the University of Illinois built a 3D printer that makes a delicate network of thin ribbons from isomalt, the same type of sugar alcohol that is used to make throat lozenges. Since the material is a water-soluble, biodegradable glassy sugar structure, the engineers suggest it could be used in multiple applications, including biomedical
How 3D printing is boosting cancer treatment
May 23, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Radiologists are creating patient-specific, life-sized 3D printed models to show the location of tumors in bones, organs, nerves and blood vessels. The 3D printing method could help doctors plan treatments for different types of cancers and tumors. In the past, 3D printing has been a valuable tool for clinicians to plan surgeries and make implants
The best medtech funding option you’ve never heard of
May 4, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Regulation A+ (Reg A+) is a funding option that feels tailor-made for high impact technologies like medtech. Never heard of it? That’s because it didn’t exist until 2015, when the Obama administration passed the JOBS Act. Before then, private companies could only seek backing from the wealthiest 2% of Americans — accredited investors. The new
3D printing can reduce heart valve leaks: Here’s how
April 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Doctors can use 3D printing and computer modeling to predict paravavular leak (PVL) in patients who are undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), according to new research from the University of Minnesota. One of the common risks associated with TAVR is valves not fitting which can cause PVL. A recent study conducted by cardiovascular fellow
How 3D printed cells on the skin could enable wound healing
April 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Researchers at the University of Minnesota are 3D printing electronics and cells directly on the skin that could create new methods for wound healing and enable biological agent detection. The Minnesota researchers used a customized, low-cost 3D printer to print electronics on a human hand. They’ve also successfully printed biological cells on a sin wound of
10 BIOMEDevice Boston exhibitors you need to know
April 17, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Updated April 20, 2018 BIOMEDevice Boston provides an opportunity for more than 4,000 engineers and executives and 400 suppliers in New England’s design and manufacturing industry to connect and network. The annual event was held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, April 18-19. Hundreds of medical device industry suppliers showcased their latest technologies and capabilities.
Norman Noble now offering additive manufacturing capabilities
April 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Norman Noble (Highland Heights, Ohio) recently announced that it now has additive manufacturing capabilities that could help with product designs that can’t necessarily be manufactured using standard methods. New additive manufactured and 3D printed parts from the company can be made of metallic based alloys like titanium, stainless and cobalt chrome with the ability to
This patented 3D printing method could boost medical device innovation
April 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Michael McAlpine, a 3D printing pioneer at the University of Minnesota, suspects that a method he helped invent to print semiconductors could help boost innovation in the medical device field and elsewhere. The U.S. Patent Office in February issued a patent for “3D printed active electronic materials and devices.” The patent covers work that McAlpine, a
Is 3D printing going to replace injection molding?
March 28, 2018 By 1 Comment
3D printing and injection molding each have their own benefits and limitations when it comes to making medical device parts, according to experts from PTI Engineered Plastics, Carbon and Protolabs. Medical device parts makers are increasingly turning to 3D printing, but additive manufacturing has yet to reach the tipping point where it could supplant injection molding
This wearable system continuously monitors stomach activity
March 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment
California researchers have created an electrocardiogram-like system for the gastrointestinal tract that monitors electrical activity in the stomach over a 24-hour period. The system is a wearable, non-invasive system that provides GI activity monitoring outside of clinical settings while increasing the chance of identifying abnormal activity. It is a 3D printed portable box that is
Materialise touts FDA first in clearance of 3D printed anatomical model tech
March 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Materialise said today it won FDA 510(k) clearance for its Mimis inPrint software designed for 3D printing anatomical models for diagnostic use, touting it as the first clearance of its kind. The Belgian company said that last August, the FDA ruled that software designed to create files for 3D printing patient-specific anatomical models for diagnostic purposes […]
