If you're looking for the Next Big Thing, the buzz is continuing to build for 3-D printing. A thoroughly fascinating piece in The Economist suggests that 3-D printing will revolutionize, well, everything, including the device industry.
The article breaks down how 3-D printers could be used to make finished products at a drastically reduced cost and radically increased flexibility. Among several examples given, a company is highlighted that is developing titanium implants that can closely match the physical features of real bone. According to the article, Within Technologies’ femur implant “has strong lattice structures which would encourage the growth of bone onto the implant.”
The article predicts that the ability of companies to cheaply make items to their exact specifications could upend manufacturing as we know it, completely redefining the entire design process. What do you think? Does 3-D printing have the potential to remake the device industry in a fundamental way?
--Thomas Blair
- Login or register to post comments
- Printer-friendly version
 |
Categories |
Michele L
When it absolutely, positively, has to work, each time and every time. I would rather stake my life on the expertise of engineers who design medical devices and the intricate components that go into them. The design process takes years, as well as the testing. Connecticut Plastics provides precision machined plastic components to the medical device industry, and we achieve tolerances to =/- .0005. Read about it here: http://www.connecticutplastics.com/capabilities-and-parts/process/
Can a 3D printer do that? Medical Device Design is not a simple process. It takes talent, skills and experience. I think 3D printers are great for making toys and gadgets, but not precision medical devices, some of which are implanted in humans.