After decades of hype and predictions surrounding additive manufacturing (AM), AM is poised to be on the brink of becoming the disruptive technology that many have long expected. Disruptive technologies are often deemed too costly, less capable or too niche to replace incumbent technology. But over time, many of these technologies reach a tipping point and rapidly replace these incumbents.
Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. These are some of the many values that our nations’ heroes live by every day. Most will agree that these instilled values embody what makes veterans great assets in the workforce. Veterans show up on time, are disciplined, and are great problem solvers. There is a problem though. These skilled veterans are having difficulties making the transition to what they call the “civilian world”. Every month thousands of soldiers embark on this new journey.
3D printing has become the medium of the new technological revolution as its applications diversify from printing food to weapons, from clothing to industrial products. It is also finding more uses in the medical space, including Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P).
The use of additive manufacturing (AM) in the medical industry is well established in making dental implants, artificial hip joints, and molds for invisible braces.
Taking stock of a surprising and challenging 2016, a number of trends may point to a future where manufacturing output increases while continuing to decentralize.
Aircraft maker Boeing Co. (Chicago) was among the participants in a new round of investing in a Massachusetts 3D printing company.
It’s not often you get the opportunity to witness rapid, life-impacting change, but for those of us who have been in the 3D printing industry over the last few decades, we have witnessed just that. In the last 20-plus years, 3D printing has changed the definition of manufacturing from merely “one-size-fits-all” to “customized” production and from “high-volume” to “high-complexity/low-volume”—a startling paradigm shift that has enabled many new applications for the manufacturing industry.
Some in the medical industry are using silicone rubber molds made with a 3D-printed master pattern for low-to-mid production runs of cast polyurethane device housings.
Fabrisonic, Now 6 Years Old, Moves to Develop New Processes, Materials
The North American medical startup Marvel Medtech purchased an XJet Carmel 1400C 3D printer in the summer of 2019 to build key components in tools for fighting breast cancer.