Three trends show a path to a more mature use of 3D printing: production in hospitals and clinics, technology developments and reimbursement.
Production scale of high-value materials such as tungsten and rhenium enables advanced application capabilities in aerospace, defense, and medical industries.
The U.S. Navy has issued Stratasys a $20 million contract to purchase up to 25 Stratasys F900 3D printers over the next five years, with delivery of the first eight expected before the end of 2021.
As I walked through the DMG Mori factory in Davis, Calif., during the company’s Manufacturing Days event in October, there was something noticeably different about it compared to other factories I’ve visited: it was brightly lit and quiet.
The ever-volatile oil and natural gas industry—roiled most recently by September’s drone attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities that temporarily reduced the kingdom’s output by nearly half (about 5 percent of global production)—faces particularly challenging requirements for machined components to meet evolving supply targets.
Additive manufacturing (AM) is being used to fabricate parts for applications as varied as aircraft and auto production, dental restoration, medical implants and more.
Manufacturers are featuring some of the latest equipment and software for metrology, quality assurance, and collecting information for process control.
Materials engineered for use with specific printers and qualified for verifiable repeatability and accuracy help ensure long-term mechanical properties ranging from heat resistance to biocompatibility.
DanaMedInc.’s Pathfinder ACL Guide is a biocompatible surgical device enabling surgeons to better reconstruct partially or fully torn anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) and reduce the risk of re-tearing.
Using 3D printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), in health care is on the rise, with the market expected to be worth nearly $26 billion by 2022. This growth goes well beyond just prototyping, as AM is already used throughout the industry to solve problems and improve care.
