Stratasys unveils new 3D printing service for medical device testing

Applied technology solutions provider Stratasys has unveiled a new 3D printing service for physician training and medical device testing.

The BioMimics service is available in North America through Stratasys Direct Manufacturing and enables functionally-accurate 3D printed replicas of complex anatomical structures. The service is intended to provide effective medial training, education and advanced device testing.

BioMimics combines Stratasys’ PolyJet 3D printing technology alongside new materials and software. Organisations can create specific 3D printed models that represent what professionals encounter during actual medical scenarios. Details such as soft tissue and hard bones are replicable via multi-material 3D printing.

OEMs can use 3D printed models to gain real-time feedback on device performance, prior to actual deployment.

Scott Rader, GM of Healthcare Solutions at Stratasys, said: “Testing innovative medical devices, teaching principles of surgery, providing continuing medical education, and demonstrating new products to clinicians all require ‘bench-top’ models that simulate human bodies and diseases.  Much like simulation and co-piloting builds expertise for pilots, medical practitioners hone skills throughout their careers to provide exceptional care. The challenges of today’s solutions include animal models that only approximate human anatomy, and cadavers that don’t retain the live-tissue feel and often lack targeted pathology.”

The service is intended to model the complexities of heart and bone structures, with vascular anatomies expected to be available in 2018.

Shi-Joon Yoo, cardiac radiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children and Professor of Medical Imaging and Pediatrics at University of Toronto, said: “As one of the top research and pediatrics hospitals in Canada, SickKids is committed to unprecedented innovation to positively impact the well-being of children around the world. We have developed new training programs through 3D printing that allow surgeons to practice procedures on replicas of real patient’s pathology. BioMimics enhances the realism and clinical validity of the models even further – allowing the surgeons to develop the techniques and skills that will translate into live patient cases.”