Escatec talks 3D printing and medical devices

3D printing can accelerate time to market and extend the working life of medical devices, says Michael Walser, head of R&D, ESCATEC

3D printing has now reached the point where it is having a significant impact on medical devices. Not only can it speed time to market but it can extend the working life of devices by enabling replacement parts to fabricated. 

Until recently, 3D printing was a service that was mainly provided by third parties due to the expense of the machines.  As a contract design house we were spending considerable sums on outsourcing 3D printing of prototypes. Capital costs have now fallen to the point where we have found it to be is cost-effective to purchase a professional, fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printer for in-house use. 

Now 70-80% of 3D prototype printing is done in house which provides several benefits. Firstly, the capital cost is being quickly recouped from savings from not using a third party giving a rapid return on investment (ROI).  

Secondly, we can now produce rapid prototypes in minutes rather than several days so that we can test out a new design and quickly refine it. For example, checking that several parts, which are supposed to snap together, do actual fit as planned. When you are deep into the design of a new part, it is great to be able to touch and feel it and then see how it fits in with the rest of the design.  We can now work on a design continuously rather than stopping and starting while we have to wait for the next version to be delivered in a couple of days. It has not only improved productivity but also creativity as designers can quickly and simply try out new designs on-the-fly in-house rather than going through the formal process of engaging an outside contractor every time. We have found that we can cut weeks off the time to design a new product, which can have a significant effect in reducing time-to-market for a customer’s project. 

Thirdly, in addition to this design of experiment (DoE) verification, we can also show customers proof of concept (PoC) for designs along with variants.  This makes the decision process on which design idea to go with much quicker as the customer can pick up and interact with the designs and easily select the best one to progress.  Again, shortening the time-to-market for the customer and helping us to win pitches for new business.

For our prototypes, ABSplus plastic is used, which is UL94 grade. However, various materials can be used in other 3D printers such as food grade materials, rubbers and opaque plastics. 3D printers can also print with one, two or three different type of materials to create complex objects with interlocked part made from different materials. 

This ability to create complex, multi-material objects is important for an area that will grow in its significance in future – out of warrantee service and repairs. Medical devices are often expensive and therefore users expect them to last for many years of use. However, most manufacturers only provide a one-year warrantee. At ESCATEC, we are now starting to provide longer warrantees for customers should they be required because 3D printing now solves the biggest issue with multi-year warrantees – keeping a stock of spare parts plus the manufacturing tools and moulds.  As we always retain the CAD files, it now becomes a simple matter of printing out a replacement part whenever it is required. This extends the working life of devices, reducing the total cost of ownership for the end customer.