3D Systems' 3DXpert ™ all-in-one integrated additive manufacturing software and ProX® DMP200 metal printer are helping 3D ProMetal to more efficiently produce powerful products. 3D ProMetal specializes in manufacturing surgical equipment and components for the production of medical implants. Co-founders Boaz Harari and Uri Shasha have more than 20 years of experience in designing and manufacturing medical components using traditional manufacturing methods.
Recognizing the limitations of traditional manufacturing and the new opportunities offered by additive manufacturing (AM), 3D ProMetal has established a 3D printing service center to specialize in medical components that can benefit from additional production.
3D ProMetal selects 3D Systems' metal printing solution after in-depth research on leading 3D printer suppliers
Advancing medical device manufacturing with metal 3D printing
3D ProMetal focuses on the use of additive manufacturing for those cases that can greatly benefit from technology.
According to Harari, customers choose 3D ProMetal for two main reasons: "First, our prototypes were made in days rather than weeks. More importantly, the complex geometries that customers need to produce or they ca n’t use traditional at all It ’s more cost-effective to make it either by 3D printing. ”
In some cases, the design of these complex structures integrates multiple parts, saving assembly work and extending the durability of the parts. In other cases, complex designs can enhance product features.
After comprehensive benchmarking with leading 3D printer vendors, 3D ProMetal chose 3D Systems' metal printing solution. "We chose 3D Systems to value its expertise in all aspects of additive manufacturing, covering the entire process from design to post-processing." Shasha said. Specifically, 3D ProMetal was impressed by the quality achieved by the ProX® DMP 200 printer in producing small parts.
It chose to use 3D Systems' LaserForm® 316L, a highly corrosion-resistant stainless steel that can withstand sterilization. "The printer's capabilities have exceeded our expectations-it can print good quality M1.6 small faucets and thin-walled stainless steel parts only 0.3 mm thick," Shasha added.
3DXpert ™ helps 3D ProMetal prepare and optimize 3D CAD models for printing
Printer Essentials: Prepare and Optimize Additive Manufacturing
Successful metal printing requires more than just a good 3D printer and the right materials.
3D ProMetal uses 3D Systems' one-stop integrated software 3DXpert ™ to prepare and optimize 3D CAD models for printing. A typical workflow includes the following steps:
Importing 3D CAD models-3DXpert is unique in handling B-reps (solid and curved surfaces, not patch geometry), ensuring data integrity and precise geometry. "We asked customers to provide B-rep files (original CAD files, such as SOLIDWORKS files, STEP or IGES files), because the area definition was much easier than using a patch-based model," says Shasha.
Positioning parts on the build tray-3D ProMetal uses 3DXpert's automated analysis and positioning tools to set the correct orientation of the parts on the build tray. "We know which areas must be of high quality, so we cannot place them face down or place any support on them, and we use automatic positioning analysis tools to position the parts accordingly," explains equipment operator Yaki Nissim.
Modifying parts-3DXpert allows 3D ProMetal to use hybrid CAD toolsets (B-rep and mesh) to optimize 3D printing designs and prepare for manufacturing while meeting required specifications (for example, removing the need for support or changing angles Internal features, thus avoiding the use of braces).
Setting Support-3D ProMetal uses 3DXpert's automated tools and manual controls to set sufficient support to prevent deformation while maintaining surface quality.
File slicing, configure the build platform, layout layout, and send print jobs-In order to maximize printer utilization, 3D ProMetal uses 3DXpert's automatic layout layout function to place as many identical or different zeros on the build platform component.
3D ProMetal executives say 3DXpert helps the company succeed in a number of ways. 3DXpert software not only helps the company provide the highest quality parts in the shortest lead time, but also evaluates all quotation printing time and materials using the 3DXpert print estimation tool to ensure customers get accurate time and cost estimates. "We have fine-tuned the tool and the estimated print time can be accurate to every minute. This feature ensures competitive quotes while guaranteeing our profit," said Shasha.
3DXpert enables 3D ProMetal to deliver the highest quality parts in the shortest lead times
Typical examples of value added using additive manufacturing
Self-expanding stents are used for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). These stents are usually made of nickel-titanium alloys, taking full advantage of the material's unique superelasticity and shape memory properties. Superelasticity refers to the ability to accommodate large recoverable strains within a given temperature range. Shape memory is the ability to deform at a given temperature and to recover the original shape when above the transition temperature. These characteristics enable the stent to be loaded into a tubular delivery system and expandable to its functional shape when applied to the body.
In order to shape Nitinol into the required structure, a specially designed mandrel element is required to make 3D printing work. The mandrel is made of multiple parts and has complex geometries that are difficult to manufacture using traditional techniques. In addition, since a mandrel is used when heating Nitinol, completely uniform convection must be required. To achieve this, the wall thickness must be very thin-coupled with complex geometries, manufacturing using traditional techniques becomes extremely challenging.
Using 3D Systems' ProX DMP 200 printer and 3DXpert software, 3D ProMetal is able to manufacture highly complex stainless steel mandrels with a surface thickness of only 0.4 mm. In addition, thread taps can be printed directly on the mandrel instead of welding nuts, eliminating additional assembly work.
3D ProMetal focuses on cases where metal 3D printing brings the greatest advantages
Future growing markets
The founder of 3D ProMetal sees a huge opportunity for additive manufacturing technology to accelerate the reshaping of future medical device manufacturing methods.
"Product designers benefit from the use of design software, which reflects the impact of their decisions on print quality and cost—such as part orientation, positioning, and support," Harari and Shasha said. "By integrating additive manufacturing, we can produce parts of superior quality and complete work more efficiently than ever before. And as more customers learn how to make better use of everything that additive manufacturing provides, The advantages of additive manufacturing will continue to grow. "