Specialising in the production of medical models, Austrian 3D printing service provider Schiner 3D Repro was one of the first across German-speaking countries to spot how its clients could benefit from the Stratasys J750 Digital Anatomy 3D printer. Today, the company is working closely with medical technology companies to accelerate innovation of new medical devices with biomechanically accurate 3D printed anatomical models that mimic bone and tissue to an unprecedented level of realism.
Schiner 3D Repro
Model of a brain base, 3D printed in TissueMatrix on the Digital Anatomy printer
With an objective to innovate new medical devices quickly and efficiently, healthcare companies, medical device manufacturers and research facilities typically rely on cadavers to test solutions and optimize design and device functionality. With the preparation of cadavers for the desired anatomies often taking months, this can not only be very lengthy, but also costly and hard to repeat – especially if certain pathologies are required for the devices to be tested.
Using the Digital Anatomy 3D printer, Schiner 3D Repro’s customers are overcoming these barriers by simulating anatomies and pathologies with ultra-realistic 3D printed models, reducing the need for human and animal cadavers, and ensuring high repeatability and acceleration across the design validation process.
Since installing the Digital Anatomy 3D printer, Schiner 3D Repro is producing 3D printed medical and anatomical models for surgical training and surgical preparation across Europe.
“The Digital Anatomy has been a game-changer in terms of what models we can offer medical companies,” says Joern-Henrik Stein, Managing Director at Schiner 3D Repro. “We are now able to produce anatomies from real medical scans, known as DICOM Data, which allows our medical customers to request exactly what anatomy is needed, without the need for human cadavers.”
According to Stein, the highly detailed and accurate representation of anatomic models, such as internal organs, at scale and with consistency, is an absolute prerequisite for the needs of our customers. The high-resolution capability of the Digital Anatomy 3D printer ensures the company can meet these requirements head-on, while advanced materials that closely mimic properties of human anatomy has enabled the team to create new 3D printed models previously not possible.
This was recently exemplified when Schiner 3D Repro 3D printed a vascular model for a medical device customer who wanted to test blood circulation for a new innovation.
“We have been using the GelMatrix material on the Digital Anatomy printer to produce complex patient-specific vascular models for medical companies,” explains Oliver Simon, Project Manager of Medical Branch at Schiner 3D Repro. “In one recent case the vascular structures were only 1.5 mm in diameter, which would literally be impossible to produce using other technologies. Thankfully we were able to 3D print the model for the customer, which opens up additional opportunities in design validation and optimization of the medical device for them.”
Since adopting the technology, Schiner 3D Repro has received orders for biomechanical 3D printed models, everything from catheter models to complex brain models for medical microscopic training and demonstration purposes. Making full use of materials comprising TissueMatrix for replicating organs, BoneMatrix for simulating bone structures, and GelMatrix for vascular structures, the biomechanical models accurately mirror the medical scans in geometric complexity and behavior.
Using advanced medical software, medical scans and data (MRI, CT) for different projects are prepared in advance for 3D printing. These are then optimised for printing with the help of GrabCAD Print Software.
With strong demand from medical technology companies, as well as several ongoing research projects with Austrian and German healthcare institutions and universities, Schiner 3D Repro expects the medical branch of its business to grow up to 30% throughout 2021.
“Through the ultra-realistic medical models that they are developing, companies like Schiner 3D Repro perfectly demonstrate what our Digital Anatomy Printer is capable of,” says Arnaud Toutain, Healthcare Sales and Development Lead EMEA, Stratasys. “As we continue to develop additional materials and software for the Digital Anatomy Printer, medical institutions can further reduce the need for cadavers and animals across an even wider range of applications to improve surgical preparedness and training, while helping to bring new medical devices to market faster.”