A year after the launch of its J750 Digital Anatomy 3D printer, Stratasys has successfully sold and installed the system at healthcare institutions and medical service providers in major markets across the globe.
Medical industry adopts Stratasys’ J750 digital anatomy 3D printer
The J750 Digital Anatomy 3D printer produces anatomical models that mimic the feel, responsiveness, and biomechanics of human anatomy. Models can be punctured, sutured, cut, and physically manipulated like actual human tissue. This minimises the use of animals and cadavers for trials and training. Hospitals, healthcare institutions and medical schools can use these models to improve clinical evaluation for a wide range of pathologies, as well as bring new devices to market faster.
Seattle Children’s Hospital purchased a J750 Digital Anatomy 3D printer early this year and installed it in its new 3D Printing Lab. Seth Friedman, Ph.D, Manager of Innovation Imaging and Simulation Modeling, said: “The earliest prints using TissueMatrix material were instrumental for understanding the optimal fit for a custom tracheostomy tube, something that would have been impossible with the best materials that we had access to only six months ago. I believe that by making models in parallel to a patient’s care journey we can truly make a difference.”
In Spain, two technology institutions have invested in the Digital Anatomy 3D printer to pioneer their medical service offering. Both cite the unrivalled ultra-realism and tactile nature of the models as a significant competitive advantage.
Nacho Sandoval, Additive Manufacturing Lead at AIJU, said: “Previously, we could not produce models replicating the organic materials frequently requested by the medical sector, let alone realistically simulating the behaviours of human tissue. What is also remarkable is that the precision of the Digital Anatomy printer offers higher resolutions than those obtained with a CT or MRI, which are usually above half a millimetre. We’re already seeing vast interest from a wide range of medical practitioners for these types of models in real-world applications.”
In Italy, President of BIO3DModel, Eng. Roberto Rizzo, said he has witnessed particular interest in the Digital Anatomy 3D printer for surgical training: “This technology enables a drastic reduction in time training surgeons, in particular the ability to investigate for any specific pathological conditions prior to the actual surgery. For example, until now it was not possible to produce hollow vascular systems down to 1mm wall thickness and diameter. This incredible detail could be the difference between life or death for a patient.”