Posted in Voice of Industry | December 07, 2016 | Comments (0)
Tags: device company, oem, additive manufacturing
By: BONEZONE
Talk of the promise of additive manufacturing and 3D printing often centers on aspects of cost, speed, advanced designs, clinical outcomes. With any technology used in our highly-regulated, patient-facing industry, quality—of the process, of the machine, of the finished product, of the knowledge overseeing the entire process—must be an important part of the conversation. Device companies implementing or exploring the use of additive manufacturing must consider how quality applies to the technology. It’s a question that must be answered whether you’re utilizing additive in-house or outsourcing.
A panel comprising OEMs, suppliers and a surgeon—all at the forefront of additive—convened at OMTEC 2016 to discuss, among other things, the quality of the technology and the advancements that will make additive a widely-used manufacturing process in orthopaedics. In the next five to ten years, additive manufacturing will be able to produce any orthopaedic part made through traditional manufacturing, machine suppliers said. OEMs were more cautious.
Here, we present an excerpt of the conversation. Our thought in presenting the transcript is that it allows you to better understand the technical and complex nature of the topic.
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