Dec 8, 2016 | By Tess

Australian company Oventus Medical Ltd., known for its innovative 3D printed sleep apnea device, has seen quite a lot of success over the past year. Not only did it announce an expansion into the highly sought after U.S. market, but its shares also rose, and it raised $12 million in investments through a very successful IPO. Now, it seems its growth and good fortune are still going strong, as the company has just announced the launch of its new Victorian 3D printing facility today.

The additive manufacturing facility, which is located at CSIRO’s Clayton Site in Clayton, Australia, will be used to manufacture Oventus’ revolutionary O2Vent sleep apnea device. The device, which was developed to help sufferers of a relatively common condition known as sleep apnea (over 12 million in the U.S. alone are affected by it), will be made using state-of-the-art titanium 3D printing equipment.

According to the company, the launch of the new 3D printing facility marks a step forwards for Oventus’ collaboration with CSIRO (the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization). CSIRO, which has been a part of many 3D printing advancements and innovations within Australia, is certainly proving to be a fruitful example of what can be achieved when industry and researchers team up.

As Dr. Keith McLean, director of CSIRO Manufacturing, explained, “Combining our research team’s additive manufacturing experience with the software capabilities of CSIRO’s Data61, meant we could create a one stop in-house process for making personalized mouth pieces that are individualized for each Oventus customer. Additionally, we have been able to help Oventus upscale their manufacturing process to allow large volume manufacturing of the devices at the Clayton facility.”

The O2Vent is essentially a 3D printed titanium mouth guard that has been specially designed to help those suffering from sleep apnea, a sleep disorder which causes shallow breathing or even pauses in breathing during sleep. The 3D printed device helps to bypass the condition by opening up an airway and directing air flow to the back of the throat, circumventing the nose, soft palate, and tongue, which can be obtrusive to breathing.

As Oventus founder Dr. Chris Hart has explained, much of his company’s success was realized through the support of CSIRO’s research and state-of-the-art additive manufacturing technologies. “CSIRO were able to help us not only develop the 3D printing process, but also create the crucial software needed to design the individual devices. Because a patient’s bite is as individual as his fingerprint, we needed special software to help us create a perfectly customized O2Vent from a patient’s dental imprints.”

There is no doubt that with its new 3D printing facility at CSIRO, Oventus will be able to grow its business and continually develop its innovative product. Oventus is set to launch in the U.S. in 2017.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Application

 

 

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