3D Printing News Roundup: NYU 3D printed tumor study, Norsk Titanium wins award, MIT uses Aether 1 bioprinter

Oct 24, 2017 | By Tess

In today’s 3D printing roundup you’ll see news from NYU and Stratasys, metal 3D printing company Norsk Titanium, and bioprinter manufacturer Aether, whose Aether 1 is being used by MIT researchers.

NYU School of Medicine 3D prints patient-specific tumor models using Stratasys J750 printer in new study

A research team at NYU’s School of Medicine will be collaborating with 3D printing company Stratasys to create patient-specific 3D printed models of kidney and prostate tumors. The aim of the collaboration is to improve diagnosis and treatment processes for them.

Led by Nicole Wake, a pre-doctoral researcher at the Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at NYU’s School of Medicine, the collaborative project will take the form of a two-year clinical trial. Through the study, the researchers will determine how patient-specific 3D printed models of tumors can help to improve patient treatment and care.

The 3D printed models will be manufactured using Stratasys’ J750 3D printer and will thus be 3D printed in full color. (The multi-color 3D printer is capable of manufacturing parts with over 360,000 colors, textures, and transparencies.)

“3D printing holds a lot of potential in assisting with surgical planning, and as surgeons, we are always looking at ways to improve outcomes for our patients,” said study co-author William C. Huang, an associate professor of urology at NYU School of Medicine. “We are pleased to be leading a study examining how 3D printed models may improve the surgical planning process and ultimately impact patient care.”

Over the next two years, models of kidney and prostate tumors will be 3D printed for 300 individual patients. With each case, the researchers will seek to determine the impact of 3D printed models on pre-surgical planning. The study will compare the 3D printed models to standard 2D imaging processes and augmented reality models.

Norsk Titanium wins Frost & Sullivan’s 2017 Europe Technology Innovation Award for RPD titanium 3D printing tech

Frost & Sullivan has presented Norsk Titanium AS with its 2017 Europe Technology Innovation Award in recognition of its Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) titanium 3D printing technology. The award is given every year to a company that Frost & Sullivan deems to have developed a disruptive product or technology that is impacting the market in an innovative way.

According to the market research firm, it chose to award Norway-based Norsk Titanium after analyzing the titanium alloy additive manufacturing industry. “The conventional manufacturing techniques of titanium result in output with reduced tool life, increased material spring back, and large amounts of metal scrap,” explained Ranjana Lakshmi, a research analysis at Frost & Sullivan. “A technology that could improve the existing situation is welcome and would make a great mark in the industry.”

Titanium is largely regarded as the metal of the future, with applications in the aerospace, medical, and manufacturing sectors. Because of the metal’s lightweight but strong properties, the material offers a number of advantages over more traditionally used metals.

Norsk Titanium’s novel RPD process has made it possible to manufacture complex and high-strength parts using titanium in a manner that overcomes the aforementioned limitations to the material.

According to the company, its RPD technology reduces the use of titanium by 40 to 80 per cent, effectively reducing scrap material and the overall material costs per part. It is also suitable for both small and large-scale parts, and has high deposition rates. The process is also capable of 3D printing titanium alloy parts with high material and metallurgical integrity.

“Norsk's RPD additive manufacturing technology serves the growing demands of customization and complexity, offering a distinct advantage over conventional competitors by providing market participants with increased freedom of design and rapid prototyping capability—in addition to cost and lead time advantage,” added Lakshmi.

MIT researchers to use Aether 1 3D bioprinter to explore applications for new ‘Citrene' biomaterial

3D bioprinter developer Aether has announced it will be working with researchers at MIT to explore applications for a new and “revolutionary” bioprinting material. The new material, called Citrene, is a bioplastic made from citrus rinds developed by MIT spin-off company Poly6.

San Francisco-based Aether will reportedly provide the MIT lab with its Aether 1 3D bioprinter, which will be the exclusive 3D printer for exploring and experimenting with Citrene. The research will be conducted through a new course at MIT called Materials, Societal Impact and Social Innovation.

“Uniting the brightest minds with the newest technologies, and focusing that potential on medical applications, is an incredible way to teach students while using their immense creativity to really help people,” said Aether CEO Ryan Franks. “We’re happy to give the legendary young geniuses of MIT early access to Aether 1, and can’t wait to see what they make.”

MIT students will be working closely with Poly6 and use the Aether 1 bioprinter to advance and develop medical application for Citrene, which has been proven to “outperform analog materials” thanks to its natural, biodegradable ingredients.

Last September, Aether announced it would be collaborating with a number of top research institutions by providing its novel Aether 1 bioprinter for research purposes. The bioprinter, which was first announced in 2016, is notable for its low price tag of just $9,000 and for its ability to simultaneously 3D print up to 24 different materials, including gels, viscous pastes, liquids, and filaments.

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