3D Printing News Roundup: 3D Systems 3Q17 results, Kodak 3D printer, AIMS, K2M's titanium spinal implants

Nov 1, 2017 | By Tess

In today’s 3D printing roundup we’re reporting some less than stellar financial results from 3D printing giant 3D Systems, an upcoming 3D printing ecosystem from tech company Kodak, 3D printed heart models helping Indian surgeons, and more.

3D Systems sees shares fall 16% after disappointing 3rd quarter results

3D Systems, one of the industry’s leading companies, has reported disappointing quarterly results and has withdrawn its full-year outlook to adjust its financial expectations. The company says its shares fell 16.4 per cent, down to $10.35, in after-market trading since its 3Q17 release.

“Predictability has been difficult in this environment, and therefore, management believes it is prudent to withdraw guidance at this time,” said the company in regard to its withdrawn outlook.

“We have increased investments and resources to resolve legacy quality and reliability issues faster and have implemented organizational changes to continue to improve execution. We have made significant progress in many areas over the first nine months of this year and are taking additional actions necessary to position the company for long term success,” said 3D Systems CEO Vyomesh Joshi.

In the last quarter, 3D Systems reported a full-year adjusted profit of 51 cents to 55 cents per share on revenue between $643 million and $684 million. It also announced a net loss of $37.7 million (34 cents per share) in the third quarter of 2017, which ended on September 30. Last year, the net loss for the same period was 19 cents per share.

3D Systems’ revenue reportedly fell to $152.9 million, a 2.3 per cent drop from last year.

Kodak to launch 3D printing ecosystem through license agreement with Smart International

Technology company Kodak has announced an agreement with 3D printing firm Smart International to expand the former’s brand licensing program within the 3D printing market.

Through the licensing partnership, Kodak will introduce the “KODAK 3D Printing Ecosystem,” which will consist of 3D printing technology, software, and materials.

Joel Satin, Kodak’s VP director of brand licensing, commented: “Professional 3D printing is a fast-evolving growth category Kodak has had its eye on for a while.”

Kodak says it plans to release its KODAK Portrait 3D printer and a range of 3D printing filaments in Q1 2018 and December 2017, respectively.

And while we don’t have much information about the company’s upcoming 3D printing products, we do now that the Kodak filaments reportedly have “low moisture content,” “high melt flow index,” and “precise diameter and roundness for superior prints.”

The KODAK Portrait 3D printer, for its part, will include “thoughtful features that improve productivity and reliability.”

Be sure to tune in for more information on Kodak’s upcoming 3D printing products.

Indian hospital sets up 3D printing lab to improve congenital heart disease treatment

India’s Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) has invested in a 3D printing lab to help improve patient treatment, especially in the field of cardiology. The hospital is one of the first in India to operate its own 3D printing lab.

The 3D printing lab was initiated by a team of doctors led by Senior Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Mahesh Kappanayil, who had successfully operated on two teenagers with complex congenital heart diseases with the help of 3D printed models from Materialise’ HeartPrint solution.

After seeing the results of the 3D printed models in helping to plan the complex surgeries, the medical team set about establishing a 3D printing facility at AIMS. Since investing in the technology, the surgeons have already performed ten pediatric heart operations with the help of patient-specific 3D printed heart models.

Currently, the in-house 3D printing lab is primarily being used by the hospital’s cardiology department, as there are a growing number of complex congenital heart diseases cases which need to be treated, but the hospital says it plans to expand the lab’s services to other departments, including orthopedics, for instance.

In fact, the hospital says it has used 3D printing in three complicated orthopedic surgeries recently with success.

“I was constantly challenged by patients with very complex heart diseases, especially pediatric cases where children grew up with several congenital defects, as these cases may become increasingly difficult to understand and plan a surgery for,” commented Dr. Kappanayil.

“For these cases, 3D printing is a true game-changer because 3D printed anatomical models give me the information I need to better understand the issues and cardiac pathology, and I can use these insights to plan the best approach,” he added.

Using patients’ DICOM images, the doctors have been able to generate accurate and patient-specific 3D models thanks in part to Materialise’ Mimics inPrint software. The anatomy models are then 3D printed to give doctors a more hands-on, tactile understanding of the case they are working on.

Within the medical context, 3D printing also has applications in training, as accurate anatomical models can give students and surgeons-in-training a better understanding of heart defects and other physiological phenomena.

3D Systems and K2M to develop 3D printed Interbody devices for spinal treatment

In another slightly more positive story from 3D Systems, the 3D printing company has partnered with spinal implant solutions company K2M to develop 3D printed interbody devices for spine disorders.

The goal of the partnership is to combine K2M’s “extensive spinal expertise with 3D Systems’ industry-leading metal 3D printing experience.” In other words, 3D printing will enable K2M to expand and improve its spinal implant offerings.

K2M has predicated itself on developing and offering minimally invasive solutions for treating complex spinal deformities. 3D printing, it says, has enabled it to design medical devices that are suited for treating conditions such as spinal degeneration with even less invasion than before.

“We needed 3D printing capabilities to continue to develop our degenerative and minimally invasive portfolios,” commented Jim Ham, director of marketing for K2M’s Complex Spine Group.

“Our partnership with 3D Systems drove our leadership in 3D printing of spinal devices, which has vaulted us further into the broader spine space and accounted for a lot of our growth over the last few years.”

The spinal implants are being manufacturing using 3D Systems’ Direct Metal Printing (DMP) technology, which uses a high-energy laser system to sinter a bed of titanium powder into the implant structure.

3D Systems says it is currently 3D printing and post-processing parts from K2M’s FDA-approved CASCADIA family of interbody implants.

More than just producing carefully designed and patient-specific implants, the technology has enabled K2M to integrate a porous texture into its spinal implants which promote and encourage bone growth and integration. The structural design of the implants is based on K2M’s Lamellar 3D Titanium Technology.

“I continue to be impressed with the Lamellar 3D Titanium Technology,” said Tom Morrison, MD, a neurosurgeon at Polaris Spine and Neurosurgery Center in Atlanta, Georgia who has been using K2M’s CASCADIA implants for over a year.

“The porosity and surface roughness properties make great biologic sense and the long-term follow up I’m seeing with my patients reinforces my good impression. I look forward to continuing use of the CASCADIA Interbody Systems and am excited to further incorporate K2M’s Lamellar 3D Titanium Technology in other bone-growth applications.”

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