The time to market for medical devices can be a lengthy commercialization process, but 3-D printing may help quicken the timeline, according to a Plastics Today report.
In traditional models, device manufacturers use tooling to develop molds for each prototypical design, a process that can take several weeks, especially as molds undergo several revisions in the process. However, 3-D printing can create the same molded parts within a couple of days, reducing tooling costs and risks with consistently developing new molds, according to the report.
"Adjustments always need to be made to the design and tooling," said Derek Mathers, business development manager at Minneapolis-based Worrell, a design bureau, in the report. "With our [3-D printing] technique, you can do the testing and sterilization on a functional part without investing in tooling."
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