Stratasys Introduces New Medical Solutions Group to Meet Growing Demands

As many who follow 3D printing technology already know, its medical applications are more and more in demand, rendering the medical sector one of the technology’s more exciting and promising areas of growth. We continue to see mounting evidence of this as well, as we see more and more start up companies devoted to medical 3D printing. But there’s also the new developments within already well-established 3D printer manufacturers, such as Stratasys. As the demand for 3D printed models, prototypes, and devices grows, new and established companies will rise to the challenge of meeting these demands. This is why Stratasys has introduced its new Medical Solutions Group.

Initiated with the intention of advancing additive manufacturing and 3D printing’s ability to improve healthcare procedures, patient care, products, and outcomes, Stratasys is dedicating a new medical group to oversee all of these activities.

For patient care, the focus is on developing 3D printed models used before operations to save time, and help avoid infection and other complications. These 3D models can also be used to create “heightened clinical practitioner preparedness,” and create personalized prosthetics, bionics, and orthotics for better patient care through “fit, form, function, and affordability.” For medical devices, the goals are to have better preclinical device testing and evaluation for high-performance cost-effective devices that involve shorter time cycles.

Dan Yalon, the Executive Vice President of Strategy, Business Development and Vertical Solutions at Stratasys, explains why the company is developing its medical applications:

“We view the medical market as one of the fastest growing spaces within 3D printing. This market is strategically important for Stratasys to advance patient care by increasing operation success, reducing complications and shortening surgery times in operating rooms. We are investing to develop the solutions, personnel and capabilities to make Stratasys a leader in this space.”

It appears Stratasys has the leadership to realize this medical focus, with over fifty years of combined experience represented in the Medical Solutions Group. The Medical Solutions General Manager is R. Scott Rader, PhD who has a twenty-year-long career in the medical product industry. Medical Solutions Director of Business Development, John Wynne, has over ten years of medical product development experience, and Michael Gaisford, Stratasys’ Director of Marketing for Medical Solutions, has been in the medical industry for twelve years.

This leadership will guide Stratasys through the medical sector, but the company also wants to share its information with other healthcare professionals, too, which is why Stratasys is also introducing a Medical Innovation Series. This series is created for physicians, medical device designers, clinical educators and other medical industry people, who want to stay on top of the latest developments in 3D printed medical devices and applications. You can sign up for the series here, which will also place you on an email list so you can receive notifications.

Let’s hear your thoughts on this move by Stratasys in the Medical Solutions Group forum thread on 3DPB.com.  It looks like we’ll be seeing much more from Stratasys when it comes to its medical technologies!