Industry Collaboration Leads to Extraordinary Strides in Growth

DEARBORN, Mich., April 25, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SME today announced the release of the Medical AM3DP 2018 Annual Report at SME's RAPID + TCT event in Fort Worth. The report provides a snapshot of the impact of additive manufacturing/3D Printing (AM3DP) in medicine and points to the importance of innovations to help provide innovative, cost-effective, quality patient care.

The report includes the results of a survey of medical AM3DP professionals to gain a snapshot of how AM3DP is being used, which processes and materials are being used, identification of challenges, and what they expect will impact patients next. The SME Medical AM3DP workgroup also identified several developments, from collaborations to improve workflows to growth in future technologies and applications.

"Collaboration between companies and organizations, and particularly between medicine and engineering, was a big part of the story this year," said Lauralyn McDaniel, Industry Manager, SME. "Everyone is working together to continue to grow the millions of patients already directly impacted by the benefits of AM/3DP-enabled precision medicine."

Activities from regulatory agencies, industry and clinical groups, and technology providers are helping to expand the impact of Medical AM3DP, which already extends to millions of patents. These groups include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), SME Medical Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing Workgroup, RSNA 3D Printing Special Interest Group, DICOM Workgroup-17 3D Manufacturing, and Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC).

The potential to impact even more patients is nearly endless, whether through anatomical models built from medical imaging data, creation of patient-matched surgical guides, or a manufacturing method to create complex structures better suited for the body. From point-of-care manufacturers to device manufacturers, the industry is successfully exploring — and investing in — the potential of Medical AM3DP. It is one of fastest-growing AM/3DP application areas, with more than 97 percent of medical AM/3DP professionals expecting the use and application to continue to grow (SME Medical AM/3DP Survey, December 2017).

To learn more or to download the new report, please visit www.sme.org/medical-am3dp.

About SME Medical Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing Workgroup
Making a difference through collaboration
The SME Medical Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing Workgroup supports users of medical and biomedical application technology. Members represent medical device manufacturers, clinicians, technology providers and more, including Mayo Clinic, Biomet, University of Michigan, Smith & Nephew, Materialise, nScrypt, Leuven Medical Technology Centre, DePuy Synthes, Stryker Orthopaedics, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Johnson & Johnson and Northwestern University. By providing content to address the latest industry developments, identify gaps in standards, and build evidence for additive manufacturing applications in medicine, the group helps drive technology to improve and save lives. For more information, please visit sme.org/medical-am3dp-workgroup.

About SME
SME connects manufacturing professionals, academia and communities, sharing knowledge and resources to build inspired, educated and prosperous manufacturers and enterprises. With more than 85 years of experience and expertise in events, media, membership, training and development, and also through an education foundation, SME is committed to promoting manufacturing technology, developing a skilled workforce and attracting future generations to advance manufacturing. Learn more at sme.org, follow @SME_MFG on Twitter or facebook.com/SMEmfg.