3 Benefits of DMLS 3D Printing Technology for Medical Device Manufacturers

Are You Looking for a 3D Printing Partner with Expertise in Precision Medical Components?

Most precision CNC machine shops do not have the ability to also handle additive manufacturing requests for precision medical device and component manufacturing. And those that do have 3D printing capability may not be using direct metal laser sintering (DMLS). There are many benefits to using DMLS printing and a shop that can handle the entire process of manufacturing components from start to finish in-house with one seamless interaction and no external dependencies.

"Metalcraft Solutions has quickly become a trusted DMLS supplier for us. They're fast, reliable, and competitively priced. It's a pleasure to work with them."

- Corey Perine, COO at Maxx Orthopedics, Inc. 

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There are three main benefits of additive manufacturing that result in improved manufacturing efficiencies.

  1. 1. Reduced Production Time

If a shop does not have to subcontract out services and can handle them in-house, there is more control over production schedules, as well as quality. With the process itself, an additive manufacturing line can produce multiple components at the same time instead of creating individual parts that need to be assembled later, which adds time as well as cost. By eliminating the need for tooling, and fixtures, time to market can be reduced from months to days.

  1. 2. Cost Savings

By using a machine shop that does every step of the process in-house, you can cut out the middlemen who add layers of cost on to the manufacturing of a component. Additionally, 3D printing is perfect for prototyping because you can produce multiple iterations simultaneously without cost or time penalties incurred by the linear development model that traditional manufacturing requires. The process also reduces waste production because, instead of removing material from a block bigger than the product, it adds material so that only what is required for production is used. This results in less energy consumption, as well. Finally, there is no tooling cost like you would see in traditional manufacturing, which would have a big impact on low- and mid-volume parts production.

  1. 3. Precision

Additive manufacturing has made previously unattainable, complex geometries practical in production runs. The technology also reduces the weight of the components, eliminates the need for tooling, offers improved accuracy over other additive manufacturing processes, and offers higher precision. The finished 3D-printed products can have a medical-grade finish and be ready for surgery.

Through DMLS, it is possible to build intricate components layer by layer by melting and fusing metallic powders. Metalcraft Solutions uses many types of metal, including PH17-4 stainless steel, 316L stainless steel, 18Ni300 maraging steel, cobalt chromium, and AlSi12 aluminum.

 

Your Trusted Partner

At Metalcraft Solutions, we have our ISO 13485 certification and have made hemostats, endoscopic connectors, trocars, ring safety caps, clamp inserts, orthopedic surgical support devices, femoral keels and resection guides, and more.

Choosing to work with Metalcraft Solutions’ 3D printing capabilities can give you a competitive advantage since we can be your one-stop shop for additive manufacturing as well as CNC-machined metal and plastic parts. The services we provide include wire EDM, Swiss turning, laser cutting, heat treating, tumbling, finishing, polishing, stamping, forming, engraving, and laser marking. We’ve been in the business of machining since 1951. To learn more about our DMLS additive manufacturing process, click here or contact us.

Want to talk to an expert about 3D printing medical devices?

If you’re interested in additive manufacturing for medical device prototyping or production, let’s talk about it. As a one-stop shop for all of your production needs, we can discuss 3D printing as well as conventional manufacturing methods. We'll make sure you get the best machining process for your needs.