Stratasys signs an agreement with Ricoh USA to create medical models on demand

Stratasys has announced an agreement with Ricoh USA to provide 3D printed anatomical models for clinical use. Stratasys’s Patient-Specific 3D Solutions combines 3D printing technology, Axial3D’s cloud-based Segmentation-as-a-ServiceTM and Ricoh’s precision additive manufacturing services into one convenient solution. The new service builds on an existing collaboration between Ricoh 3D for Healthcare and Stratasys to expand access to 3D printed medical models.

Anatomical models printed in 3D are realistic, specific visualizations of the patient’s anatomy, allowing doctors to plan and perform complex operations and improve communication between medical staff, the patient and his family. Stratasys’ Digital Anatomy technology makes these models even biomechanically realistic, with the feel and response of real bone and tissue.

While this method of surgical planning benefits patients and healthcare teams, the need for initial capital investment and 3D printing technical expertise are significant obstacles to its adoption. The new service removes these barriers to expand access to more hospitals and clinics, and ultimately contributes to better outcomes.

The new offering gives clinicians and patients greater access to 3D printed patient-specific models for pre-operative planning, diagnostics and surgical education. Using these models, clinicians can demonstrate treatment decisions to patients and surgical staff. Planning surgery using patient-specific 3D models can improve clinical outcomes and generate significant cost savings through increased productivity.

Through the collaboration, customers can upload medical files to a secure cloud service where Axial3D AI-powered software automatically converts medical scans into 3D printable files. The files are then printed on Stratasys 3D printers at Ricoh’s ISO 13485 certified facility and the models are shipped directly to the care facility. These changes allow a process that would normally take weeks to be completed in a few days, without the need for on-site 3D printing equipment or additive manufacturing expertise.

Source: Stratasys press materials
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