3D Printed Medical Tools for Hospitals – 3D Printing Applications in Healthcare

“It’s nice to know that Shapeways has their quality control standards so high I don’t have to worry.” – Steven Jaworski, Owner of Voytek Medical

The improvements and industrial solutions available through the freedom of 3D design and the versatility of 3D printing are nothing new to Steven Jaworski, biomedical engineering technician, and owner of Voytek Medical. A pioneer in creating 3D printed organizational tools for medical equipment, Jaworski was prompted to learn CAD design, buy his own 3D printer, and even an injection molding machine while grappling with products and solutions that had been much-needed for a long time.

Working in healthcare means access to a lot of cables, most of which are meant to stay attached to their corresponding medical equipment; however, in a fast-paced environment, detaching a cable and attaching it to another piece of equipment in another department can be common practice. This is understandable as medical professionals are in the act of treating patients and in some cases, working fast to save lives. The overarching problem though is a never-ending cycle of frustration in dealing with a substantial percentage of machines that aren’t in working order. When all parts are intact, equipment can be much more easily maintained, and clinicians have increased confidence in the machines they are using daily to take care of patients in need of diagnostics and treatment. 

One missing cable has the ability to cause an escalating effect, especially in a medical setting where it is not uncommon to have a sense of urgency. Initially, Jaworski was spending an inordinate amount of time replacing medical cables in healthcare. The repetition led him to the realization that they not only needed to be organized, but clamped in place with an innovative piece of hardware.

“One bad or missing cable can mess up everything around it,” said Jaworski. “Clinicians should be able to rest assured that when they need a piece of equipment to monitor a patient, all the required parts are attached. They shouldn’t be hunting around for compatible cables.”

3D Printed Cable Clasps Offer Substantial Savings to Hospitals

Defining a more streamlined way for healthcare providers to maintain control over critical cables and ongoing maintenance and longevity for medical equipment, Jaworski went to one of the facilities he worked for and explained the need for an easier way to do things. It wasn’t hard at all for Jaworski to sell his idea, pointing out how expensive medical cables are and how many were going missing annually.

“I was able to prove a business plan, made a preliminary part, and we went through a series of designs to make the cable clasps stronger,” said Jaworski, who continued to refine his benchmark part, along with being given permission to take the intellectual property and patent his design soon after.

With a degree in graphic design behind him, the visionary for Voytek was well-versed in 2D design, but he had entered a brave new world and taken on a lot in a very short time in exploring 3D design, as well as 3D printing—a technology that was just hitting the mainstream around 2015.

While tinkering around at the desktop served its purpose initially, Jaworski quickly realized he was going to need more advanced technology, materials, and expertise, even just for prototyping and expanding product development. Although the idea of performing product development and manufacturing all by himself was appealing at first, soon he was ready to trade in the tedium of desktop 3D printing for industrial 3D printing. Working with Shapeways meant moving up to more advanced 3D printing technology and materials, as well as giving Jaworski more time to focus on specializing in design, building his business brand, and marketing his product.

Shapeways Industrial 3D Printing Proved Transformative

Ultimately, industrial 3D printing was the key, and the perfect fit, for manufacturing the evolving 3D printed cable clasps. In handing over his models for Shapeways to 3D print, Jaworski was able to rely on an efficient platform for prototyping, uploading new designs, and receiving parts expediently, whether during iteration or in preparation for shipping to customers. The process did indeed begin with many, many iterations, a process made possible due to the long-time expertise of Shapeways, and experience in working designers and engineers who at times may prefer to make over a hundred iterations of a part for the ultimate in precision and quality. 

“It’s such a simple design and such a simple thing, but because of the value that it has I had to make sure everything was perfect,” said Jaworski. “Just think how embarrassing it would be if someone purchased a device, and then they opened it and closed it, and the parts didn’t line up. Achieving perfection is tough.”

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Nylon 12 [Versatile Plastic] played an enormous part both in iteration as well as 3D printing end-use parts. The freedom of design afforded through SLS 3D printing specifically meant that Jaworski was able to attain complex, lightweight designs not possible through traditional manufacturing like injection molding–a technology he had explored quite thoroughly already.

“I’ve tried injection molding, and I actually own an injection molding machine. I had a mold made for one of my designs and I could not get it to line up due to warping,” said Jaworski. “It all comes down to quality. It’s extremely difficult to sell something for the price it needs to sell at if it isn’t made right and doesn’t look right.”

SLS 3D printing requires no supports, meaning that designers and engineers like Jaworski don’t have to worry about creating intricate structures to stabilize parts during printing; furthermore, supports don’t have to be removed in post-processing either, posing the potential for damage later. A powder-based technology able to 3D print on nearly any scale, SLS is fast, powerful, and well-matched with materials like Nylon 12 [Versatile Plastic]. 

A 3D printing material that offers many features for industrial manufacturing, Nylon 12 [Versatile Plastic] has been a great choice for Voytek products due to the strength and durability in parts, along with the lighter weight offered by nylon thermoplastics. Jaworski has also taken full advantage of the array of colors available, using them to color code products for different hospital departments so they are able to identify a clasp and a corresponding cord from across the room.

Shapeways Manufacturing Allows Voytek to Focus on Business

On-demand 3D printing played a huge role in the success of Voytek, allowing Jaworski to order customized parts as needed from a list of products he had already designed and tested. Shapeways 3D prints parts and then sends them to Voytek for assembly and shipping to hospitals. The quality of 3D printing materials like Nylon 12 [Versatile Plastic] has built a foundation for happy customers, with Jaworski reporting that he has tested the durability and strength himself–to extremes–and it always comes through.

“I’ve taken pliers to the parts trying to crack them, and have tested them with everything in the hospital,” said Jaworski. “The color never bled, and the material never became brittle. No issues. I have not received a request for a single repair, a complaint, or anything.”

“It’s nice to know that you guys have your quality control standards so high that I don’t have to worry. I rarely even count pieces anymore when I receive hundreds of parts, because I know it’s going to be right.”

Today, Jaworski is protecting nearly a million dollars in assets for hospitals, all revolving around medical equipment that allows patients to receive fast, quality treatment.

About Shapeways

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