Hardware Podcasts

Evolving the Orthopedic Frontier: A Deep Dive into the History of Medical AM with Charles Hansford

Additive Snack · 26 Sept 2023 · 35m · Episode 3

What this episode covers

Chuck Hansford, Director of Advanced Development at Tecomet, discusses the evolution of metal additive manufacturing (AM) in the medical industry, noting that all top five orthopedic OEMs now use AM for production parts. He explains that while AM is a viable production technology, it remains in a developmental phase where every unique geometry requires specific process qualification, often taking years to gain OEM approval. Hansford highlights critical challenges such as trapped powder particles, the necessity of post-processing, and the importance of designing parts to be additive-conductive rather than simply printing subtractive models.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Tecomet, EOS, Johnson Johnson, Zimmer, GE, Concept Laser, Haas
Products
M250, M270, M280, M290, M400

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