RMIT 3dHeals Melbourne Event

Yesterday evening we had the pleasure of presenting at a 3D printing event hosted by RMIT’s Additive Manufacturing Precinct and organised by Sarah Fink and 3dHeals. It started with a tour of the facility followed by an introduction by Prof Ivan Cole on RMIT’s research strategies including some fantastic work in materials technology and lattice design for medical implants.

Jason Chuen from our very own UniMelb Austin Health 3dMedLab was up next to share his insights on Medical Applications of 3D Printing including anatomical visualisation, surgical planning, procedural simulation and teaching — together with an emphasis on the need for more cross-disciplinary work between clinicians and engineers.

Next up was Paul D’Urso, founder of Melbourne 3D printing startup Anatomics was next with more information on how just-in-time manufacturing and personalised manufacturing can save transport and operating theatre resources.

This was followed by Neil Anderson, CEO of Oventus Medical who have developed and commercialised a personalised oral mandibular advancement and airway appliance for obstructive sleep apnoea (what a mouthful! 😉) to replace standard CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) masks. Together with CSIRO’s Lab 22 they used 3D printing throughout the prototyping and early manufacturing phases and still rely heavily on it for production and redesign.

Last but not least was Anita Quigley, Senior Research Fellow from the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute who wowed the audience with her work on patient-derived stem cells for 3D printing. Like many other researchers in this field she has had to transition from being a biologist to a materials scientist, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of this work.

It was great to catch up with so many like-minded researchers and enthusiasts, as well as tour the Additive Manufacturing Precinct at RMIT. Thankyou everyone who came and we hope to see in in October at 3dMed Australia 2018! Remember — get those abstracts in ASAP!