Jun 14, 2017 | By Tess
GE Additive has signed a partnership agreement with Michigan-based medical tech company Stryker in order to support and help accelerate the latter’s adoption of additive manufacturing. The partnership was announced at GE’s recent Minds + Machines event in Berlin, Germany, an industrial internet event focused on software, innovation, and digital industrial outcomes.
As part of the agreement, Stryker’s global supply chain operations will benefit from new 3D printing systems, as well as materials and services. Of course, this is not Stryker’s first encounter with 3D printing technologies, as the medical device and equipment manufacturer has been a proponent for AM since 2001, when it first started investing in the technology.
For instance, Stryker has already invested in both Concept Laser and Arcam 3D printing systems, and has partnered with universities in both Ireland and the United Kingdom to advance industrial 3D printing for healthcare applications. Stryker even launched an additive manufacturing hub as part of its global technology development center in Carrigtohill, County Cork, Ireland.
“GE and Stryker share a similar vision and both of us understand the transformative power of additive design and manufacturing,” commented Mohammad Ehteshami, Vice President and General Manager of GE Additive. “We regard Stryker as one of the most experienced practitioners of metal additive, with a range of commercialized medical products. We will continue to innovate with new additive products, materials, and technologies, which will support their growth.”
"Working with GE Additive and leveraging their expertise is a very compelling proposition for Stryker,” added John Haller, Vice President of Global Supply at Stryker. “We believe this collaboration will accelerate our additive manufacturing journey and support our mission to make healthcare better."
Stryker's 3D printed Tritanium PL posterior lumbar cage implant
Last year, Stryker announced it had received FDA approval for its 3D printed Tritanium PL posterior lumbar cage. (Tritanium is a titanium-based material adapted specifically for bone in-growth and biologic fixation in the spine.)
GE Additive, the additive manufacturing branch of GE established in 2016, is the company’s supplier of 3D printing systems, materials, and services for businesses all across the globe. The company’s scope is broad: within the last year it has formed partnerships with Mubadala and the Dubai Future Foundation to build the UAE’s first 3D printing microfactories, has announced plans to establish a new Customer Experience Center in Pittsburgh, and has given out more than 400 3D printers to schools as part of its Additive Education Program.
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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