(ken gall) “i wanted to change what dukewas capable of doing and part of that involved bringing a 3d printer to campus." (samantha sheppard) “it’s an amazing opportunityto have this tool here at duke.†(neal simmons) "virtually any shape that wecan draw on the computer can be translated into a real part and it can be translatedat a speed that is orders of magnitude faster
what is 3d metal printing, than traditional methods." (sanford morton) "it’s something that manyundergraduates may never get access to and i think it’s unique that duke has this.†(samantha sheppard) “so there’s two seniordesign groups working with the printer this
semester. they’re both working in the medical field. so one is group is making the implants forlarge bone defects and there’s another group making spinal cages for spinal fusion surgeries.†(sanford morton) "so its been really fun togo meet with a doctor or surgeon and talk to them about the problems they’re facing,how their devices are currently working, why that device needs to be improved, and thenbe able to come in here and without any limitations really, create a geometry that satisfies theneeds that they have.†(dr. robert isaacs) "one of the things wedo very commonly as surgeons is have to put
in small cages into people's spines whichcan help bone grow in the direction you want it to. they've been working on a titanium printedcage which is pretty common but the way they're doing it is really unique giving it a specialsurface and a lattice work inside to really minimize the amount of metal that is usedand in the process give it the ability for the body to incorporate it much better." (sanford morton) "we're able to thin the structureout so that it images better on a ct scanner so that doctors can verify that there's bonegrowing right through this hole right here." (neal simmons) “it’s a tool that we didn’thave before that allows us to create much
more complex and useful designs at a pacethat otherwise couldn’t be done.†(ken gall) “you would not be able to implantthese parts. they are not cleared through the fda. but these are of the quality that you couldeventually implant into humans. so they are getting to work on a real problemthat has a real solution.†(group discussion) “so i have a questionabletest about what you believe about the 3d printer. would you implant these in yourself?†“i would much rather have a design thatis printed and optimized versus something that is just on the market.â€
(ken gall) “for the students to actuallybe able to make real parts that match what the doctors want designed and then to actuallytest those parts is something that you would rarely see at a university- all the way throughthose levels.†(dr. robert isaacs)"that collaboration, understandingthe clinical need and understanding what the capabilities of cutting edge science are andadding the two together is going to be game changing." (sanford morton) "i think traditionally itwould be extremely hard for someone like me
to not only print on a printer like this andcreate finalized products but then take it over to a medical center, meet with surgeonsand then perform ct scans and tomography scans
of any sort on my device all within the sameday. that’s extremely unique and not necessarilyhappening at many other institutions.â€
