Author: Ingo Schepers

When we launched our Medical Division in 2019 many members had their doubts about this project – but since then AM in the medical sector has become more and more important. Which is why we thought it is high time for a conference that focuses solely on AM applications in that sector.

Luckily, with IPM we found a partner who believed in that idea as much as we did and with the support of the other founding partners, KUMOVIS, ottobock and the University hospital Basel, on November 22 & 23 the AM Medical Days took place for the first time at the Estrel Hotel in Berlin.

With MGA Medical largely responsible for setting the topics and the list of speakers, we were already expecting a lot from this conference, knowing that such esteemed speakers like Prof. Dr. Ute Schäfer from the Medical University Graz and Dr. Florian Thieringer from the University Hospital Basel would be on stage, but our expectations were exceeded by far: The AM Medical Days 2021 were two days full of examples of innovative AM applications in medicine and medical technology as well as interesting discussions with the expert guests. And to start it all there was a very nice evening reception at Ottobock, where Güngör Kara opened the window wide to digital transformation in orthopedic technology.

It was amazing to see that even during the current crisis it is possible to hold a save event and we were happy to meet so many physicians, hospital workers, medical technology manufacturers and representatives from regulatory authorities as well as health insurance companies and to talk about the technological shift towards additive medicine. And of course in the small exhibition it was also great to talk to AM solution providers, such as printer manufacturers, material suppliers and service providers.

A big thank you to IPM AG – Institute for Production Management, who once again did a wonderful job with this hybrid event and to all participants, especially to all physicians, who have taken time for this event despite the corona pandemic and the critical situation in the clinics. Together we are on the right way, we boost AM! And this was only the beginning, next year’s AM Medical Days will take place on October 19 & 20 in Berlin and will be even bigger and better.

Since the founding of our Medical Division in 2019, it has become more and more apparent that additive manufacturing and the medical industry are a perfect match. Under the leadership of Dr. Cora Lüders-Theuerkauf, Medical goes Additive has worked on many topics over the last two years and produced great results like the MDR decision tree.

Find out what happened in the division in the last weeks here:

Kick Off new working group Pharmaceutics

What a great start! On 28 October, the new working group Pharmaceutics was launched and representatives from Merck, Takeda, Körber, Uhlmann and Syntegon participated in. Two fantastic keynotes with different focuses on topics that are driving the pharma industry – drug development and the availability of spare parts – nevertheless highlighted the shared themes: AM needs to become more visible in pharma to show the added value for all stakeholders. Ideas and visions were listed and initial topics of focus for the next meetings were identified. All players in the value chain – material manufacturers, suppliers and pharmaceutical companies – are welcome to attend.

Working Group Hospitals

On 13 October, we had the pleasure of once again listening to Jonathan Morris in a virtual keynote on “Point of Care Manufacturing.” His almost never-ending repertoire of clinical use cases turns him into one of the pioneers of additive manufacturing in hospitals. His ideas for implementing additive manufacturing and demonstrating the real benefits for patients are now part of daily life at the Mayo Clinic. We in Germany also benefit from this expertise. Many thanks again to Jonathan!

Workshop Orthopedics

On 30 September, the first workshop for orthopedic and medical technicians took place within the MGA Medical Approval working group. 12 representatives from certified bodies, handicraft and orthopedic companies participated and exchanged experiences on the topic of “test procedures and test methods”. In the workshop, we opened Pandora’s box and identified so many topics that a series of workshops will now be established from them, starting in the Use Cases working group next year.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) for pharmaceutical applications, parts and tools becomes more and more attractive due to its individualized production. Several pharmaceutical companies use this technology for spare and format parts or for personalized medications.

What is your experience regarding Additive Manufacturing in the field of pharmaceutics, development and optimization of medications, tools, spare parts and techniques, or training of employees?
We offer the international platform for meeting experts from leading pharmaceutical sector, for connecting and planning of joint projects and many other opportunities to further increase awareness of AM in pharmaceutical settings. PHARMACEUTICS is aimed at different fields of interests to bring them closer together via the common interface AM.

Leading experts from
Takeda
Merck

And suppliers such as

Marchesini
Syntegon
Körber
Uhlmann

and many others will participate in PHARMACEUTICS.

Within our network Medical goes Additive (MGA) we establish new ideas and find technical solutions for challenges for which there currently are none.
The result-oriented work is our top priority! Our aim: to lower the barriers for 3D printing in accordance with authorities and notified bodies and generate new business models plus economically optimized solutions.

We are very committed to involving all players in the value chain in order to open up the mindset for additive manufacturing. In MGA more than 130 members throughout the whole AM value chain are organized.
We look forward to your participation at our offices on October 28 2021 11:00 – 15:00 CET in the Marienpark in Berlin!

Please note that the kick off will be held as a pure “2G” (vaccinated, or recovered) event.
For more information and to join the working group, please contact Dr Cora Lüders-Theuerkauf.

Additive manufacturing is considered as the future technology. Especially in medicine, 3D printing can provide innovations and patient-optimized care in a wide range of areas. Customized products made from different types of materials can provide better regeneration. These are just a few examples of the importance and positive impact of additive manufacturing in medicine.
Together with KUMOVIS, ottobock and the University hospital Basel, MGA is a founding partner of AM Medical Days. Celebrate the premiere with us and enjoy exciting content!
Over 750 conference visitors are part of the Medical Days, discussing the possibilities of 3D printed medicine in the future, in a wide variety of formats. The event will take place as a hybrid session, where attendees can participate physically, as well as virtually.
Physicians, hospital chains, medical technology manufacturers, regulatory authorities and health insurance companies can make new connections and exchange ideas about the technological shift towards additive medicine. These topics will be highlighted together with AM solution providers, such as printer manufacturers, material suppliers and service providers.
The event will be rounded out by the Innovation Exhibition with 40 inspiring show cases as a break-out area. Among the speakers are Stefanie Brickwede, Cora Lüders-Theuerkauf, Olivier Cynamon, Güngör Kara, Sonja Rasch, Özlem Weiss and many others.
We are excited and looking forward to meeting you there.