The Annual Meeting on September 16 & 17, 2019 was not only the first time we gathered in front of the backdrop of the Brewdog Brewery, but also marked the first Annual Meeting with a separate Medical Track.
Since then, our Medical Division, led by Dr. Cora LĂĽders-Theuerkauf, has been growing steadily and now works in four separate working groups:
Materials, led by Dr. Ă–zlem WeiĂź (Expertants GmbH), provides insight into the materials jungle through informative guest contributions from a wide range of experts and interviews with industry representatives. In addition, the group trains interested parties on existing standards (e.g. . ISO 10993) and, together with the Mobility working group Materials, populates the WeBoostAM knowledge base.
The Approval working group already has a workshop in December 2019 on MDR, DRG, inclusion of AM manufactured medical devices in health insurance catalogs, and liability issues. Led by Simon Schlagintweit (TĂśV SĂĽd), a decision tree on Annex VIII of the MDR (risk classes) has since been developed and during the working group meetings with exciting keynotes on approval issues, including UK MDR.
Specifically in light of the Corona pandemic, the Use Cases working group rose above and launched the “3D printing fights Corona” initiative. The highlight of this initiative was the fundraising campaign in which more than 5,000 face shields were handed over to Johanniter Unfallhilfe. Currently, the focus of the work is on development aid while the meetings are still characterized by highlighting new application fields of AM in medicine through keynotes.
In January 2021, a fourth working group was initiated: At the first Hospitals meeting, we welcomed 34 participants from 6 nations. Members of this working group are engaged in discussions on quality management, and workshop on “make or buy”, SOPs and QM are also scheduled for summer 2021. The next meeting will take place under the title Change Management.
But this is far from the end of our Medical Division: we are planning the next working group with Pharmaceuticals for fall 2021.
Many thanks to all involved in our Medical Division, we are looking forward to the coming successful years!
