August 27, 2024 by SME Communications SME Technical Communities hosted insightful programming at RAPID + TCT 2024 RAPID + TCT 2024 was packed with insightful symposiums and panels led by SME's Technical Communities that explored the cutting-edge advancements in additive manufacturing (AM), specifically focusing on healthcare, digital manufacturing, and career development within the field. Healthcare AM Symposium The Healthcare Additive Manufacturing Technical Community (AM TC) once again showcased its leadership in the field through the highly anticipated Healthcare AM Symposium. Over a dozen experts spoke to attendees and highlighted the latest developments and trends in medical 3D printing, focusing on how AM is transforming healthcare. The full day program featured a live demonstration of a cardiac case and ortho cutting guide, a patient story from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and a presentation from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 3D Special Interest Group (SIG) on their 3D printing clinical data registry which collects anonymized 3D printing data at the point of clinical care. AM TCLC Panel: From Bytes to Production One of the standout sessions was the AM TCLC (Technical Community Leadership Committee) Panel titled From Bytes to Production: How Automation is Transforming AM. This panel brought together leading experts to discuss examples of automation of AM in design, machine operability, post-processing, and production management and look ahead to future transformation of the technology with further automation advancements. The panel featured Andrew Graves, business development manager at Stratasys Neo; Annie Wang, president at Senvol; Carolyn Conner Seepersad, PhD, professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology; Chinedum (Chi) Okwudire, PhD, professor and Miller Faculty Scholar at The University of Michigan; and John Barnes, founder and managing director of The Barnes Global Advisors. Healthcare AM 3-Panel Series The Healthcare AM TC also led a comprehensive 3-panel series that delved deep into the hottest topics in medical 3D printing. Each panel in the series provided unique insights: Part one explored point-of-care 3D printing and its impact on the patient care experience, featuring Jonathan Ford, PhD, associate director of the Center for Advanced Visual Technologies in Medicine (VISTA) at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California; Laura Gilmour, founder of Medical Additive Manufacturing and Regulatory Strategies Consulting; Parham Gholami, research engineer at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego; and Victoria Sears, senior engineer at Mayo Clinic. Part two examined the evolving regulatory and quality landscapes for medical 3D printing, featuring Amy Alexander, CMfgE, unit head, Medical Development & Applied Computational Engineering at Mayo Clinic; James Coburn, senior advisor for emerging technology at the Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats; Kim Torluemke, director, Regulatory Affairs & Quality at RICOH 3D for Healthcare; Matthew Di Prima, PhD; materials engineer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and Nicole McMinn, biomedical engineer at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Part three focused on the variety of new medical devices prototypes developed at point-of-care facilities, featuring Amy Alexander, CMfgE, unit head, Medical Development & Applied Computational Engineering at Mayo Clinic; Brent Wright, vice president of EastPoint Prosthetics & Orthotics, Inc.; Megan Malara, PhD, director, Medical Modeling, Materials and Manufacturing (M4) Division at The Ohio State University; Peter Liacouras, PhD, director of services, 3D Medical Applications Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Exploring Future Careers in Additive Manufacturing Panel The Exploring Future Careers in AM panel, sponsored by Boeing, provided a platform for the next generation of AM professionals and those looking to change careers to network, learn, and engage with industry leaders. Moderated by Matthew Kelly, PhD, additive manufacturing technologist for the U.S. Army GVSC, panelists Ahmed El Desouky, PhD, director of additive manufacturing at Veeco; Elizabeth Henry, founder of Henry General Strategies; and Tyler LeBrun, PhD, principal member at Sandia National Laboratories shared their firsthand experiences navigating AM career paths. The audience gained practical advice on leveraging skills in AM and dialogued with panelists about their own professional growth. Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) Panel: Achieving AM Product Quality from MBD through GD&T Finally, the DDM Technical Community hosted a crucial panel on Achieving AM Product Quality. This session addressed the critical issue of quality assurance in AM, exploring a variety of different considerations and approaches to producing repeatable high-quality products from minimum electronic data. The panel featured Carl Dekker, president at Met-L-Flo Inc.; Daniel Braley, Boeing Associate Technical Fellow at The Boeing Company; Darrell Wallace, technical fellow, manufacturing at BlueForge Alliance; and Jennifer Herron, CEO & Founder of Action Engineering. RAPID + TCT 2024 was a resounding success, thanks in large part to the contributions of SME's Technical Communities. Their efforts to push the boundaries of additive manufacturing, particularly in healthcare and digital manufacturing, continue to shape the future of the industry. As we look ahead, the insights and innovations shared during these sessions will undoubtedly influence the ongoing evolution of AM, ensuring that it remains at the cutting edge of technology and industry practice.
