Category: Blog

How 3D Printing Supports “Buy American”

Recently I came across a website encouraging consumers and businesses to “Buy American” products. The website is a group of retailers, trade organizations, and service providers dedicated to sharing the message of bringing jobs and manufacturing back to American soil.

It reminded me of my early years in construction material sales. Back then the requirement was called the “Buy America Act” and it required all (with some exemptions) construction products used in public buildings to be made in the United States. The Act caused manufacturers, suppliers and architects to source domestically made products for their customers and projects. As with all market forces, things change, costs go up, higher inventory levels are required, and a tighter workforce requires the outsourcing of domestically made products — better known as offshoring.

A more recent market force was the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed weaknesses in our supply chain for manufactured goods as well as raw materials. When the supply chain finally did start to open, it was in slow motion with lengthy leads times being the norm, causing trickle down effects to numerous industries. As examples, we witnessed a single out-of-stock part cause delivery delays of fleets of automobiles, and limited supplies of RFID chips put a stranglehold on the tech industry.

Additive Manufacturing, or 3D Printing, can reverse offshoring and bring manufacturing back to America. Additionally, it has the power to energize smaller local businesses as the Additive Manufacturing market grows and develops. Start-up business can afford to run limited quantities of products as they develop the market or make changes to parts as their market changes. At the recent AMUG 2023 event in Chicago, I noticed a broader scope of interest in 3D Printing of those in attendance, such as smaller businesses that specialize in tool path optimization or stronger finishes for unique applications.

Printing processes and materials are becoming more niched to a segment or product type. Gone are the thoughts of replacing traditional manufacturing with all things 3D Printed, replaced with a working “with it” attitude to help transform and grow in the new Industry 4.0 marketplace.

What is Industry 4.0? It can be defined as the integration of intelligent digital technologies into manufacturing and industrial processes. One of the first steps in this process is automation. Evaluating and creating a digital inventory of parts in your supply chain will help identify what parts are best for 3D Printing, while having a digital file of a needed part gives flexibility to choose the best material and printing process. All printing processes are not the same, as part geometry or end use requirements may dictate a specific printing process or material.

A good example is Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) vs Multi Jet Fusion (MJF). With FDM, geometry of the part dictates the length of print time due to support generation during the print. Alternately, MJF is a system that uses powder to support the model during the printing process which results in a set printing time per build. Additionally, multiple parts can be nested in a full print build to further bring down the printing cost per part. Note that not all printers are efficient at printing quality end use parts and very few can do it at scale.

3d printed prototypePrint processes like MJF work well for the large manufacture for complex assemblies as well as the creation of prototypes for small businesses as they introduce new parts. The HP MJF system has been designed to print multiple part runs with support equipment to automate the process.

ABCorp has been a secure contract manufacture since 1795, creating the first anti-counterfeit currency for the United States. As markets change, we now create and manufacture a good portion of the world’s plastic credit cards, government passports, and gift cards. When COVID hit, our punch presses transitioned to face masks and we ventured into Additive Manufacturing to help address the tightening supply chain concerns.

In a short time, ABCorp-3D has grown to house multiple HP MJF 580 and 5210 series printers in our secure Boston facility. Our current material offerings are Nylon PA-11, PA-12, Polypropylene, and BASF Ultrasint TPU. The HP 580 creates colors parts in Nylon PA-12CB material.

If you’re in a position to review your parts for a digital inventory or would like us to print a few parts, please reach out to us. A CAD file with an .stl or 3MF file along with design specifications is enough to start the conversation. Samples available upon request.

For additional information, please feel free to email us at 3d@abcorp.com.

Vic Little
Business Development
ABCorp-3D

 

The Benefits of 3D Printed Prosthetics

At ABCorp 3D, technology is at the core of what we do. For over two centuries, we have been a top provider in essential critical goods and services in industries ranging from aerospace and consumer goods to prosthetics and automotive, spanning across over 120 countries. With our expertise in three-dimensional additive printing, we are able to create completely customizable and ergonomic prostheses offering patients with limb differences an affordable and accessible prosthetic option.

Limb differences are a lot more common than one would think. In the United States alone, there are 2.7 million people living with limb differences, with that number expected to double by 2050. A 2017 study by the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics found that there are approximately 57.7 million people worldwide living with limb amputation due to traumatic causes. Traumatic causes, meaning falls, transportation injuries, mechanical forces, etc., make up only a percentage of all limb differences. Other causes are congenital disorders, a structural or functional anomaly that occurs during intrauterine life, or for surgical reasons, meaning a treatment route for infection or disease, tissue destruction, vascular disease, etc.

Due to the intricacy of limb differences, there is no “one-size fits all” case, let alone solution. With limb differences, both in intrauterine and extrauterine life, come many physical impacts, but it’s important to note that there can be severe mental impacts just as well, which is why prostheses are so vitally important to a patient’s full recovery. Sadly, 36% of people with limb loss struggle with depression. While the experiences can differ greatly between those with limb loss and those born with limb differences, the constant is that a prosthesis can allow patients to gain or regain mobility and use of their limbs, granting them freedom, independence, and empowerment.

Unfortunately, due to the rising costs of healthcare in the United States and abroad, it can be extremely difficult to afford treatment and prostheses, let alone afford the routine upgrades and replacements necessary throughout a patient’s lifetime. In 2021 alone, Americans spent $4.1 trillion on healthcare, which averages out to approximately $12,900 per person, nearly double the cost for other countries. Healthcare costs already put immense pressure on a person’s fiscal situation, with over 100 million Americans affected by medical debt. As it turns out, medical debt is now twice as common for people under the age of 30 as it is for people aged 65 and older.

3d printed prostheticsThe three-dimensional printing of prosthetics offers people with limb differences an accessible, affordable, and adaptable way to meet their biochemical needs. In areas with higher populations of people with limb differences, such as East and South Asia, 3D printed prosthetics are a much more affordable option and, due to their light weight, are easily transportable to more remote areas where medical attention is inaccessible.

Three-dimensional prosthetic printing is fully customizable, unlike making prosthetics the traditional route; with 3D printing, patients can select different designs, forms, sizes, and colors, allowing for each socket to fit each of their biochemical and personal needs. It’s important to note that 3D printed prosthetics are incredibly functional as they weigh less, making transportation and shipment easier, are more breathable, and allow for more flexibility while in use. With limb differences, changes to the size and shape of residual limbs are very common and can change due to aging, weather, and activity levels. Even if a prosthetic is specifically designed around a residual limb, it can become loose or tight over time, and can shift uncomfortably over remaining scar tissue, causing the patient immense pain and varying skin conditions.

The scalability of 3D printed prosthetics is also vital to this conversation. As a patient ages and changes occur to residual limbs, they will need to upgrade or update their prostheses. With 3D printed prosthetics, it’s easy to reprint them to grow with patients. Medical providers can take a 3D scan of their patients’ residual limbs and easily have a newly fitted and printed socket. Not to mention, 3D printed prosthetics require minimal leftover scrap material and require far less energy to manufacture as machining and milling is not necessary.

Why ABCorp Prosthetics?

At ABCorp, our 3D printed prosthetics have been used for robotic parts and attachments, animal prosthetics, and human prosthetics. Our prosthetics are made up of Nylon PA11, BASF Ultrasint01 TPU, and Nylon PA12.

Nylon PA11

Nylon PA11 is a bioplastic polyamide powder that is 100% biocompatible and plant-based, made from renewable resources consisting of vegetable and castor oil. PA11 is chemical resistant to hydrocarbons, ketones, alcohols, oils, fats, and other mineral bases and salts. It is impact resistant, high heat deflected, and is much more forgiving than other materials, making it a key component not only in orthotics, but in ABCorp prostheses.

BASF Ultrasint01 TPU

BASF Ultrasint01 TPU has an 80% recycling rate and is often used in sports protection equipment, footwear, and car interior components. The material is ideal for shock absorption and flexibility, and resistant to fatigue, which is exactly what patients need when looking for a prosthesis.

Nylon PA12

Nylon PA12 is similar to Nylon PA11: it’s chemical resistant to oils, fuels, hydraulic fluids, salts, and water, and is high abrasion and crack resistant. While it’s not plant-based, Nylon PA12 plays a pivotal role in prostheses since it can withstand major changes in temperature and can hold up against below freezing temperatures.

By combining these materials and our expertise in three-dimensional additive printing, ABCorp is able to deliver life-changing, affordable, accessible, and adaptable prostheses to patients across the globe. For a real life case study, read how we recently partnered with robotic prosthetic manufacturer Unlimited Tomorrow to create 3D printed prosthetic components to help fulfill their mission in providing patients the necessary tools to meet their biochemical needs.