What file type is required to generate a 3D model?
Most medical model prints start with a DICOM set. However, the DICOM format is not a 3D format. The region of interested has to be segmented out of the DICOM slices and made into a 3D model. We can generate your model starting with your DICOM or we can start with a 3D file if you have already performed the segmentation.
Do the printers print in color?
Yes. Most of our medical models are printed in full-color, sandstone-like material. As requested, some models are printed in UV-cured resin materials with a transparent shell in the form of the internal organ. There are some color abilities with those materials but they are limited.
Is color important?
Yes, for two reasons. First, there is often the need to visibly know the boundaries of certain regions. For example, the actual geometry of a tumor as compared to the tissue around it. Second, color adds realism to a medical model. This enhances communication with the patient, the family, and other medical professionals. Medical clinicians are accustomed to viewing a specific region of interested in a 3D viewer on their screen. In those viewers, a realistic color texture is applied for the above two reasons. Having the model in your hand look like what you are seeing on the screen is very important.
What is the material used for medical models?
Most of our medical models are 3D printed in sandstone-like material; however, we also print in UV-cured resins depending on the specific need.
Can you make flexible, tissue-like medical models?
Yes. The colors will be limited but we can print in flexible materials.
Can you make rigid, bone-like medical models?
Yes. Our full-color sandstone is treated in such a way that it feels somewhat like bone and can even be machined, sawed, drilled, etc. similar to bone using actual medical tools.
What if I want to see inside the model?
It is common to want a medical model that has the form of the region of interest with the added requirement of being able see inside the model. For this purpose, we have a patent-pending method of creating slices of the model with an external hinge which allows the user to go to a specified depth to see the interaction of soft tissue, bone, vascular, etc.
What is the turnaround time for a 3D-printed medical model?
We know the need for a medical model is often tied to an upcoming surgery. You typically have the model in your hands within 3 days.