It’s always nice for our 3D printing company in Seattle to hear about the many ways that 3D printing technology is improving people’s lives. For some time now, 3D printing has been playing a big role in the medical field as an unprecedented aid for doctor performing delicate and elaborate surgical procedures. However, one particular story has a bit more “heart” than the average account, and also represents a great step forward for the 3D printing industry.
When a small child needed heart surgery, doctors were in a tight spot. Diagnosed before birth, the child was born with four different heart defects that required urgent care if he was to live very long. Unfortunately, operating on a heart is at best a tricky endeavor, and it was difficult for doctors to be sure about what they would find once they opened up this heavily addled organ. They therefore turned to a 3D printing team to produce an enlarged model of the child’s heart, which gave the doctors a chance to plan out their operation in advance instead of going in blind. With this valuable tool, they were able to save the child’s life.
As far as 3D printing goes, there is something else that makes this model heart special. Namely, it was printed out of a new material that is being dubbed NinjaFlex. This material is allowing 3D printers to produce far more flexible models than they could with the more common ABS and PLA materials. Where these other materials would splinter and collapse, NinjaFlex is showing that it can retain its shape in ways that makes the printing of an affordable and practical heart model possible.
NinjaFlex first hit the market back in October. Though not without its drawbacks, it is priced competitively with ABS and PLA and is opening up exciting possibilities for many 3D printers. If you are using a printer with a spring-loaded extruder, NinjaFlex represents a viable option for printing projects that require strength, fine detail, and flexibility in a single package.
