33: Breaking ground on 3D printed casts for fractures With Sigvards from Castprint

15 Minutes With The Doctor: Learn from Healthcare Entrepreneurs and Innovators

Our guest on this episode is Sigvards, co-founder of CastPrint, a company that uses 3D printing to make a more comfortable cast for fractures. Sigvards talks about how he came up with the idea and how CastPrint works. Learn about their process, their plans to tap into 10% of the European fracture cast market where there are 6 million fractures a year, and the future of 3D printing. Topics Covered in this Episode: birth of CastPrint. science of 3D printed casts. and drawbacks of CastPrint’s technology. future of CastPrint and 3D printing in medicine. The birth of CastPrint: Frustration with the problems of traditional casts. Plaster of Paris casts are uncomfortable. Mobility is limited. technology hasn’t really changed for almost two hundred years. “Fractures and casts are just the beginning of this 3D printing technology.” The science of 3D printed casts: Allows people to recover from a variety of injuries in a more comfortable way. They’re bio-degradable and hypo-allergenic. CastPrints are so simple, they can be created from scanning undertaken on an iPhone. “We’re looking to the research to say this is equally effective.” Benefits and drawbacks of CastPrint’s technology: It’s about three times as strong as a plaster cast. CastPrints are more expensive, but you can significantly reduce rehabilitation costs. Regular casts will always be cheaper because the material they require is cheap and readily available, but the applications for plastic casts are worth further research. “You need to remember this is a medical device, and quality is important.” Benefits and drawbacks of CastPrint’s technology: It’s about three times as strong as a plaster cast. CastPrints are more expensive, but you can significantly reduce rehabilitation costs. Regular casts will always be cheaper because the material they require is cheap and readily available, but the applications for plastic casts are worth further research. “You need to remember this is a medical device, and quality is important.” The future of CastPrint and 3D printing in medicine: CastPrint has printed about 600 casts so far. They would like to tackle 10% of the cast market for fracture injuries. Cast printing is just the beginning–long-term rehab is in the future. 3D printing biomaterial is very exciting. “If you’ve seen The Terminator 2 — man and machine are becoming more and more intertwined.” For more information: Website: https://castprint.co/