Ricoh opens 3D medical device manufacturing facility in North Carolina

Ricoh USA announced the RICOH 3D for Healthcare Innovation Studio. This studio provides on-site clinicians with easy and immediate access to development, design and manufacturing services for patient-specific 3D printed anatomical models that can be used for surgical planning and patient education.

The provision of patient-specific anatomical models directly on site is designed to improve caregiver workflow, reduce procurement times and facilitate regulatory compliance. Ricoh’s approach is based on a HIPAA-compliant and ISO 13485-certified medical device manufacturing center. This enables the rapid development and production of anatomical models that can be used for surgical planning and patient education. These models provide clinics with FDA-certified safety and quality.

The Innovation Studio, located in the Innovation Quarter in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is the first of several planned 3D printing centers to be connected to health systems. A key benefit of the new center is accelerated production and direct access to clinical resources and 3D printing experts. This promotes collaboration between multidisciplinary teams and enables improved patient care through an expanded circle of experts.

Additionally, the innovation studio will improve communication and feedback between caregivers and the Ricoh team, which should lead to innovations in personalized patient care. The facility will also focus on data collection on the benefits of 3D printed anatomical models to support reimbursemen

“The RICOH 3D for Healthcare Innovation Studio is a foundational step in Ricoh’s long-term vision to lead the way in democratizing access to patient-specific, precision medical solutions in healthcare,” said Gary Turner, Managing Director, Additive Manufacturing, North America, Ricoh USA, Inc. “As we look to integrate and scale Point of Care facilities within health systems nationally, we’re extremely grateful that Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist has partnered with us to make the first facility a reality, and we look forward to growing 3D production within their network and in other hospital systems across the country.”

The models produced in the RICOH 3D for Healthcare Innovation Studio are based on segmented 3D print files from medical images created in FDA-cleared applications. These models are used in various medical fields such as maxillofacial surgery, orthopedics, cardiology, neurology and others. The new center will allow Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Wake Forest University School of Medicine to establish a center for medical 3D printing.

“As a leading academic learning health system, we are committed to leveraging technology that will benefit our patients, our faculty and staff, and our learners,” said Christopher T. Whitlow, MD, PhD, MHA professor and chair of radiology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and a neuroradiologist at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. “This partnership will allow our health system and medical school to continue to elevate our clinical, research and education capabilities, and will open up new opportunities to collaborate with other departments across our organization.”

Having access to accurate, 3D anatomical models on-site will allow clinical teams to create informed treatment plans and reduce surgery times. This could also lead to reduced costs and improved training opportunities.