SLM Solutions partners with Canwell Medical to accelerate certification and serial production
April 8, 2020
SLM Solutions Group AG, headquartered in Lübeck, Germany, has entered into a strategic partnership with Canwell Medical Co., Ltd., a medical device manufacturer based in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, China. As part of the partnership, Canwell Medical will use SLM® machines for product development of additively manufactured surgical implants, and SLM Solutions will provide technical and application assistance, as well as research and development support to accelerate Canwell Medical’s product certification and serial production.
According to SLM Solutions, acetabular cups and intervertebral fusion cages are some examples of the successful series production of metal parts additively manufactured on SLM machines, and the company explains that it carries out many research and exploration initiatives on these two types of products, for example, continuous updates on 60-micron µm process parameters for titanium alloy to additively manufacture the acetabular cup. In knee joint applications, SLM Solutions states that it continuously develops 60-micron µm process parameters for cobalt-chromium alloy. Several customers of SLM Solutions have reportedly obtained FDA clearance or CE mark certification of additively manufactured products, and correspondingly more successful clinical cases have been accumulated.
Founded in 1994, Canwell Medical is said to be one of the largest designers, manufacturers and suppliers of orthopaedic implants, instruments and orthopaedic rehabilitation for medical instruments (CPM). The company states that it has succeeded in the Chinese orthopaedic market through its excellent product quality and has become the leader in the orthopaedic medical instruments and surgical tools industry throughout the Asia Pacific region.
“We feel proud to win the trust of Canwell Medical,” stated Jerry Ma, General Manager of SLM Solutions Asia Pacific. “SLM Solutions is the pioneer and leader of Selective Laser Melting technology and medical is an important application field. Our global experience accumulation and innovation will help us to further develop China’s medical field. The cooperation with innovative enterprises like Canwell Medical will effectively promote the two-way development of 3D printing technology in the breadth and depth of the medical industry.”
Ma added, “Canwell’s slogan is ‘Technology For Health’; China’s medical device enterprises are very committed to the goal of improving their technological innovation ability and entrepreneurs have an open and positive attitude towards foreign cooperation. As a result, I am confident in the application of SLM Solutions in the medical field. We fully believe that through our close cooperation in many ways, it is not a distant dream for all major medical institutions in China to be able to use advanced domestic medical devices, and for every household to be able to use affordable domestic medical devices.”
