Desktop Metal recently announced a three-year, multimillion-dollar contract with the Veterans Health Administration to develop, test, and manufacture a variety of 3D printed healthcare products with a revolutionary new FreeFoam™ material.
Under a contract with the Veterans Health Administration, Desktop Metal will develop, test, and manufacture a variety of 3D printed healthcare products with a revolutionary new FreeFoam™ material. Shown here, FreeFoam parts can be 3D printed at a fraction of their final desired size and expanded when ready for use, minimizing storage and warehouse needs and allowing for custom foam products. (Photo: Business Wire)
FreeFoam is currently being printed exclusively on the ETEC Xtreme 8K top-down DLP printing system, with broad commercial availability slated for 2023. ETEC is Desktop Metal’s industrial polymer brand.
The VA will receive an Xtreme 8K, as well as a variety of other equipment, in addition to development and design support for the project. The initial contract award, for $2 million, has the potential to grow to $7 million after successful phase-gate deliveries.
“Desktop Metal is proud to partner with the Veterans Health Administration on this visionary project to advance health care, logistics, and decentralized manufacturing with our new 3D printing technology at production volumes,” said Ric Fulop, Founder and CEO of Desktop Metal. “Our team is passionate about using Additive Manufacturing 2.0 technology such as our ETEC Xtreme 8K and FreeFoam material to transform the way manufacturing is done to deliver all-new benefits at scale.”
The project is part of a strategic effort by the Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM) within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to guide the utilization of advanced manufacturing (AM) technologies, like 3D printing, in healthcare applications. OAM is building digital and physical infrastructure to bring medical device innovation and manufacturing back onto VA soil so that Veterans are first in line to receive innovative products and services. OAM is currently focused on expanding product lines available to Veterans and is building a portfolio of technology capabilities to support this work. This requires investment into equipment, materials, and research and development activities that align with OAM’s mission to advance point-of-care manufacturing to benefit Veterans’ health.
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