3D visualization has been a real game changer in the manufacturing industry since the 1970s. However, during the 1990s, the technology transformed into a mainstream application in hardware design, architectural planning, and animated videos. Over the years of development, technology has become so progressive that it leads to a point where it can recreate hyper-realistic visualization of the human body, providing an insight into our anatomy more accurately than the old-fashioned 2D imaging ever achieved.
Cad Crowd has seen the development of 3D visualization in the field of medicine as an industry leader in providing design and engineering services to engineering and product design companies. The combination of both 3D scanning services and 3D printing shows a factual and reliable foundation for building a precise medical device prototyping method to ensure compatibility with the patients and improve health benefits.
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What is 3D Medical Imaging?
While doctors, surgeons, and other medical specialists already have a working knowledge and understanding of the general principle of human anatomy, each patient is unique and may present a distinct set of challenges. 3D visualizations allow for a more personalized and holistic approach to treatment, which may significantly affect the outcome.
In contrast to traditional 2D imaging, 3D visualizations allow medical professionals to observe the anatomical structure of an organ from various angles, offering clear perspectives into the spatial relationship and how everything is connected together. Medical imaging has seen quite some transformative advancements since the early days of mammography devices and CT scanners in terms of resolution, detail, and information conveyed in the visualization.
Now, with the help of 3D modeling design experts and 3D technology, healthcare professionals are able to see the “scanned” organ almost in its entirety for an all-around observation of the body part in question while reducing the amount of radiation exposure for patients.
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3D Imaging offers more Slice Counts
Over the last 20 years, procedures or treatments involving 3D medical imaging have increased from only about two cases per day to more than 130 cases daily on average in hospitals in the United States. Before 3D technology made its way into medical applications, conventional scanners were largely considered state-of-the-art devices simply because they allowed doctors to see through internal organs without cutting the skin open.
For instance, X-ray machines are great at what they do, but there have been very few advancements in their capabilities since the day they were invented, at least until 3D visualization software and 3D designers came onto the scene. Today, it’s possible to do an X-ray scanning with an array of emitters placed around the target object to create three-dimensional imaging assembled by software. In the old days, MRI and X-ray devices could only produce anywhere between 4 and 16 slices in a single sweep.
Low slice count generated images in low resolution that also included a lot of noise. With 3D visualization software, the scanner technology took a massive performance leap forward in terms of performance and capabilities to create larger data sets that allow for higher resolution and, therefore, details. In fact, one of the biggest improvements in 3D medical imaging is mostly about the increased slice count.
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The technology company NVIDIA has been working in collaboration with medical equipment manufacturers and radiologists for more than 10 years to improve the design of medical imaging computer infrastructure used today, such as X-rays and MRI devices. And they’ve come up with a promising result, too: radiologists can now take images with thousands of slices to produce much clearer 3D visualizations than ever before. With higher resolution, the imaging can more precisely represent the anatomy.
3D Imaging in Medical Device Animation
Considering medical device design and manufacturing, 3D visualization technology also comes with animation capabilities, which allow manufacturers to generate realistic presentations that demonstrate the inner workings of the products in question and not only still/static images of medical devices. Animated visualization brings the imagery to life as it represents the devices’ functionality, as if the audience can see the underlying mechanism and technology.
The animation can simulate how the device works in hypothetical scenarios to illustrate ease of operation, maintenance, patient comfort, cleaning, and maintenance, to name a few. Due to the advancement of technology nowadays, It’s becoming true that you don’t need X-ray and MRI scanners to produce any medical device.
Still, the images generated from those scanners create the basis for device development in the first place. For example, when a manufacturer is designing a gas mask respirator, it might be helpful to use a 3D visualization of the typical users’ facial structures to help determine the best materials, shapes, and types of straps.
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Since the device is meant to be mass-produced and the manufacturer cannot possibly scan every single person’s facial anatomy, the design team needs to make compromises for the sake of user-friendliness and flexibility. With the help of 3D visualization professionals, those compromises are based on well-informed decisions instead of mere guesswork. The same thing can be said for a myriad of other medical devices, including implants, prostheses, breast pumps, dentures, crutches, wheelchairs, stethoscopes, hospital beds, thermometers, oxygen canister masks, and so on.
Why You Need 3D Visualization in Medical Device Prototyping
For patients and users, 3D visualization and animation help them understand complex medical concepts, intricate procedures, and basically what the device does within the context of treatments and recovery. Not only does the animated simulation enhance learning on the patients’ part, but it also aids healthcare professionals in deciding whether or not the treatment is well-optimized for the condition. From the perspective of medical device manufacturers, 3D visualization is all about virtual prototyping.
And like all virtual prototyping, the main purpose is to build a “complete” design of any product on a computer screen using specialized software, eliminating the need for repetitive trial-and-error processes during the early phase of development. In conjunction with animation and simulation, engineers have better chances of perfecting the design in a cost-efficient manner with a digital prototype.
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The entire design is built from scratch as a digital file, and all changes can be quickly implemented without having to physically rebuild the prototype each time. More and more manufacturing firms (not just in the medical device industry) are moving away from the traditional method to 3D visualization implementation in their design approach, and for good reasons:
Detail and Precision of 3D Imaging Visualization
Medical device visualization requires a high level of accuracy and often demands a complex depiction of not only the device but also the part of the body that is fitted with the product. While traditional illustrations can be pretty elaborate, they cannot create a depiction of lifelike quality.
3D software renders the image with spatial relationships in mind to showcase fine details – previously challenging, if not impossible, to capture with conventional imaging techniques – even in complex devices. Due to the fact that the modeling is drawn in a digital format on a computer screen, the designers can manipulate the prototype with precision.
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Dynamic Presentations
Since Static 2D visualizations have limitations in their ability to illustrate the mechanical processes of a device, 3D prototyping software offers a far more advanced dynamic feature that allows the prototype design experts/illustrators to simulate how the device does what it’s supposed to do and the way it affects the users. This kind of illustration works best for mechanical devices, such as wheelchairs, knee braces, crotches, prostheses, etc.
If the device is electronics, the simulation tends to focus on its mechanical components. For example, a 3D visualization of a forehead thermometer will not likely illustrate how the sensors pick up the temperature and how the firmware transforms those signals into digital read-out. Instead, the visualization may showcase an exploded view of the entire device, the ergonomic handle and control, digital user interface, battery door, button placement, and probably a short guide on how to use it.
Biochemical Analysis
For devices designed by prosthetic design experts that are meant to make continuous contact with the human body (such as prostheses and implants), it’s important to make sure that the overall geometry is specifically designed for the user. 3D visualization can generate simulations under various scenarios to observe how well the device improves the patient’s conditions and affects living tissues/organs in the long run.
Of course, the simulation requires a 3D model of the patient’s body part as well, which can be done with a 3D scanning method. Advanced visualization software offers a wide range of options to set the simulation parameters like bone density, joint rotation, typical physical activities, and patient’s weight, among others. The purpose is to make sure that the device is both functional and safe to use.
Choice of Materials
Ensuring the right choice of material is an important decision that affects performance prediction and ensures durability, for instance, in biochemical analysis. One example of a medical device is knee braces, which are prone to cause concerns such as allergic reactions, flexibility, and comfort. Using rapid prototyping services for this medical device with 3D visualization makes it easy to configure the types of materials and density to ensure maximum performance.
Designers are given plenty of simulation options to analyze material strength and properties under various real-life conditions. It’s all about iterative design through continuous tests to determine the best design for the purpose. Medical devices, in particular, present unique challenges because they’re required to deliver efficacy, meet strict regulatory standards, provide comfort, ensure safety, and sometimes look aesthetically pleasing, too.
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Where Cad Crowd Comes In
Creating a medical device from scratch is a monumental undertaking, even for big companies. It’s inherently a collaborative effort between medical professionals, engineers, designers, and 3D artists to come up with a truly workable digital prototype.
Cad Crowd might not have healthcare experts to provide medical inputs, but we definitely can connect you with some of the most talented engineers, design professionals, and experienced 3D visualization artists to transform your design into a state-of-the-art virtual prototype as an industry leader in providing outsourced design services. Feel free to reach out to Cad Crowd for your free quote, and we’ll be glad to work with you right from the early concept stage all the way to the pre-production final prototype phase.
