Himed, a leading manufacturer of bioceramic materials, and Lithoz, a pioneer in ceramic 3D printing equipment, have launched a new Bioceramics Center of Excellence (BCoE) at Himed’s New York headquarters. This follows last year’s strategic partnership between the companies. 
 
The BCoE will offer a holistic approach to R&D using bioceramics for medical device manufacturers, integrating various analytical services to support the rapid prototyping process.
 
The BCoE will particularly benefit medtech startups and other businesses looking to cost-effectively prototype and optimize designs that use bioceramics.
 
Himed’s President, Craig Rosenblum, told the press: “Before investing in a medical 3D printer, companies can effectively lease time on one, along with the support and materials expertise of Himed’s engineers and scientists. They’ll pay a fraction of the cost of either purchasing a printer or coordinating research and analysis through multiple vendors. Himed will support them from concept through optimization, and at the end of the R&D process, they’ll have a clear path for scaling up production.”
 
Himed is also expanding capabilities to offer rapid prototyping for medical device manufacturers. The center will provide a comprehensive suite of services, including design support and optimization, SEM imaging, material analysis and characterization, biomaterial customization, and bioceramic 3D printing using a Lithoz CeraFab S65 Medical printer. 
 
The company aims to promote the development of innovative manufacturing processes for bioceramic materials and help customers explore new compositions and manufacturing techniques that may have been previously out of reach for some companies.
 
“Lithoz’s technology is unlike anything else out there—they’ve solved some meaningful challenges in this field, and their printers can take you from concept all the way through production. That’s going to open up new avenues for invention in implant design,” said Dana Barnard, CEO of Himed.
 
Johannes Homa, CEO of Lithoz commented: “This new Bioceramics Center of Excellence will open up a new chapter in 3D-printed medical applications for North America—with the combination of Himed’s experience and Lithoz’s technology, new applications will certainly be enabled which are currently unthinkable.”