J&J, HP Partner To Make 3D-Printed Medical Devices

By Jof Enriquez,
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Medical device giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and technology company HP are collaborating to create custom 3D-printed devices for patients and consumers.

Under the partnership, J&J and HP will pool their scientific, clinical, material science and technological expertise, as well as deep insights, to develop products and solutions that can be manufactured quickly and customized to the needs of individual patients or consumers. Initially, teams of experts from both companies will work on personalization of instrumentation and software for patient-specific healthcare devices, with long-term plans to make 3D-printed products in the areas of orthopedics, eye health, and consumer health.

"The intersection of technology and health care is spurring innovation that will have a profound impact on patients and consumers all over the world," said Sandra Peterson, Group Worldwide Chairman, Johnson & Johnson, in the announcement.  "Combined with advances in data mining and software, 3D printing could enable distributed manufacturing models and patient-specific products, therapies and solutions that deliver better outcomes, better economics and improved global accessibility. This collaboration with HP Inc. exemplifies our commitment to harnessing new technology to improve outcomes and reduce costs across the health continuum."

J&J is no stranger to 3D printing. The company has an existing partnership with startup Organovo to evaluate the use of 3D bio-printed tissue in a drug-discovery setting, and early this year signed an agreement with Carbon 3D to develop custom, complex surgical devices using Carbon 3D’s Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) technology. CLIP is a new method of 3D printing that uses UV light to "grow" a product from a pool of resin instead of being printed, a technique that is claimed to be much faster than current 3D printers. CLIP is compatible with a range of materials, such as elastomers, silicones, nylon-like materials, ceramics, and biodegradables.

HP's current industrial 3d-printers use more conventional ingredients, like nylon, but soon will be able to print objects using polypropylene, Stephen Nigro, HP’s senior VP of imaging and printing, told Fortune. He said custom-designed 3D objects, such as a hearing aid, will need a more specialized 3D printer.

"Advances in 3D printing technology have the potential to break historical paradigms of health care delivery in ways that are not feasible in traditional manufacturing processes," Nigro said in the announcement. "Together with Johnson & Johnson we have the potential to create opportunities and innovations in health care to improve patients' lives that neither company could develop alone."

Because more companies are producing 3D-printed medical devices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued recently a draft guidance containing technical considerations in the design, manufacture, and testing of such devices.