The Virtual Foundry and University of Pécs collaborate to research biocompatibility of Filamet FFF feedstock
February 24, 2023
The Virtual Foundry, LLC, Stoughton, Wisconsin, USA, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the 3D Printing and Visualization Centre at the University of Pécs, Hungary, that will see the partners focus on the development of biocompatible metal feedstock for Additive Manufacturing.
“We are so pleased to be expanding the global footprint of The Virtual Foundry through this collaboration with Dr Maróti and University of Pécs,” stated Tricia Suess, president at The Virtual Foundry. “The results of our work together will advance our understanding of metal 3D printing and new material development.”
Together, the researchers will study the biocompatibility of The Virtual Foundry’s Filamet™ metal feedstock used for Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) Additive Manufacturing, a Material Extrusion (MEX) process that can be processed by standard FFF machines. The objective is to extend the reach of Filamet to medical applications.
Dr Péter Maróti, the professional leader of the 3D Printing and Visualization Center, added, “The cooperation with the Virtual Foundry could pave the way for future developments that would enable the production of metal medical devices, implants and prosthetic limbs using much smaller desktop 3D printers instead of expensive equipment that requires a lot of space and special infrastructure.”
“During the project, we will carry out standardised mechanical, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and biocompatibility tests with special materials produced by the Virtual Foundry,” he continued. “We are confident that the measurements will open the way for applied use of the technology, which would enable faster and more cost-effective manufacturing.”
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