Laser scans support medical device design

In the field of breast augmentation surgery, mandrels are molds used to create implants of specific shapes and sizes, such as teardrop or round contour. A major developer of breast implants lacked the CAD files for a series of mandrels with highly complex curvatures and contacted NVision to scan and create 3D files of the existing mandrels.

NVision engineers digitized the full geometry of each mandrel using a HandHeld 3D laser scanner, which is capable of capturing 60,000 measurements per second and is accurate to within ±.001" It took NVision technicians about 30 minutes to scan each mandrel, followed by a couple of days to develop the related 3D CAD model. During scanning, technicians needed to blend surfaces of very different shapes and planar directions.

“We had to balance the accuracy of the scan with the blending of completely different surface curvatures and geometries present in each mandrel,” says Steve Kersen, president of NVision.

In 10 days, NVision was able to deliver finished 3D CAD models of all the mandrels to the manufacturer.
 

Cutting tool scans
A surgical equipment manufacturer asked NVision to provide a 3D CAD file of a multidebrider – a rotary cutting tool often used in minimally invasive ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeries. A multidebrider removes unwanted tissue and foreign matter from the head and neck areas, including the sinuses and nasal passages. The device generally consists of a rotating tube configuration used to cut and remove material, which is mounted on a handpiece that is used by the physician to control the actions of the cutting tube. NVision used its HandHeld scanner to scan the multidebrider from the tip of the cutting tube to the handpiece. The technician was able to capture the geometry of the multidebrider in about one hour.

NVision Inc.
www.nvision3d.com