3D Printing Lab

The 3D Printing Lab at Nationwide Children’s Hospital provides comprehensive patient-specific treatment planning and device development services from a pediatric perspective. The 3D Printing Lab has provided services for neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, the Center for Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction and the Center for Complex Craniofacial Disorders.

In the 3D Printing Lab, which is part of the Pediatric Advanced Imaging Resource in the Department of Radiology at Nationwide Children’s, a team of physicians, image analysts, digital modelers, coordinators and others translate computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans into models. The team develops both computer models and 3D printed models, which are used for presurgical planning, education and research.

The 3D Printing Lab is managed by Dr. Jayanthi Parthasarathy. She uses a Stratsys CONNEX-3 OBJET 350 3D printer, in addition to a full complement of image processing and 3D modeling and printing software to convert 2D CT and MRI images to 3D physical models. The high-quality printer is capable of 16-micron layers. Multicolor and multi-material capabilities allow for variation of material properties within a single print, depending on the needs of the given application.