Ukrainian company 3D Metal Tech specializes in 3D printing medical devices, including custom titanium implants. We spoke with 3D Metal Tech representatives about how the company is implementing the latest prosthetics technologies despite shelling and damage to production from enemy attacks.
Ukrainian company 3D Metal Tech specializes in 3D printing medical devices, including custom titanium implants. We spoke with 3D Metal Tech representatives about how the company is implementing the latest prosthetics technologies despite shelling and damage to production from enemy attacks.
The head of 3D Metal Tech, Yaroslav Golovenko, graduated from Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, and then studied abroad in the field of 3D metal printing, defended his scientific work on this topic, and received a Ph.D. in the field of 3D printing. After returning to Ukraine, he launched his own project under the umbrella of the TAS group. The group believed in the idea and invested a little over 1.2 million euros at the start of the project, which has been operating on the Ukrainian market for five years.
Initially, 3D Metal Tech started its journey with only one direction - medical. It was the printing of individual (patient-specific) titanium implants. Today, 3D Metal Tech operates more than 250 printers that print various plastics and metals. The price of the most expensive one is 700,000 euros, and the list of raw materials used includes: titanium, aluminum, stainless steel, cobalt-chrome, nylon, and other plastics for 3D printing.
One of the most complex and important areas of 3D Metal Tech's work remains the production of oncological implants, necessary for replacing cancer-affected bones and joints. A representative of the company and the Neobionix structural unit, Vasylyk Yuriy, told dev.ua about the most complex product the company has produced.
“When the tumor affects about 70% of the femur, the affected part needs to be removed. Previously, the only option for such patients was amputation. Now, thanks to 3D printing, we can manufacture a customized implant and replace the affected area.”
3D Metal Tech says that they were the first in Ukraine to start printing patient-specific titanium implants. Although this technology appeared in the world 5-7 years earlier, it became available in Ukraine only thanks to the company's activities.
Mr. Yuriy recalls that despite the initial resistance from doctors who doubted the quality of "Ukrainian implants", today their products are recognized as no worse than foreign analogues, but at the same time cheaper and faster to manufacture.
The huge advantage of a local company is that it eliminates barriers to access technology for Ukrainian customers: language, logistics, and time. Thanks to its own developments, this year the company even began selling its products in four countries around the world, including Greece and Germany.
A significant portion of 3D Metal Tech's production capacity is dedicated to helping combatants. In total, the company's printers have printed over 2,700 implants. Currently, about half of them, 30-40%, are made directly for wounded soldiers.
"A very large part of our orders go to the military, because the nature of combat injuries prompts individual solutions. Serial plates are often not suitable," explains Vasylyk Yuriy.
The company covers the needs for implant production, and it is free for military patients. Financing is provided in part by Ukrainian foundations, Ukrainian diasporas, as well as 3D Metal Tech's own funds.
"So far, there has not been a single request from a military person that we have not been able to make for them free of charge. This is our contribution. We hope that this will continue to be the case," emphasizes Vasylyk Yuriy.
The company has signed cooperation agreements with leading Ukrainian private and public clinics that perform similar operations.
Even during the full-scale invasion, 3D Metal Tech's production facilities were partially damaged by enemy attacks. However, the company not only continued its work, but also actively developed.
"We suffered damage due to the attack, including partially damaged production, a certain resource base was lost and all this had to be restored. We have completely adapted the infrastructure to modern realities. Even during a power outage, production does not stop. All printers are loaded and working," says company manager Yegor Podiy.
In addition, the company is engaged in 3D printing of products for other industries. They are chosen instead of large-scale serial production, because with a quantity of up to 5,000 copies, printing is faster and cheaper than manufacturing in a factory. In some cases, a factory order can take half a year or more, but in 3D Metal Tech you can get a finished result in just a month.
In addition, 3D printing allows you to be very flexible and make changes to designs in a day. Yesterday, old products were manufactured, and tomorrow you can receive updated, edited, improved ones. All that is needed for this is to update the virtual 3D model. There are no additional costs. This cannot be provided by traditional factory manufacturing methods, because any changes there are time and investments in technological equipment, its replacement, or modernization.
That's why the company's main clients are small tech startups that need, for example, a case for their own product. For them, 3D printing is a quick and cost-effective solution without the need to order a large batch of parts from a factory.
The company's team consists of about 35 people. Approximately ten of them are engineers, another ten perform representative and management functions, and the rest are production specialists who are directly involved in assembling printers, processing 3D models, and preparing finished products.
"Several of our colleagues fought in the ranks of the armed forces. You probably didn't guess, because it's not obvious, but Yuriy, with whom you just spoke, is one of them. He fought in the 110th brigade in the Avdiivka direction. And now he works for us as the sales director for the central region," Yegor adds in the conversation.
The company is actively expanding and is currently looking for new specialists, primarily bioengineers who can design individual medical implants. This is the most scarce area, as there are very few such experts in Ukraine. If the candidate already has the necessary skills, the company is ready to immediately take him to the team.
As Vasylyk Yuriy noted, in Ukraine you can get a basic education as a bioengineer, but it does not fully meet the requirements of this field. Therefore, most new employees undergo additional training in the internal engineering department or do internships abroad, where there are specialized programs in 3D implant design.
3D Metal Tech is the first certified manufacturer in Ukraine of medical devices manufactured using the 3D metal printing method, in accordance with the ISO 13485 standard. As Mr. Yegor Podiy explained, the raw materials for the printers are supplied from Canada, which is considered the best and cleanest for the manufacture of implants.
When asked by dev.ua whether Ukraine has raw materials that can be used for 3D printing, Yegor answered succinctly: "Theoretically, it is possible, but currently most materials on the market do not have certification. They contain impurities that can affect the quality of products. The company uses only certified imported raw materials produced directly by the printer manufacturer," Yegor Podiy explained.
This solution makes the process more expensive, but guarantees high quality and customer trust.
“That is why the company considers certification to be its key competitive advantage — all their products, engineering solutions, and production itself have the appropriate certificates,” added Vasylyk Yuriy.
The company plans to expand production capacity and increase the number of printers. 3D Metal Tech aims to meet the needs of customers who need large parts, because they currently have to be made from multiple parts.
Despite the war, the company has ambitious goals to expand and enter the global market, especially in the medical field. 3D Metal Tech plans to certify its products for Europe, as one certification will be enough for all EU countries, and is also targeting other markets where regulation is simpler.
"On the global market, we compete very strongly with European and American manufacturers on price. If an implant costs around three thousand euros on average here, then in Europe it will be twice as expensive, and in America even five times as much," explained Vasylyk Yuriy.
Currently, 3D Metal Tech is open to cooperation with doctors, foundations, startups, and is also seeking to add qualified CAD engineers to the team.
