Materials supplier Solvay announced today that it has partnered with medical 3D-printing bureau PrinterPrezz and contributed to its $16-million equity financing round via Solvay Ventures. A startup based in Fremont, CA, PrinterPrezz combines polymer and metal 3D-printing and nanotechnology expertise in what it calls a “Medifacturing” approach. It will collaborate with Solvay in advancing selective laser sintering (SLS) technology for the fabrication of implants and other medical devices. 

“Solvay works with companies across the additive manufacturing ecosystem to offer production-ready, high-performance 3D-printing solutions to the healthcare industry,” said Christophe Schramm, AM Business Manager for Solvay Specialty Polymers global business unit. “This partnership will allow us to combine our expertise in materials with PrinterPrezz’s unique offering for qualification of medical devices to accelerate the adoption of 3D-printed implants and medical devices using Solvay’s latest additive manufacturing powder technology for selective laser sintering.”

Solvay's Solviva biomaterials meet the requirements for prolonged or permanent exposure to bodily fluids and tissue in the human body. The company plans to leverage this knowledge to jointly optimize materials, processing, design, and testing for the manufacturing of 3D-printed medical devices, it said in a news release.

The funding through Solvay’s venture capital arm will support collaborative development efforts in specialized materials for medical equipment. “By partnering together, Solvay and PrinterPrezz will accelerate the advancement of 3D-printed medical devices, providing better patient outcomes through breakthrough technology as a part of our efforts to create sustainable shared value for all,” said Thomas Canova, head of Solvay Ventures.

PrinterPrezz offers customers engineering, clinical, and regulatory guidance as well as access to 3D simulation software and state-of-the-art 3D printers. In October of this year, it received FDA clearance for its 510(k) submission for the GAIA Lumbar Interbody Fusion Device family of spine implants. The implant system will serve as a reference platform for future medical device innovations, said PrinterPrezz.