This is the fifth in a series of the 6-Question interviews with the leaders who are challenging conventional thinking in Orthopedics. (read other interviews here)
I have followed Materialise since the 1990’s. Materialise has been helping orthopedic surgeons solve problems for decades - first with understanding complex anatomy, then with patient-specific instrumentation and now with patient-specific implants. Think of joint arthroplasty with a lot size of “one”. Think mass customization.
Fried Vancraen leads this disruptive technology in Orthopedics at the company that he founded. I sat down with Fried and asked him a few questions.
1. Materialise has been innovating in many industries for 25 years. What was the genesis of the Materialise entry into orthopedics? Take us back.
Fried: In order to explain Materialise’s move into orthopedics, I actually need to go back to before I even knew about 3D Printing or could imagine starting a company specialized in the technology. It was actually while I was studying engineering in Leuven that I first encountered biomechanics and orthopedic applications. So, when I saw my first 3D Printer back in 1989, it was this knowledge that helped me en...
