Uri Frodis

Microscale metal additive manufacturing of multi‐component medical devices

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to familiarize the reader with the capabilities of EFAB technology, a unique additive manufacturing process which yields fully assembled, functional mechanisms from metal on the micro to millimeter scale, and applications in medical devices.Design/methodology/approach – The process is based on multi‐layer electrodeposition and planarization of at least two metals: one structural and one sacrificial. After a period of initial commercial development, it was scaled up from a prototyping‐only to a production process, and biocompatible metals were developed for medical applications.Findings – The process yields complex, functional metal micro‐components and mechanisms with tight tolerances from biocompatible metals, in low‐high production volume.Practical implications – The process described has multiple commercial applications, including minimally invasive medical instruments and implants, probes for semiconductor testing, military fuzing and inertial sensing devices, mi...