ICCAM
Icelandic Center for Advanced Additive Manufacturing
About ICAAM
The global industry is in the early stages of the transformation of product design, manufacturing, and service operations, enabled by additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing. In the coming years, this technology will be commonplace and change the way products are designed and manufactured. Joining the AM industry and participating in this paradigm shift requires 3D printing infrastructures of various kinds and training and education of the workforce at different levels.
Partners
ICAAM is a part of the 2022 roadmap for infrastructure in materials science and materials engineering, RANNIS
infrastructure fund. This infrastructure is a collaborative effort between Reykjavik University, The University of Iceland, Össur, Landspítalinn, Marel, Iceland University of Arts and Tæknisetur.
The ICAAM research facility is an initiative of the Institute of Biomedical and Neural Engineering to establish multidisciplinary infrastructure to advance health care in Iceland.
This lab will enable cutting-edge research and development in numerous fields, including materials science and engineering, advanced manufacturing, 3d modelling and product optimisation. It will bring research and development capabilities up to high international standards. Cutting-edge research in these fields has been shown to be the basis for advanced technology development and the high-tech industry.
This lab will enable cutting-edge research and development in numerous fields, including materials science and engineering, advanced manufacturing, 3d modelling and product optimisation. It will bring research and development capabilities up to high international standards. Cutting-edge research in these fields has been shown to be the basis for advanced technology development and the high-tech industry.
The main aims of ICAAM are to enable advanced surgical planning, build complex anatomies, research and product development for the Icelandic industries such as high technology, medical, food processing equipment, construction, film and art, and geothermal power technology.
For example, the printer will be used to:
- Develop anatomical prototypes such as vascular structures and cardiac models for the simulation of surgical and clinical procedures.
- Create functional prototypes in various industries.
- Rapid manufacture of specialised tools.
- Manufacture multi-material, multicolour parts.
- Educate and train students at the university level, allowing them to explore the possibilities opened by this
Process
At the ICAAM - Icelandic Center for Advanced Additive Manufacturing, the process starts with a CAD design or with DICOM or bitmap files, in which segmentations will be performed; alternatively, a 3D scanner can also be used to create a 3D model. In all cases, from the 3D model, we can study and simulate the mechanical characteristics and/or 3D printing.
The computational model helps to predict the physical behaviour under specific conditions, and thus, depending on the application, FEM or CFD analysis can be performed on it. The printed model is manufactured with a 3D printer that fits the request better (rigid, soft, transparent or opaque).
Facility
The ICAAM core facility is a J850 Digital Anatomy 3D Printer, a cutting-edge technology able to print high-resolution models in a wide variety of materials and colours. It works like an inkjet printer, but PolyJet 3D printers jet tiny droplets of plastic instead of jetting drops of ink. A UV light instantly cures the plastic, solidifying it, so complex models take shape layer by layer.
The J850 printer can build multi-material parts that are soft, rigid, clear, and colourful. With this printer, it is possible to adjust material properties, like heat resistance and durability. The J850 printer can print unique material combinations based on innovative materials to create realistic models that vary in softness, flexibility, and density to mimic native tissue and bone behaviour, such as organs that behave like the real thing when force is applied, vascular complex structures and bone structures. This reduces the need to use animal models. The printer can be used for surgical preparation, medical training, and medical device testing.