Reply to Medical RP Questions

From: image3 (image3@aros.net)
Date: Sat Feb 07 1998 - 03:32:06 EET


Dear RP and Medical RP Mail Lists:

There seems to be confusion with regard to Image3, myself, and Lone Peak
Engineering. This appears to have been generated by a series of
responses to a message that I originally posted. I apologize up front
for the length of this message and for any irritation generated by the
postings to date.

My name is Alair Griffin. My background is engineering, not marketing.
I am one of the partners in Image3 and I am the founder of Lone Peak
Engineering, Inc. I serve as the CEO for both companies.

Image3's product is the Velocity2 software package. The software allows
an engineer or scientist to input CT or MR data, undertake a
reconstruction, and output an STL file. The software has been used or
demonstrated by Image3's rapid prototyping clients in the following
projects:

1. Medical models for pre-surgical planning
2. Bioceramic bone prototypes for R&D implant projects
3. Post-operative recovery validation
4. Industrial reverse engineering: From scan to tool path for CNC
maching of reverse
       engineered components.
5. Pattern production from original art pieces
6. Medical models for educational purposes
7. Veterinary science research
8. Reconstruction of dinosaur and fossils for pattern making

 Image3 does not laser scan bones. Image3 can arrange CT scanning for
industrial or medical applications.

Lone Peak Engineering provides services in three broad areas: general
rapid prototyping, custom ceramic and metal materials and prototypes for
rapid prototyping systems, and short run production via injection
molding, slip casting, and soft tooling. Lone Peak runs two FDM
machines, an LOM system modified for ceramics and metals, along with
injection molding, pressing and other short-run type equipment. We are
also CAD and graphics intensive. We have seats of Ideas, ProEng, Z-Form,
MiniCAD, and Velocity2. For the record. LPE has never LOMed glass.
The glass layup was conducted by hand by a totally different company
from either Lone Peak or Image3. Lone Peak produces solid models and
imports these directly into Pro-E and IDEAS directly from CT data.

Since there seem to be a lot of questions regarding using scan data to
produce prototypes, I have put together a list of people that I feel are
experts in their areas along with a summarization of what I consider to
be their specialty.

1. Mari Truman
Arthromotion. Inc.
401 W. Center St., Ste. B
Warsaw, IN 46580
USA
219.269.1116
MTruman@ArthroMotion.com

Mari is a medical design engineer. She has worked with several of the
major orthopedic implant companies and can describe when a designer
would choose to work with laser scan bone data and when they would choose
to work with CT bone data.

2. Dr. Robert Yancey
ARACOR
514 E.Dayton-Yellow Springs Rd
Fairborn, OH 45324
USA
937-879-4200
yancey@einstein.oharacor.com

Dr. Yancey has conducted research in, and published several papers about
the use of industrial CT scanners for reverse engineering and
verification purposes.

3. Brad Fox
Rapid Design
2500 West County Road
Suite 12
Burnsville, MN 55337
USA
612-882-4660
rdt@visi.com

Brad has worked in the RP service bureau area for a number of years. I
would contact Brad if you are confused as to the economic realities of
why RP service bureaus work with STL files.

4. Jeff Koch
Digibotics
2800 Longhorn Blvd, Ste. 104
Austin, TX
USA
512-832-1163

As a laser scanner manufacturer, Jeff would be able to answer scanning
specific questions. If you are interested in anthropology-related
reconstructions via laser and CT scanning, he can direct you to some
fascinating projects underway at the University of Texas.

5. Lisa Crump
Stratasys
14950 Martin Drive
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
USA
612-937-3000

LIsa has been heavily involved in Stratasys' medical-related RP program.
Stratasys is the manufacturer of the FDM machine.

Additionally, you might want to consider attending the Reverse
Engineering meeting coming up in April sponsored by the Society of
Manufacturing Engineers.

Our intent at Image3 and Lone Peak Engineering is to provide solutions
and I apologize for any negative atmosphere that has come to this news
group as a result of previous postings.

Alair Griffin
Engineer

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