Delcam to highlight healthcare solutions at Euromold

Delcam will highlight the range of software available from its dedicated Healthcare Division at the Euromold exhibition to be held in Frankfurt from 2nd to 5th December. The new Division was established earlier this year to provide a greater focus on this increasingly important part of the company’s business. It helps companies across the medical, dental and associated industries to apply Delcam’s expertise and experience in taking advantage of the latest design and manufacturing techniques.

Although the dedicated Division is new, Delcam has been active in a number of areas of the healthcare business for many years. Its comprehensive range of design, reverse engineering, machining and inspection software is used in a wide variety of applications from the production of prostheses, through to the manufacture of surgical instruments and all types of medical packaging. This is especially true for the PartMaker machining system for turn-mill equipment and Swiss-type lathes. These machines are used extensively for the manufacture of medical and dental components, with the result that around 70% of PartMaker sales already come from the healthcare industry.

In addition, Delcam has introduced several specific products for the healthcare market over the last two years. These include the DentCAD and DentMILL programs for the design and manufacture of dental restorations and the OrthoModel and OrthoMill software for the development of custom orthotics. The company also offers special versions of its CRISPIN range of footwear design and manufacturing software for the production of orthopaedic footwear.

The common theme with all these products is that they take existing Delcam technology and add a dedicated interface that uses imagery and terminology from the healthcare sector. This retains the power of the software while making it easy to learn and quick to use for healthcare professionals, even those that are not familiar with using computer-based design and manufacturing. A panel of highly-experienced medical practitioners has been established from among Delcam’s user base to provide the expert knowledge that needs to be captured within the software and to guide its future development.

Delcam’s increased emphasis on the healthcare industry comes at a time when the sector is expanding rapidly and when it is much more receptive to computer-based technology. The aging population in industrialised countries and the growing affluence of the emerging economies mean that the healthcare industry is seeing global growth.

The growing interest in CADCAM has come about because companies in the healthcare industry are facing growing demands from their patients for faster delivery of better and cheaper products. They want to receive higher quality products and services, and they want to complete their treatment in the shortest-possible time. At the same time, healthcare companies are under pressure to provide this higher quality at lower cost and to increase their productivity to meet the growing demand. These requirements can only be met through the application of more advanced and more automated technology, including that provided by Delcam.