Medical technology manufacturers from Germany are still world market leaders in many product areas – but increasing international cost pressure, exacerbated by raw material prices, wage costs and potential trade conflicts, is jeopardizing their competitiveness. In an increasingly price-sensitive market, the “Made in Germany” label in conjunction with top product quality alone is no longer enough to win over customers in the long term.

Today, complex surgical instruments are usually manufactured on milling and turning centers. The precise processes that have been optimized over the years offer hardly any potential for further cost reduction. In addition, there is a high loss of material: 80 to 90 % of the starting material is removed during machining. Manual work steps such as reclamping and assembly also increase production costs.

New approaches in product development and manufacturing are essential to ensure the competitiveness of German manufacturers.

One approach to reducing costs for standardized products with high quantities is the use of sinter-based processes such as metal injection moulding (MIM). In this process, a so-called feedstock – consisting of metal powder and binder – is injected into a negative mold to produce a “green part”. After debinding and sintering, a metallurgically high-quality final component is produced. The advantage: no material is removed during the shaping process and the parts can be produced in a short cycle time – which leads to a significant reduction in unit costs, especially for large series.

At the same time, it is important to stand out from the increasingly standardized market through innovation. A new generation of surgical instruments with complex geometries, integrated functions and reduced assembly can help to create differentiation and secure technological leadership.

Role of 3D printing – focus on metal binder jetting (MBJ)

This is where additive manufacturing comes into play – in particular the metal binder jetting (MBJ) process. As a sinter-based 3D printing technology, MBJ follows a typical process sequence of printing, depowdering and sintering. The resulting components have metallurgical properties that are comparable to those from the MIM process. Compared to subtractive manufacturing, the high material removal is completely eliminated. A major advantage of MBJ is its role as a bridging technology for rapid market launch. While tooling times of up to six months are common with the MIM process, the first prototypes or pre-series parts can be produced with MBJ just a few days after the CAD model has been created. Iterations and design adjustments can be made cost-effectively as no mold-based tools are required. This significantly reduces development times and enables agile product development. In addition, MBJ is capable of economically producing series of up to 10,000 parts per year – an area in which traditional 3D printing processes often reach their limits. The technology therefore not only offers flexibility in development, but also scalability in production.

Design rethink necessary – The full potential of 3D printing is not yet being exploited in product development. Conventional design guidelines are still frequently used – a legacy of subtractive manufacturing. However, additive manufacturing requires a fundamentally new way of thinking: lightweight structures, functional integration, internal channels or organic shapes are just some of the possibilities that cannot be realized with traditional processes. Only those who understand and apply the special design rules for additive manufacturing can realize economic and technical advantages – for example through material savings, reduction of assemblies or integration of additional functions.

Conclusion – A rethink in the industry is already noticeable – but the challenges remain great. 3D printing, in particular the metal binder jetting process, offers concrete opportunities to break new, successful ground: from rapid product development to functionally integrated designs and cost-effective series production. Those who recognize and strategically exploit this potential can strengthen their market position and secure the future of medical technology in Germany in the long term.