Beyond 3D Printing: Scaling Additive Manufacturing in MedTech

The hardest part of additive manufacturing often happens before and after the print. 

In this episode of MedTech Unboxed, Steve and Nicolas Bouduban, CEO of Swiss m4m Center, unpack what it takes to move an early prototype to scalable MedTech production. They explore why design for additive manufacturing, material selection, validation, post-processing, and finishing all need to be considered early on in development. 

Nicolas shares where additive manufacturing can create the most value, from faster design iteration and complex geometries to part consolidation. He also walks through Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion, applications using titanium, stainless steel, and cobalt chrome, and the emerging opportunities and challenges around Nitinol.  

The conversation also goes beyond 3D printing itself, diving into CNC machining, heat treatment, polishing, cleaning, surface requirements, and the other post-processing steps needed to turn a printed component into a finished medical device. Nicolas also shares how Switzerland’s watchmaking heritage has shaped Swiss m4m Center’s precision mindset, and how that experience carries over to producing small, complex medical device parts. 

Get a practical look at how you can use additive manufacturing to iterate faster, unlock new design possibilities, and scale faster. For a deeper dive into DFAM fundamentals, explore our earlier MedTech Unboxed conversation on Design for Additive Manufacturing in MedTech.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• The importance of design for additive manufacturing
• The advantages of complex geometries and part consolidation over traditional manufacturing
• How Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion is used for medical device components
• Why post-processing is critical to the finished device
• The opportunities and challenges around additive manufacturing with Nitinol