A few years ago, 3D printing at Indiana University Health was one employee's side project running on two printers in a hospital basement. This week, that side project got a ribbon cutting. IU Health has officially opened its upgraded 3D Print Studio at the 16 Tech Innovation District in Indianapolis, and it is now one of the first hospital-based 3D printing programs in the United States to operate with FDA clearance. For makers, the story is a fun underdog arc. For engineering and procurement folks, it is something more useful: proof that a disciplined scan-to-part workflow can meet the strictest quality bar there is, the human body.
From Basement Side Project to FDA-Cleared Print Studio
According to Axios Indianapolis, the studio received FDA clearance in January 2026, and in the six months since, the team has printed 92 patient-specific models, everything from an infant's heart vessels to a full adult human spine. Sixteen different IU Health departments now use the program. The studio was developed with Ricoh 3D for Healthcare, and IU Health physicians helped shape the workflows so the models actually match what surgical teams need, as reported by 3D Printing Industry.
Dr. Jeremy Herrmann, a pediatric cardio-thoracic surgeon, described handing a mother an exact printed model of her infant's heart vessels before surgery: "I quickly realized the power of being able to hold this model," he told Axios. That is the part of this story no spec sheet can capture. A physical part changes the conversation in a way a screen never quite does.
An Hour Saved in the Operating Room
Here is the number that should make every operations manager sit up: since the studio opened in January, IU Health reports that surgeons using the printed models have seen an average reduction in operation time of 62 minutes. In surgery, that hour means shorter anesthesia exposure and less blood loss. Surgeons use the models to size implants and devices ahead of time, study angles and measurements, and prep instruments and meshes before anyone enters the operating room.
This is not a one-off result. Ricoh's first point-of-care studio at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in North Carolina recorded average operating time savings of 62 minutes as well, a 7.8 percent reduction in operative time. When two independent sites post nearly identical numbers, you are looking at a repeatable process, not a lucky pilot.
The Real Story Is the Workflow: Scan, Model, Print
Strip away the medical setting and the studio runs a workflow any engineer will recognize. It starts with high-resolution imaging data. Clinical engineers convert that data into a printable file, a job that takes anywhere from 30 minutes to several days depending on complexity. Then the part runs on stereolithography or multi-material machines, with print times from hours to days. Oversized jobs get printed at a partner facility in Ohio and shipped in. During Axios' visit, a lower arm and hand bone model was four hours into a 20-hour print.
Capture real-world geometry, rebuild it as a clean digital model, manufacture a physical part you can trust. That is exactly the discipline behind our 3D scanning and reverse engineering service: we scan an existing part (a discontinued bracket, a worn housing, a vintage automotive piece), reconstruct the CAD, and print a replacement that fits. The hospital version has more paperwork and higher stakes, but it is the same pipeline, and it is validating for everyone who builds this way.
What It Means for Makers and Engineering Buyers
Three takeaways worth stealing from IU Health's playbook. First, point-of-care manufacturing is going mainstream. Hospitals used to order models from distant service bureaus and wait. Bringing production close to the point of need cut turnaround dramatically, and programs like the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound and University of Washington School of Medicine effort are writing standardized playbooks so other hospitals can copy the model. The same logic applies to any business that depends on parts: closer production, shorter waits, fewer surprises.
Second, quality systems are what turn 3D printing from a prototyping toy into production tooling. The FDA clearance is the headline, but the substance is a documented, repeatable workflow with engineers checking every file before it prints. If you are an engineering buyer evaluating additive suppliers, ask about their process controls, not just their machines.
Third, you do not need a hospital budget to use this playbook. Patient-specific models are the medical version of the one-off custom part, and one-offs are exactly what additive manufacturing does best. Whether it is a single replacement knob for a machine that went out of production or a short production run for your product line, we quote it, print it in the USA, and ship it through our Build and Ship service, no minimums required.
The Bottom Line
Ninety-two printed models, sixteen departments, and about an hour saved per surgery in six months. Additive manufacturing keeps earning its way into places where failure is not an option, and the winning formula is always the same: good scan data, careful digital modeling, and a print process you can trust end to end.
Are you a printer, scanner, or materials brand? We review 3D printing and additive manufacturing gear here at DC Additive Pros, and we are always open to putting new equipment through real production work. Reach out at info@dcadditivepros.com if you would like us to take a look at yours.