Micah Chaban, Founder and VP of Sales at RapidMade, isn’t just leading one of the most agile additive manufacturing firms in the country—he’s helping reshape how healthcare companies approach medical design and production. With a background in engineering and a career spent straddling technology and client partnerships, Micah brings a uniquely practical voice to a rapidly evolving space.
RapidMade, based in Portland, Oregon, has built a reputation for solving tough design and manufacturing problems with a combination of smart engineering, rapid iteration, and high-performance 3D printing. Their work in the medical field includes surgical tools, diagnostic device housings, orthotic models, and more—everything short of implantables.
In this interview, Micah walks us through what’s changing in medical 3D printing, what materials and processes make the cut, and how engineers and doctors alike are rethinking the supply chain—from prototype to point of care.
What’s driving demand for 3D printing in medicine right now?
Speed and specificity. The medical field has always needed precision, but now more than ever it also needs flexibility. Hospitals and OEMs want parts that are tailored to the patient, optimized for workflow, and delivered in days, not months. That’s where 3D printing comes in. We’re producing everything from custom surgical tools to anatomical models for pre-op planning, all with short lead times and complex geometries that traditional processes just can’t touch.
How is 3D printing actually being used in clinical or engineering settings?
We see a lot of demand for surgical guides—custom-fitted to patient scans—which improve accuracy and reduce operating time. There’s also a strong need for medical device housings and enclosures. These need to be strong, sterilizable, and chemical resistant, but they don’t justify high-volume tooling. That’s a sweet spot for additive.
We also make a lot of training and anatomical models, especially for teaching hospitals and device developers who want to simulate real conditions or validate ergonomics before launch. And in orthotics, flexible materials like TPU let us deliver personalized support devices that would’ve been too time- or labor-intensive with traditional fabrication.
Let’s talk materials. What’s being used and why?
Material choice is make-or-break in this space. We lean heavily on engineering-grade thermoplastics like Nylon 12 for MJF and SLS—it’s durable, chemical-resistant, and autoclave compatible. That makes it perfect for functional tools and parts that touch the sterile field.
We also use polycarbonate when we need strength and transparency, polypropylene for chemical resistance, and ABS for low-cost prototyping. For flexible parts, TPU is our go-to—it combines skin safety with resilience.
For parts requiring skin or mucosal contact, biocompatible SLA resins like BioMed Clear or Dental SG are essential. They’ve been tested to ISO 10993 standards and survive steam sterilization, which is non-negotiable in most clinical workflows.
What are some of the regulatory challenges customers need to understand?
If it touches the body, the bar is high. We’re talking about FDA Class I and II devices, so materials need to be traceable and tested. Customers often don’t realize how much documentation, validation, and post-processing control is required to meet standards.
We help clients navigate biocompatibility, sterilization validation, and traceability for 510(k) and CE mark submissions. Even if we’re not filing directly, we’re part of that pipeline—supplying the material certifications, dimensional reports, and production data OEMs need to get approved.
Compared to traditional manufacturing, what are the biggest advantages of going additive?
First, customization without penalty. You can design for the patient, not the mold. Second, faster development—there’s no tooling, so you go from CAD to part in days. That’s huge for clinical trials, iterative testing, or even emergency response.
Additive also enables geometry that you just can’t machine or mold. Think internal channels, weight-reduction lattices, or conformal surfaces that wrap around anatomy.
And finally, you’re not sitting on inventory. You can print what you need, when you need it—no molds, no minimums, no warehousing.
What limitations still exist for 3D printing in medicine?
Throughput is the big one. For large-scale production, molding still wins on speed and cost per unit. Additive shines in small-batch, high-mix environments.
Post-processing is also more involved. Most parts need cleaning, curing, or surface finishing, especially if they’re being sterilized later. That adds labor and lead time.
Then there’s material cost. Medical-grade SLA resins and high-performance polymers are pricey—and they often have shelf-life limits. That’s fine for R&D or surgical applications, but if you’re making thousands of units, it adds up fast.
What makes RapidMade a good fit for medical clients?
We’re engineers first. That means we’re not just taking files and pressing “print.” We help clients optimize their designs for printability, regulatory compliance, and functional performance.
We also move fast. Whether it’s prototyping, short-run production, or last-minute anatomical models, we can deliver in days, not weeks.
We understand clinical constraints—sterilization, tolerances, documentation—and we know how to work inside those boundaries while still innovating. And we support the entire process, from material selection and design review to inspection and finishing.
Most of all, we listen. We work with hospitals, device companies, and researchers who are solving real-world problems—and we help them get there faster and more affordably.
Final thoughts for engineers or clinicians looking to explore additive manufacturing?
Start with your use case, then work backward. What does the part need to do? Who’s using it? How’s it being cleaned? From there, we can help you identify the right material and the right process.
Don’t wait for perfection. Start prototyping early, iterate fast, and lean on your vendors for expertise. That’s what we’re here for.
Whether you’re developing a new diagnostic device, refining a surgical workflow, or just exploring what’s possible with medical-grade 3D printing, RapidMade is your partner in innovation.
For the best medical 3D printing service visit rapidmade.com or email [email protected] to start the conversation.
