ENVI Awards

The ENVI Awards recognize outstanding engineers and engineering achievements. They highlight the important role that engineering plays in society, from infrastructure, to transportation, to medical technology, to climate change. All of the winners have had a significant impact on our lives in Aotearoa, and many have placed engineers and their achievements at the forefront internationally.

2021 ENVI Awards Engineering Creativity Winners

LIFE IN PLASTIC, IT'S FANTASTIC: 3D PRINTED ANATOMICAL MODELS

These incredible world-first 3D printed full-colour anatomical visualisation tools represent true science – and double as beautiful works of art. They're an exemplar of how engineering is integral to every industry and play an important role in the global medical community.

The medical community has long needed better tools to visualise medical conditions, do surgical planning, and educate medical students – and these stunning 3D visualisations have filled that need. The highly accurate models are made from combinations of clear and coloured material, reproducing anatomical models in stunning levels of detail with every bone, organ and vein visible.

Mimaki 3D printed full-color anatomical visualization models will be of great benefit to the medical community, enabling surgeons to use enhanced 3D models to identify and even practice performing specific procedures. They have the potential to greatly improve communication between surgeons, their colleagues and patients.

CDAM Lab

Professor Olaf Diegel, Dr Juan Schutte, R&D engineer Simon Chan, and Research Operations Coordinator Claire Barnsley celebrate their win with other Faculty of Engineering members.

A 3D printed skull from the CDAM Lab.

A 3D printed body from the CDAM Lab.

This is a practical example of the project for which the University of Auckland’s Creative Design and Additive Manufacturing Lab (CDAM Lab), or 3D printing lab, won Engineering NZ’s 2021 Award for Engineering Creativity. The team’s project, “Life in plastic, it’s fantastic: 3D printed anatomical models” uses clear and coloured material to reproduce anatomical models in stunning detail, with every bone, organ, and vein visible. Surgeons can use these models to plan unique approaches for each individual patient.

CDAM lab prints demythology models

Mimaki's full-color 3D printer opens the door for CDAM Labs to medical applications such as visual aids for doctor-patient communication.

The team decided to use their colour printer to create anatomical models after seeing other labs across the world experiment with similar projects. They started by creating a large transparent human body, which Diegel affectionately refers to as the “anatomically correct Barbie doll.” They then spoke with people at Auckland District Health Board and moved on to more complex projects. One of these is a large plastic artery with a stent in it, that doctors can use as a teaching tool. “Doctors always tell patients ‘we’re going to put a stent in you’ and the patients have no clue what it means,” Diegel said. The team created a fist-sized educational model so doctors could show their patients instead.

Subsequently, a doctor came to the Lab with a request. They have a patient with a tumour that sits alongside the spine and is surrounded by other organs. The tumour is in a dangerous spot and necessitates intricate surgery. The surgeon wants a 3D printed model of the tumour’s location so their surgical team can figure out how best to remove it. The CDAM Lab is working to reconcile data from CT scans and MRIs to create a true-to-life model of the tumour so the doctors can figure out how to do that.

The Mimaki full-color 3D printer adds a new range of applications to the CDAM printing service, including 3D scanned mannequins, full-color prototypes and models, and medical modeling. In addition to universities, physicians are using the lab-based printing service to simulate visual aids for surgery based on patients' CT scans.

Mimaki 3DUJ-553

The Mimaki 3DUJ-553 enables full-color printing in over 10 million colors. The rich colors apply three-dimensional modeling objects and architectural models to the final product, delivering aesthetic charm with colorful expression and shaping power. While 3D printing at the University of Auckland in New Zealand is typically used by engineers within the university, the Mimaki full-color 3D printer has also opened its lab to art students.

Full color print artwork

American Graffiti 2.0 guitar using 3DUJ-553 full color printing, no hand painting

Bonsai trees made during CDAM Lab's "Creative Friday"

These pens were created by Juan Schutte (PhD) and printed using three different 3D printing technologies, including the Mimaki 3DUJ-553

The Creative Design and Additive Manufacturing Lab (CDAM Lab) at Oakland University is excited about the future of the 3DUJ series, especially in medical applications, and hopes to one day produce ultra-realistic models of surgical practices that accurately replicate the originals. the CDAM Lab also serves as a 3D printing service provider and educator to outside industries, helping companies expand their production through additive manufacturing opportunities. Shanghai Jinting Technology has a complete range of personalized and efficient solutions for full color 3D printing of various models, feel free to inquire if you need them.