VHA Advanced Manufacturing

Our Mission

VHA Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM) has set an ambitious goal: for every VA Medical Center (VAMC) to access advanced manufacturing capacity, providing every eligible Veteran with the same personalized care.

OFFICE OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

VHA is establishing the Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM), the centralized program office that will guide the utilization of advanced manufacturing technologies, like 3DP, in healthcare applications at VHA. Anticipated Benefits of a mature VHA advanced manufacturing capability include:

• Empowered staff operationalizing High Reliability Organization Principles
• Advocacy for “N of 1” needs and the delivery of patient-matched devices that cannot be bought “off the shelf”
• Increased patient satisfaction
• Cost avoidance

Read Our One-pager Here

Office of Advanced Manufacturing Hubs

In 2020, three 3D Printing Network sites in Charleston, Richmond, and Seattle became VHA Advanced Manufacturing Hubs (now OAM Hubs), VA Medical Centers (VAMCs)with FDA-registered advanced manufacturing facilities. Three additional sites in Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh are ramping up to become OAM Hubs in the next few years. Inaugural OAM hubs were chosen for their experience in medical 3DP applications, site subject matter expertise, VAMC leadership support, and ability to design, test, and iterate on 3DP prototypes. OAM established a quality management system (QMS) to ensure patient safety and compliance with regulatory standards. OAM hubs have the in-house knowledge, infrastructure, and processes needed to develop, manufacture, and deliver medical devices that meet clinical needs and the expectations of healthcare practitioners and the Veterans we serve. These sites offer a range of products and services to support other facilities interested in delivering customized 3D Printed solutions to Veterans.

Our 3D Printing Products

Our 3DP thermal fuse cover offers a safety device feature for at home oxygen delivery systems – preventing fatal burns and fires. FDA has now listed the product as a medical device.

VHA created a personalized solution that improves hearing for a patient experiencing hearing loss without surgery. FDA granted compassionate use approval and product development is underway to produce a Class 1, 510(k) exempt device.

A bolus modulates therapy beam energy to improve dose delivery to cancerous tissues, particularly in complex facial areas (like the eyes, ears, and nose). Our 3DP product services Veterans with superficial facial malignancies who need rapid treatment.

The OroMaxilloFacial Advanced Surgical Planning (OMF ASP) System provides surgeons with a process to virtually pre-plan jaw reconstruction surgeries as well as create 3DP guides for intraoperative surgical guidance. This product will serve Veterans with cancers, chronic infections, or complex traumas. We are expecting clearance for market release in fall 2022.

3D Printing at VHA

News and Events

VHA collaborated with the FDA to put on a virtual publish workshop to share and discuss VHA's efforts to use 3D Printing in hospitals to serve Veterans.

Discover more

When a patient experiencing hearing loss came to VA, his audiologist worked with the 3DP team at the Charleston VA Medical Center to design a 3D printed solution to improve the Veteran’s and avoid surgery – the GioStent.

Discover more

VHA is collaborating with 3D Systems to employ additive manufacturing solutions to better serve Veterans with nextgeneration medical devices produced at the point of care.

Discover more

VHA highlights three Assistive Technology staff members as they describe their passion for their work, the unique rewards of working at the VHA and the engaging, creative solutions they come up with to Veteran problems

Discover more

Learn more about the latest OAM Publications: Establishing Quality and Safety in Hospital-based 3D Printing Programs: Patient-first Approach

Establishing 3D Printing at the Point of Care: Basic Principles and Tools for Success

Trust in the Time of Covid-19: 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing (3DP/AM) as a Solution to Supply Chain Gaps

CT-Based 3D Printing of the Glenoid Prior to Shoulder Arthroplasty: Bony Morphology and Model Evaluation

Discover more

VHA Advanced Manufacturing

Our Mission

OFFICE OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

Office of Advanced Manufacturing Hubs

Our 3D Printing Products

Thermal Fuse Cover

GioStent

Radiotherapy Bolus

OMF ASP Surgical Cutting Guides

3D Printing at VHA