Cast Silicone Medical Device Saves Oreo the Goat

This Spring, RapidMade teamed up with New York-based nonprofit Woodstock Farm Sanctuary for a special project to help a goat named Oreo deal with a unique medical condition.

As reported by the Shawangunk Journal, Woodstock Farm Sanctuary rescued Oreo from a petting zoo in 2015 where she had been neglected. After three happy years at Woodstock, Oreo was hospitalized in 2018 because of a buildup of abdominal fluid.

The issue flared up again this year, and veterinarians found that a tumor was preventing her stomach from functioning properly. When they recommend euthanasia for Oreo, however, Woodstock director Hervé Breuil refused to give up on her.

To help Oreo, Woodstock Farm Sanctuary recruited Dr. Isabelle Louge to develop a valve that would allow fluid to be released from Oreo’s abdomen. The only problem was that such a valve would need to be cast from rubber, which, using traditional technologies, would have been prohibitively expensive and time consuming to manufacture.

Cast Silicone with 3D Printing Tooling

RapidMade was able to help Oreo by deploying a combination of 3D printed tooling and rapid silicone casting. Instead of creating traditional tooling for the injection molding process, we used our Multi Jet Fusion 3D printer to quickly create a 3D printed master pattern. We then used this pattern to create a silicone mold that let us to cast a valve for Oreo in medical-grade silicone.

Not only did this allow us to deliver the valve in a fraction of the time and cost of injection molding, but it also made it possible for Woodstock Farm Sanctuary to create multiple iterations of the valve in a timely manner. Ultimately, we were able to create a product that met Oreo’s needs and was durable enough to stand up to the rough-and-tumble life of a goat.

Quickly Produce High-Quality Cast Rubber and Plastic Parts

Silicone and urethane casting are great options for small- to medium-volume productions that require the versatile materials and finish quality of injection molding. By combining these technologies with 3D printed master patterns, we can create high-quality plastic and rubber parts faster that would otherwise be possible and at less cost. This can benefit clients seeking to produce end-use parts or to create prototypes and first articles during their product development.

If you have a project that you think could benefit from 3D printing or cast silicone, reach out to us to learn more about our services or get started right away with a free quote and project analysis.

The Deadliest Cast - 3D Scanning, 3D Printing and Manufacturing Crabs

Click image to read case study.

One of the juicier projects we've had involved 3D scanning real 10-lb crabs to recreate life-like replicas for Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour.  The captain and his crew take tourists out on the high seas in the summer to watch them work.  Unfortunately, they were losing much of their inventory recreating their catches - this was both costly and unsustainable.

Once we 3D scanned the real thing, we 3D printed a master pattern which was used to create a mold.  The mold allowed RapidMade to cast the crab look alikes in urethane rubber.  See the results here.

Now You Can Scratch That Itch Using a 3D Printed Cast

My traditional cast for my broken right wrist

I am now 3 weeks into my cast-restricted convalescence.  And yes, it is as annoying, smelly and uncomfortable as everyone says.  So when my accident occurred (a large dog was desperate to greet Luke and I was in its way), I toyed with getting our team to scan and 3D print a cast. The doctors were not keen, and since traditional casts are reliable, cheap and quick, I didn't argue.

If I had gone that route, what would have been involved?  Well, as in the traditional approach, we would have waited a week for the swelling to go down.  Then I would have had a 3D scan to get an exact image of my arm.  The resulting file would then be modified to 3D print the lattice-like open "exo-skeleton" cast which would snap into place.  Oh, to be able to scratch and shower undeterred!  But I'm under no illusions; it could have been a pricey and time-consuming project - the design would have to withstand use and be printed in a non-toxic material, so while I was in a traditional cast 1 week after my fracture, it would likely have taken longer for a high-tech alternative.

But there are times when I'd give almost anything to scratch that itch.