Case Study: Shriners Hospitals for Children achieves less‑invasive, custom pre‑surgical cleft correction with 3D Systems' Geomagic Wrap

New Treatment From Shriners Hospital Uses Geomagic Wrap to Bring Smiles to Babies' Faces

3D Systems partnered with an engineer–physician team at Shriners Hospital for Children to solve a common pre-surgical problem: how to safely reduce the width of severe cleft lip and palate in infants without inhibiting upper-jaw growth. Existing techniques—NAM, which is labor-intensive and skill-dependent, and DMA, which is invasive and may impede growth—left a gap for a predictable, less invasive solution.

The team used Geomagic Wrap with ShapeGrabber 3D scanning and SLS rapid manufacturing to digitize plaster casts, model a morphing series of custom appliances, and produce serial devices that gradually close the cleft while accommodating growth. IRB-approved clinical use produced accurately fitted, reproducible appliances that simplify the final surgical repair and deliver improved aesthetic outcomes, restoring smiles for infants and their families.

Shriners Hospitals for Children

Beth Roscoe

Engineering