Case Study: Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. achieves rapid prototyping and realistic anatomical testing with Stratasys 3D printing

3D Printing's Versatility Paves the Way for Medical Advancements by Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., a St. Paul–based medical device company that develops Orbital Atherectomy Systems to treat peripheral and coronary artery disease (PAD and CAD), needed faster, more clinically realistic ways to prototype designs, reproduce field failures, and train clinicians on complex cases. To support continuous device innovation and preclinical testing, CSI partnered with Stratasys and adopted its PolyJet and FDM 3D printing technologies for multi‑material, multi‑color anatomical models and production aids.

Stratasys’ in‑house 3D printing solution enabled CSI to rapidly produce soft‑tissue and calcification analogues, iterate prototype components on weekly cycles (prototype one week, gather physician feedback the next), recreate failure scenarios on the bench, and deploy portable training boards for clinicians. The result was faster, more clinically relevant feedback, quicker root‑cause failure analysis, improved manufacturing fit testing, and more effective physician training—shortening development turnaround and improving confidence in device performance thanks to Stratasys’ PolyJet and FDM capabilities.

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Nick Ellering

Product Development Engineering Manager