Case Study: Virtumed LLC achieves 65% cost savings on MRI coil components with Stratasys FDM

Switching from Molding and Machining to FDM Saves 65% on Cost of MRI Coil Components

Virtumed designs, builds and repairs MRI coils that require several dozen complex plastic components. Facing long lead times and high costs from machining and silicone molding for low-volume production, Virtumed evaluated additive alternatives and turned to Stratasys’ Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology to see if FDM materials could meet MRI requirements.

Using Stratasys FDM materials (including PC, PC‑ISO and PPSF) Virtumed qualified end‑use parts for 3‑Tesla scanners and adopted FDM for nearly all prototype and production coil components. The change cut head‑coil cost to $4,688 (a 78% reduction) and shortened delivery from four months to one week (a 95% reduction), while simplifying design, reducing part counts and lowering assembly and maintenance time — benefits enabled by Stratasys FDM.

Virtumed

Brandon Tramm

Mechanical Engineer