SCENE
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Fall
2015
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
For Friends and Alumni
3D Printing Smart Lab Boosts Regional Economic Development
S
urgeons at NYU Langone Medical
Center and other medical facilities
in the region are now using body
part models created at RCC’s 3D Printing
Smart Lab, such as a shoulder blade, foot
and sinus cavity, to prepare for surgical
procedures and explore treatment options
with patients.
Brent Chanin, founder and chief
engineer at Goshen, NY-based Mediprint,
takes diagnostic medical images such as
MRIs and CT scans, converts them into
3D-printable computer files and sends
them to the Smart Lab, which prints a 3D
replica of the anatomical feature.
“There’s no alternative technology that
can do what RCC’s lab does,” said Chanin.
“Being able to submit a file at no cost, and
get a 3D model back in as little as 24 hours
is unheard of.”
Mediprint is just one of a broad range of
New York businesses that take advantage
of the Smart Lab, which opened in 2014.
Businesses have embraced the potential
of 3D printing to help translate ideas
into marketable products and revenuegenerating enterprises.
The Smart Lab in RCC’s Haverstraw
Center offers manufacturers a proof-ofconcept center where they can evaluate,
customize and expedite prototypes in a
sandbox environment. Its services are
free for New York companies. The lab
Models of an abdominal
aneurysm, a kidney and
an ankle printed in the
3D Printing Smart Lab.
Accurate models can be used
by surgeons in preparation
for surgical procedures
Brent Chanin of Mediprint in Goshen, NY holds a
model of an actual patient’s kidney printed in the 3D
Printing Smart Lab at RCC’s Haverstraw Center
includes four CAD workstations with
SOLIDWORKS software, three 3D
printers, one 3D laser scanner, and six new
classrooms, with additional equipment
anticipated.
For Tim Englert of Valley Cottage, who
fashions rustic furniture out of reclaimed
logs, the ability to map precise dimensions
and envision the final product via a 3D
model helps him sell his idea to clients. “It’s
difficult to overestimate the value of having
a visualization tool at my disposal,” he said.
Referring to a table he recently crafted, he
said, “It would have taken me hours and
hours of technical drawing.”
Some companies, such as Anka Tool
and Die of Congers, which specializes in
plastic injection moldings, use the Smart
Lab several times weekly to take advantage
of its convenience, flexibility and cost
effectiveness. “If someone comes to us with
an idea and they can get free prototypes
instead of having to pay $1,000 for a mold,
it’s a savings for everyone,” said Anthony
Piselli Sr., a mechanical engineer at Anka.
Cost savings is also a primary attraction
for Leslie Roeder, who operates a NYCbased design firm and contracting business.
“I wouldn’t be able to continue in my
profession without this inexpensive tool,”
she said. “If I had to pay out of pocket
for 3D printing, I would be thousands of
dollars in debt. For designers, this changes
our world immensely.”
For more information, contact Mike Kluger at
the 3D Printing Smart Lab 845-786-5340.
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Survivor Tree
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Grant for STEM in high schools
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Police Use of Force
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Appointments 4-5
Students of Note
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Alumni Spotlight
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Awards 10
Honoring Veterans
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Irish Culture Events
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