China makes global breakthrough in high-speed 3D printers for medical equipment

A medical technology company in southwest China has pioneered globally unprecedented speed in the 3D printing of orthopedic casts, producing personalized supports in less than half an hour.

The state-of-the-art machines are the world's first 3D high-speed printing (3D HSP) systems for producing medical equipment, developed by West China Pitech, headquartered in Chengdu, the capital of southwest Sichuan Province.

The printers can rapidly produce external fixation supports similar to plaster casts used in emergencies and to help patients recover from injuries. The technology has now been widely applied in 16 provinces and regions across China.

"Our equipment is the world's first 3D HSP printer. Traditional machines usually take five to six hours to print, but that's been shortened to about 20 minutes. This is key to the new quality productivity forces that we advocate for now, as it gives patients a better experience and provides more timely treatment," said Sun Miao, general manager of West China Pitech.

Besides 3D printing, the company also takes a leading role in medical rehabilitation. One of their products, a robotic device with a control stick that can be pushed and pulled in all directions, lets patients play the classic Chinese tile game of Mahjong and other interactive games to aid upper limb recovery.

"You can start trying to push it forward. We now control this hand, shuffle the cards here, and fully mobilize people's subjective initiative," said Zhang Tailue, head of the logical feature team of West China Pitech.

The level of resistance on the control stick can be adjusted based on the personalized needs of the patient, according to Zhang.

"The scenarios we are currently targeting are communities and homes. With our equipment offered to communities, the elderly can simply go downstairs and spend a few minutes completing these. It’s an important example of the new quality productive forces, as it allows more people to enjoy a better experience at a lower cost," said Zhang.

China makes global breakthrough in high-speed 3D printers for medical equipment

China makes global breakthrough in high-speed 3D printers for medical equipment

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns that "nobody wins in a trade war," his spokesman said on Friday.

Amid widespread opposition, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order on the so-called "reciprocal tariffs," imposing a 10-percent "minimum baseline tariff" and higher rates on certain trading partners.

When asked about Guterres' comments on the latest tariff policy of the White House, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said that "in a trade war, nobody wins."

"He said it before, he said it more than a month ago, that in a trade war, nobody wins. Right? Our concern right now is with the most vulnerable countries who are the least equipped to deal with the current situation," the spokesman said.

He noted that the UN Sustainable Development Goals would be impacted "negatively" by a global trade war.

The UN Conference on Trade and Development warned in a statement on Friday that tariffs imposed by the United States will harm vulnerable countries, adding that "the global trade system is entering a critical phase -- threatening growth, investment, and development progress, particularly for the most vulnerable economies," as major economies are set to impose sweeping new tariffs.

Nobody wins in trade war: UN chief warns