A few weeks ago Richard Doyle and I were attending some SolidWorks User Group meetings in the American Midwest. Whenever I go on a tour like this, I like to spend the day visiting with SolidWorks customers in the area. During my most recent trip, I met with a very interesting SolidWorks customer called Nexxt Spine, located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Nexxt Spine creates spinal implants and instruments for the medical community. They focus on creating products that are both high-performance and easy to use. Most of their implants are made to screw directly into vertebrae and other bones connected to the spinal column, and all are manufactured in their own facility in Indianapolis.
While I was visiting, the team at Nexxt Spine actually let me try out the practice system designed for spinal surgeons. As you can see in the image below, they let me use one of their precision instruments to screw an implant into a simulated bone.
Nexxt Spine chose SolidWorks for their products because they needed to be able to design with a higher degree of precision than was possible with their previous process. They also make frequent use of SolidWorks Simulation to ensure that their implants have the correct amount of flexibility and durability.
By doing all of the design, simulation and manufacturing under the same roof, Nexxt Spine has more control over the quality of the final product than they would if each component was being contracted out to third parties. It’s one of their biggest selling points in the marketplace, and one of the things that I found most interesting about them.
Take a look at some of these pictures from their website—they even use SolidWorks renders to show off their products. Just try not to think about them being screwed into your own vertebrae…
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