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█ Powder-bed-based laser melting with metals (LaserCUSING ® )
Additive manufacturing for cardiology
Redesigning medical instruments using 3D metal printing
3D metal printing helps surgeons to perform heart operation
New medical instruments for cardiology
Less risk in heart operations
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Lichtenfels (Germany), May 12, 2017: Additive manufacturing methods of 3D printing are increasingly opening up new paths in medical technology. Alex Berry, founder of Sutrue (UK), and Richard Trimlett, consultant at the Royal Brompton Hospital, are focusing strategically on AM for applications in cardiology. Is it possible to improve the “golden hands” of an experienced heart surgeon? Yes, it is. Using the example of a machine for performing sutures during operations and a cardiac stabilizer for endoscopic heart operations, Sutrue shows how operations on the heart can be performed more safely. Heart operations are soon to become faster and safer. And there is even more good news: patients are recovering faster.
Sutures following operations are still stitched up today in almost the same way as they
were in the days of the ancient Egyptians. Alex Berry discovered that around 240,000
medical professionals a year globally suffer needlestick injuries as a direct consequence
of this stitching. Even experienced operators are confronted with the drawbacks and
inaccuracies of previous suturing methods. To change this trend, Sutrue developed an
instrument which automatically passes any curved needle with a suture through the
tissue of a patient. The requirements placed on the automated suturing device were that
the stitches are made quickly, are positioned precisely, are reproducible and are made
with the necessary force. The better and more quickly the suturing can be performed,
the shorter the operation is for the patient as well. And a clean stitch also leads to better
recovery.
The perfect mechanics of an automated instrument: Suture quickly, reproducibly and cleanly in a heart operation
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The extremely slender suturing device is inserted via a conventional endoscope the size
of a drinking straw during the heart operation and moved into position. Its head can
rotate and be pivoted in order to find any desired batch of tissue. The needle rotates
softly and with pinpoint precision during suturing. This is possible thanks to a complex
miniature gear mechanism that drives the needle. The entire gear mechanism is an AM
assembly. What this innovation actually means for the operator is that the suture is
pulled through quickly and cleanly and the stitch is automatically set in place. A few
small stitches in arteries or in delicate structures are now possible. Each stitch can be
performed with reproducible accuracy using the suturing device. Complicated operations
in particular can be performed faster and more safely. Thanks to the suture device, up to
three rotations of a needle per second are now possible, instead of one stich per 25
seconds while doing by hand. This reduces the risk associated with the operation for
both, patients and surgeons.
Idea of stabilizing the heart muscle during the operationIn Great Britain alone, around half a million people live with a heart defect. Treatment
with drugs only delivers very minor improvements to patients and often an operation on
the heart is the only way to save a person’s life. In Great Britain, cardiovascular disease
is the second most common cause of death, accounting for 27% of deaths, after cancer,
which accounts for 29% of all deaths. During open-heart surgery, the surgeon needs the
heart muscle to be stabilized for an intervention to be made. Richard Trimlett outlines
the task: “We're doing a beating heart operation so the heart is in use by the body but
we need to hold the small area that we're working on still. With the chest open we can
put a big suction device in but when we're doing keyhole surgery we need very small
parts that we can pass in and out. What we don't want to do is disadvantage the patient
by offering them an inferior stability of the heart so that the quality of the operation isn't
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as good when you do it as a keyhole. I said to Alex, 'could you make something that
comes apart in pieces, pass through a very small incision that we can use to hold the
heart stable? Could we make it to throw it away and even customise it to the different
shapes and sizes?’” For Richard Trimlett it was clear that the heart stabilizer should be
small, be capable of being dismantled, and be designed with exposed channels pre-
assembly. The role of the stabilizer is to keep the heart muscle still at the precise point
where the surgeon wants to make an intervention. Alex Berry took on the task and
presented a biocompatible prototype of the heart stabilizer: one part made of plastic
(SLS) and one part made of metal (LaserCUSING). The component consists of a rod on
which the U-shaped heart stabilizer is inserted, like a stamp. The surgeon presses the
stabilizer onto the operating site that he wants to keep still to make an intervention.
Short development time and care for the patientThe heart stabilizer was successfully developed in just three months. Previously, it was
not uncommon for such a new development to take up to ten years. The component
itself is printed by ES Technology on an Mlab cusing from Concept Laser in the space of
three to four hours. It consists of a metallic basic body and several plastic suction points
that aspirate by means of a vacuum. Both parts are joined together using a sandwich
technique. “The solution is estimated to have cost only around £15,000 to develop.
Comparable conventional developments used to cost upwards of a million pounds,”
says Berry to illustrate the relative sums involved. But from Richard Trimlett’s point of
view, it is primarily the patient who benefits from the new instruments using in heart
operations. Here he cites an average rehabilitation time for the patient of around six
months following a conventional surgical intervention. “Initial experience indicates,”
according to Richard Trimlett, “that patients undergo a demonstrably gentler procedure
and can recover after just three to four weeks.”
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Cooperation between surgeons and SutrueThe Sutrue Team have been involved in the development of medical operating
equipment for more than 10 years. A precise analysis of the operating method is
absolutely essential to allow suitable medical instruments to be developed. To achieve
this, surgeons work together closely with expert medical consultants, such as Richard
Trimlett. Trimlett, who is a cardiologist, attempts to translate the specifications and
wishes into a specific set of requirements. With Alex Berry from Sutrue, he has access
to a manufacturing expert who transfers the requirements into CAD designs and
geometries. Sutrue has been working with AM methods for around (ten) 7 years. “AM
makes it possible to produce geometries that cannot be achieved using traditional
manufacturing methods. In addition, the parts have greater performance capacity or
functional precision, or else they are extremely delicate or small. This is often precisely
what the surgeon was previously lacking,” explained Alex Berry.
Sutrue relies on machine technology from Concept LaserES Technology, Concept Laser’s UK distributor, manufactures the parts for the
automated suturing device on an Mlab cusing machine using the LaserCUSING
process, also known as 3D metal printing. The Mlab cusing is particularly suitable for
manufacturing delicate parts where a high level of surface quality is demanded. The
special thing about the compact machine is its very user-friendly, pull-out drawer system
that is very safe at the same time. This includes both the build chamber with dose
chamber and the storage container. It allows a rapid change of material without the risk
of any contamination of powder materials. The patented drawer system is available with
three different sizes of build envelope (50 x 50 x 80 mm3, 70 x 70 x 80 mm3, 90 x 90 x
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80 mm3). Also available now is its “big brother,” the Mlab cusing 200R, which allows
even greater productivity thanks to a doubling of the laser power from 100 watts to 200
watts. In addition, a larger build envelope has been created and this increases the build
volume by as much as 54% (max. 100 x 100 x 100 mm3).
In this case, the machine technology from Concept Laser makes it possible to produce
the teeth of the gear mechanism, which are just 0.4 mm long. Up to 600 parts can be
printed on one single build plate. After the tooth system has been removed from the
powder bed, it does not require any finishing thanks to the very high accuracy of the
metal-powder-based process. Stainless steel 316L is used. Alex Berry explains: “In
addition to the restrictions on geometry, conventionally milled or cast parts have a few
other drawbacks. It takes a great deal of time to get to the finished prototype. In
addition, the costs are very high. In 3D printing the parts are produced very quickly and
at a fraction of the previous costs of prototyping. But the potential for bionic designs,
reproducibility, miniaturization and not least the reduction in the number of parts and
outlay on assembly is also vast. If one looks at the full spectrum of optimizing
manufacturing and product design coupled with an increase in functionality, 3D printing
is capable of revolutionizing medical instruments.”
OutlookRichard Trimlett and Alex Berry already see an even greater challenge on the horizon.
The buzzword is artificial hearts, that is to say mechanical pumps that perform the
function of the heart. The previous models have weaknesses. AM could lead to new
thinking in this area. The pump could be designed to be smaller. The really intriguing
thing, according to Richard Trimlett, is the possibility of integrating electromagnetic
functions for moving the pump. These are just a few of the basic considerations for
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redesigning mechanical heart pumps. AM seems to be inspiring the experts in the field
of cardiology.
Summary
How has the Mlab cusing helped to create a medical instrument:
- Design freedom is key for redesign of traditional instruments
- Delicate and complex parts through high accuracy
- High density (over 99,5%) and high surface quality
(e.g. suturing device, optimized parts needed no post-processing)
- Drastically reduced development times and costs
- No tooling costs and reduced waste
- Ready for production: many parts in parallel in consistent quality
(e.g. 600 parts in one build plate/ 10 parts for each suturing device)
- Materials are established and certified for use in medicine.
Benefits for patients and medical professionals:
- Turning a conventional surgical intervention to a minimally invasive surgery
- (e.g. cardiac stabilizer, leads to a better patient recovery)
- Safe and fast suturing method through guided and reproducible stitches
- (e.g. suturing device, up to 3 rotations of a needle per second, instead of 1 per 25
seconds by hand)
- Gentler procedure for patient and less risk for medical professionals
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- Optimized medical instruments for a better outcome
- Reduced operative time leads to less stress for the patient and reduced costs.
- End of the press release –
Questions to Alex Berry, Director of Sutrue (UK)
Although fascinating stories from the world of 3D printing are not uncommon, Sutrue’s
story still amazed us. Alex Berry from Sutrue had lots to recount when we met him at a
conference in Bamberg (Germany). He told us about two developments of products for
use in cardiology and in the interview he also explained what motivates him and Sutrue:
Editor: Can one talk about additive manufacturing having made a breakthrough in
medical technology?
Alex Berry: Yes and no would be the balanced answer. I would say Yes in relation to
dental laboratories or implant manufacturers. Here specific materials are used for
specific patients and metal-based solutions are probably very widespread nowadays. In
the case of medical instruments, we are some way off exploiting all of the possibilities
on offer. The importance of AM is still underestimated today. Sutrue is one of the
pioneers that have sought to use 3D parts to offer better and more efficient solutions
than were previously possible.
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Editor: So is there still a need for more information? What reasons would you cite?
Alex Berry: A medical instrument is the “tool of the trade” for a doctor or surgeon. But
doctors and surgeons are not designers or manufacturing experts. They are highly
specialist skilled artisans with a strong background in theory and practical experience of
working in hospitals and operating rooms. It is quite common to find surgeons who
perform 200 or 300 operations a year in a specific region of the body. These highly
specialist people have very precise ideas about how a specific instrument could be
improved. Ultimately, what is helpful for the doctor is to have dialog or guidance from an
outside party to find out exactly how a tool can be designed more effectively. These
bridge-builders are people like Richard Trimlett. Richard talks to the surgeons and
attends operations to understand what an instrument should look like and how it can do
a certain job better. We then come together with these ideas and develop prototypes.
This is followed by trials and further modifications to the design until the final solution is
produced. This is an interactive process that takes a certain amount of time. However,
with AM nowadays this can again also be done very quickly. What used to take years
can now be accomplished in three, six or nine months. However, for the automated
suturing device we still had a development period of six years. But it was only toward
the end that we were able to make enormous progress with 3D printing. I am convinced
that when it comes to medical instruments we will be able to achieve a great deal more
with AM. The freedom of geometry, miniaturization, short development times and other
benefits of AM can be exploited even more widely. The process almost calls for a
redesign of previous solutions.
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Editor: How did you get your references?
Alex Berry: In every business there are customers that maintain a close dialog in which
each party is good at listening to the other. We were then able to try out our promises
with a few pilot customers. The sector is small after all and everyone knows everyone
else. You quickly get into conversations – and also quickly get to follow-up projects.
Richard Trimlett is of course a very important driving force for Sutrue. His expertise and
contacts in cardiology are significant sources for our developments. This allows us to
focus our products very closely on the particular application and develop them further
during everyday use in the operating room. Fundamentally I must say: Our products tell
a story. The story is test, test, test. You could also call this an evolutionary design and
redesign process. It is only when many surgeons state every day in the operating room:
Yes, this is clearly better than our old instruments that you can be satisfied.
Editor: How significant are SLS or SLM for your product solutions?
Alex Berry: Sutrue has long been engaged in the full range of rapid prototyping and
prototyping methods. These also include SLS, which is laser sintering with plastics, or
SLM, which is selective laser melting of metals. This is slightly easier with metals
because the original materials are certified for use in or on the body. In the last 10 or 15
years, AM has made huge progress here. It can now be said that laser melting has
established itself as an interesting option. We can assemble very many parts in parallel
on a build plate. These parts have exceptional geometries or ergonomic or bionic
principles. Not least we can very quickly trial a prototype without using any tools in order
to improve the application. Metal AM has massively changed the way we look at our
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products and we can develop solutions in terms of design and function that were
unthinkable just a few years ago.
Editor: How did you end up choosing Concept Laser as the plant and machine
manufacturer?
Alex Berry: AM has always fascinated me. This is simply because you can produce
prototypes very quickly. Development used to take six months and the component cost
£1,500. But the end product was not even convincing. This was initially also the case
with the automated suturing device. In 2015 I came across ES Technology. The
company is based in Kingston Bagpuize, Oxfordshire. ES Technology has an Mlab
cusing machine from Concept Laser and a great deal of experience in the 3D printing of
metals. The results on the Mlab cusing were fantastic. The system performed much
better than other 3D metal printer, we tried at the same time. We began to fabricate our
prototypes with the STL data. AM provides us with a huge opportunity to keep on
improving prototypes. We were able to optimize the design again and again and
continuously improve the focus on the application. It was, as I would call it, a “design
journey” before we actually had a properly functioning automated suturing device on the
table. The secret is a miniature gear mechanism which allows the needle to rotate very
smoothly and whose head can be rotated and tilted so that the surgeon can use the
instrument optimally in an endoscopy. Even an experienced surgeon with “golden”
hands will appreciate this assistance.
Editor: How do you want to market your products?
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Alex Berry: Sutrue is a “think & engineering tank.” We do not especially want to market
our solutions ourselves. Customers can acquire a license and we then provide them
with the 3D printing data. With the appropriate industrial 3D machine technology, our
product can be printed out anywhere in the world.
Editor: What are your plans for the future?
Alex Berry: I may be an idealist because with AM solutions we can help to develop and
advance surgery. I think this is hugely exciting. We are thinking ahead in very different
directions. It is now possible to have additive solutions but also hybrid solutions in which
traditional machining processes are combined with laser melting. At the same time, we
can now set about modifying the geometries to suit the process so that parts or
assemblies can be manufactured more quickly or easily or also embrace new
performance criteria or functional integrations. When it comes to functional integrations,
temperature control, cooling or even sensor technology can be incorporated. In terms of
miniaturization, AM also provides a great deal of potential for the future. The short
development times and optimization options for prototypes are also very interesting. We
should also not forget that, as well as technical advancement, AM solutions also offer
huge advantages in terms of costs. Added value and economic efficiency can be
significantly enhanced as a result. These are all very interesting topics. In principle, any
conventional component can be reconceived with AM: redesign will probably be our
consistent theme in the future.
Editor: Thank you for the interview.
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About Sutrue
Sutrue is a CAD and design development center that specializes in the development of
medical instruments for use in cardiology. The company was officially founded in 2012
by Alex Berry, Sutrue boasts a board of specialists. Richard Trimlett from the Royal
Brompton Hospital in London acts as the expert medical consultant to Sutrue. He
presents the requirements from surgeons and thus provides the impetus for product
development. Trimlett then assesses the practical experiences gained from hospital
operations.
Print approved – copy requested
Captions ████████████████████████████████████████
Caption 1: Alex Berry, founder of Sutrue (UK): “But the potential for bionic designs,
reproducibility, miniaturization and not least the reduction in the number of parts and
outlay on assembly is also vast. If one looks at the full spectrum of optimizing
manufacturing and product design coupled with an increase in functionality, 3D printing
is capable of revolutionizing medical instruments.”
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Caption 2: Alex Berry, founder of Sutrue (UK): “In principle, any conventional component
can be reconceived with AM: redesign will probably be our consistent theme in the
future.”
Caption 3: Richard Trimlett: “Initial experience indicates that patients undergo a
demonstrably gentler procedure and can recover after just three to four weeks.”
Captions 4 a + b: Automated suturing device from Sutrue. The head can be rotated and
pivoted to place sutures in any position you want.
Caption 5: How the automated suturing device from Sutrue works: A rotating needle on
the head of the automated device lays reproducible stitches for the suture
Caption 6: From prototype to handy tool: The six-year “design journey” of the automated
suturing device from Sutrue
Caption 7: View of the opened gear mechanism for driving the rotating needle of the
automated suturing device - the gear teeth are just 0.4 mm long
Caption 8: Additively manufactured parts of the automated suturing device on the build
plate of an Mlab cusing from Concept Laser
Caption 9 a + b: This is a pressure stabiliser as opposed to a vacuum one, which can be
disadvantageous for certain patients
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Caption 10: Mlab cusing machine from Concept Laser at ES Technology Ltd in Kingston
Bagpuize, Oxfordshire (UK)
All pictures courtesy of Sutrue (UK) (unless indicated otherwise)Picture 3: Courtesy of Richard TrimlettPicture 10: Courtesy of ES Technology Ltd.
Contacts ███████████████████████████████████████
Concept Laser GmbHAn der Zeil 8
D-96215 Lichtenfels
Germany
T: +49 (0) 9571 / 1679-0
Internet: www.concept-laser.de
Press contact:Daniel Hund
T: +49 (0) 9571 / 1679-251
E-mail: [email protected]
SutrueAlex Berry, Director
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United Kingdom
T: +44 (0) 7716 359016
E-mail [email protected]
Internet: www.sutrue.com
ES Technology Ltd,Units H1 – H3 Kingston Business Park
Kingston Bagpuize, Oxfordshire, OX13 5FB
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0) 1865 821 818
E-mail: [email protected]
LaserCUSING® background information ██████████████████
Key word: LaserCUSING®
The patented LaserCUSING® process from Concept Laser is used to create high-
precision mechanically and thermally resilient metallic components. The term
"LaserCUSING®," coined from the C in Concept Laser and the word FUSING, describes
the technology: The fusing process generates components layer-by-layer using 3D-CAD
data.
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In this process, fine metal powder is fused locally by a high-energy fiber laser. The
material solidifies after cooling. The contour of the component is created by redirecting
the laser beam using a mirror redirection unit (scanner). The component is built up layer
by layer (with a layer thickness of 15 – 500 μm) by lowering the bottom of the build
chamber, applying more powder and then fusing again.
Source: Concept Laser GmbH
What makes systems from Concept Laser unique is stochastic navigation of the slice
segments (also referred to as "islands") which are processed successively. This
patented process ensures a significant reduction in stress when manufacturing very
large components.
Concept Laser at a glance ██████████████████████████
Concept Laser GmbH from Lichtenfels, Germany is today, unlike almost any other
company, one of the real pioneers and key drivers of powder-bed-based laser melting
with metals. The technology driver here is the patented LaserCUSING® process, also
referred to as 3D metal printing, which over the course of 15 years has evolved the
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additive manufacturing of 3D components from a rapid technology to the stage of
industrial series production.
When Frank Herzog founded Concept Laser GmbH back in 2000 in Lichtenfels, a metal
laser melting machine was an entirely unknown quantity in the market. How is a 3D
geometry created from metal powder using a laser? What does 3D printing or a digital
process chain mean for the manufacturing of the future?
The answer was industrial machine technology: Concept Laser unveiled the first
machine of this type in 2001 at Euromold in Frankfurt. With 65 patents granted today
and over 120 patent applications, Frank Herzog and his workforce of around 190
employees continue to champion and develop the LaserCUSING® process. The
company caters for the global market for laser melting machines across all different
sectors from sites in Germany, the USA and China and through a network of more than
35 distribution and service partners.
Concept Laser's high quality standards, expertise in processes, applications and
materials deliver reliable and cost-effective solutions which prove their effectiveness in
everyday production and are primarily aimed at reducing part costs. In addition to
commercial aspects, the process offers a large number of other benefits compared to
conventional methods of production: The components are lighter, the designer has new
freedoms, the topology and geometry are optimized, additional functions can be
integrated, and less raw material is required. What this means is components that were
previously manufactured using machining processes are now being redesigned to fully
exploit the new potential offered by additive manufacturing.
Concept Laser offers a range of small machines (50 x 50 x 80 mm3) right through to the
machine with the world’s largest build envelope (800 x 400 x 500 mm3). Machines from
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Concept Laser that are equipped with multilaser technology are among the fastest,
safest and highest-quality laser melting machines in the world. Around 650 installed
machines and prestigious references and projects of this Franconian “hidden champion”
around the globe send out a clear message and symbolize an outstanding technology
for the future sealed with the endorsement “Made in Germany”.
For example, today the aerospace industry, automotive industry, medical technology,
dental technology, toolmaking and other sectors focus strategically on 3D metal printing
as the economical and high-quality production strategy of the future that embraces the
notion of "Industry 4.0.”
Prizes & awards ██████████████████████████
2001 Presented with the EuroMold Silver AWARD for the M3 linear
LaserCUSING® machine
2008 Presented with the Bavarian Innovation Prize for the M2 cusing
LaserCUSING® machine
2012 Presented with the EuroMold Bronze AWARD for the X line 1000R
LaserCUSING® machine
2014 BAVARIA’S BEST 50 prize-winner
2014 Finalist in the “Large Companies” category for the German Industry
Innovation Prize in the shape of Frank Herzog, Managing Director of
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Concept Laser GmbH
Project: “The first 3D-printed titanium component on board the A350 XWB”
2015 The "European CEO of the Year Additive Manufacturing" award was
presented to Frank Herzog, Managing Director of Concept Laser GmbH
2015 Nominated for the German Future Prize – Prize awarded by the German
President for technology and innovation
Project: “3D printing in commercial aircraft engineering – a manufacturing
revolution is taking off” in the shape of Frank Herzog, Managing Director of
Concept Laser GmbH
2015 FOCUS Growth Champion
2016 Winner of the “International Additive Manufacturing Award” with the QM
Meltpool 3D quality monitoring tool, which was developed in-house
2016 The ”Technologie Award by the Ostbayerischen Technologie-Transfer-In-
stituts e.V.“ was presented to Frank Herzog, President & CEO of Concept
Laser GmbH, for his entrepreneurial technology and innovation services
2016 Winner “Materialica Design+Technology Award 2016“ for the ”NextGen
Spaceframe” project, together with its project partners
2016 The “Best Pioneer in the Manufacturing and 3D Printing Industry 2016”
award was presented to Frank Herzog, President & CEO of Concept Laser
GmbH, by the European Business Magazine
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____________________________________________________Press Release | Presseinformation | Communiqué de presse | Comunicado de prensa | Comunicato stampa | Пресс-релиз | Imprensa | Persbericht | Notatka prasowa
2016 FOCUS Growth Champion
2016 Winner “Bavarian Innovation Award 2016“ with the QM Meltpool 3D quality
monitoring tool, which was developed in-house
2016 The “Best CEO of the Year Additive Manufacturing” award was presented
to Frank Herzog, President & CEO of Concept Laser GmbH, by the Euro-
pean CEO Magazine
2017 iF DESIGN AWARD 2017 for the user interface design of the software CL
WRX 3.0 from Concept Laser
The art of LaserCUSING® by Concept Laser
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