Protolabs Highlights a Digital Manufacturing Playbook for MedTech

Protolabs has been carving its niche as digital manufacturer since its inception in 1999. At the core of its strategy is the focus on reducing the time required to produce molded prototypes through advanced software. The company is today known for a hybrid manufacturing model that converts digital design files into medical‑grade physical parts at both scale and speed.

“Digital manufacturing is a complex topic that comes down to removing much of the human element from the manufacturing process,” said Ryan Kees, global product director for 3D Printing and Injection Molding at Protolabs. “Traditionally, if you had a finalized design, you’d send it to a manufacturer. An engineer would review it, talk with operations and make sure it could be produced on time.

“With digital manufacturing, you cut a lot of that middleman out,” he added. “The design is instantly analyzed onscreen within our ecosystem, through our website.”

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Machine Design spoke with Kees and Tim Humphrey, a longtime medtech product designer who recently retired from Edwards Lifesciences, at MD&M West 2026. The discussion centered on how Protolabs’ digital manufacturing platform supports medical designs from early prototyping through validated production.   

Applications showed at the event ranged from implantable components and surgical guides to tooling, fixturing and point-of-care devices. Behind them lies Protolabs’ data‑driven, automated manufacturing systems that also maintain regulatory discipline.

Medical Manufacturing Trends: Speed, Customization and Sustainability

Speed to innovation remains a dominant driver, Kees said, but customization is becoming equally important. Medical devices increasingly demand customization in geometry, materials and performance, especially in clinical environments. Additive manufacturing has its function here; it provides flexibility, offering rapid iteration and application-specific builds that are cost-prohibitive with conventional methods. 

Sustainability is another area of discussion. Additive manufacturing has inherent advantages, as parts use only what is needed for fabrication, noted Kees. Unlike subtractive processes such as CNC machining, additive manufacturing generates little waste. Parts are built using only the material required for the application, rather than cutting away excess material and producing chips or scrap.

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This also holds true for metal additive manufacturing, said Humphrey, who explained that the net effect when components are grown layer by layer from powder rather than cut from solid stock is that it reduces waste, tooling and auxiliary resources. 

Overall, both Kees and Humphrey agreed that additive processes provide a more sustainable choice, particularly for complex or low-volume parts where traditional machining is less efficient.

Standards and Certification

As medical designs move from prototype to production, regulatory requirements take on added importance. In medical manufacturing, standards such as ISO 13485 are tightly controlled. Kees noted that Protolabs has implemented these certifications across its injection molding, polymer 3D printing and metal additive manufacturing facilities.

Testimonial on Manufacturing Through Digital Workflows

Humphrey, a longtime Protolabs customer, described working with Protolabs nearly since its founding more than 25 years ago, first through a product development firm and later during his tenure at Edwards Lifesciences. 

In one project, he faced scalability challenges with a plastic medical component that was previously easily produced via stereolithography. Collabiorating with Protolabs’ applications engineers and production teams, the design was evaluated using a risk-based manufacturability rating system. Initial concerns led to targeted design changes, allowing the part to move forward successfully.

Humphrey said this iterative “fail fast” approach (identifying issues early, making adjustments and iterating quickly) is one of the big advantages of digital manufacturing workflows, particularly when collaboration between design, applications engineering and production is tightly integrated.