FREMONT, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Confluent Medical Technologies (“Confluent Medical”) is partnering with the Colorado School of Mines (“Mines”) and the Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies (“ADAPT”) program to advance additive manufacturing methods.

Confluent Medical Technologies has established the Confluent Medical Postdoctoral Fellowship at Mines toward developing these technologies via an initial $100,000 gift. The ADAPT team has hired a postdoctoral researcher to work on the project full time.

Confluent Medical is a market-leading contract manufacturer of Nitinol-based medical devices. Innovations in the manufacturing and processing of Nitinol — a nickel-titanium alloy that exhibits the unique properties of shape memory and superelasticity — have led to a great expansion of Nitinol-based medical devices in a variety of therapeutic areas.

ADAPT is a new R&D consortium dedicated to developing next-generation data informatics and advanced characterization technologies for additive manufacturing. Headed by Aaron Stebner, a leader in additive manufacturing technologies, ADAPT is focusing its efforts on improving nickel-based and titanium-based alloy 3D printing. The organization is supported by a consortium of private companies and the state of Colorado — although members do not have to be from Colorado.

By leveraging public/private partnerships — like the one with Confluent Medical — ADAPT aims to develop groundbreaking new technologies in additive manufacturing, which is the industrial version of 3D printing. The tools developed by the consortium will be used to help industry and government qualify, standardize, assess, and optimize advanced manufacturing processes and parts.

“Over the next few years, we expect additive manufacturing technologies to have a profound effect on the medical device industry,” said Tom Duerig, Founder and CTO of Confluent Medical. “The primary thrust of this specific program will be to optimize the superelastic properties of Nitinol synthesized by these methods.”

ABOUT CONFLUENT MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES
Improving lives by delivering world-class medical devices through innovative materials science, engineering, and manufacturing. Confluent Medical Technologies is the largest and market-leading contract manufacturer of specialized medical devices. Its portfolio of services includes Nitinol components, biomedical textiles, balloon expandable stents & balloon catheters, delivery systems, access kits, and guidewires. With manufacturing facilities in Fremont, California, Sunnyvale, California, Laguna Niguel, California, Warwick, Rhode Island, and San Jose, Costa Rica, Confluent Medical Technologies has a proven 20-year track record of partnering with the medical device community and delivering high-quality medical devices. confluentmedical.com

ABOUT COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
Colorado School of Mines is a public teaching and research university in Golden, Colorado devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth’s natural resources. mines.edu

ABOUT ADAPT
The Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies (ADAPT) is an R&D organization dedicated to the development of next-generation data informatics and advanced characterization technologies for additive manufacturing technologies. The consortium, which is supported by private companies and the state of Colorado, uses these tools to help industry and government qualify, standardize, assess, and optimize advanced manufacturing processes and parts. http://inside.mines.edu/ADAPT-Home