For the millions of people every year who have or need medical devices implanted, an advancement in 3D printing technology could enable significantly quicker implantation of devices that are stronger, less expensive, more flexible, and more comfortable than anything currently available. Such devices are molded, which could take days or weeks to create customized parts designed to fit an individual patient. The 3D printing method cuts that time to hours; additionally, small and complex devices such as pressure-sensitive valves, simply cannot be molded in one step.

Typical butterfly valves cannot seal at both ambient and cryogenic temperatures. At cryogenic temperatures, valves grow and shrink, changing critical dimensions such as distance between the disc and seat. Ideally, valves would compensate. The inability of existing butterfly valves to do this led to the design of the Cryogenic Cam Butterfly Valve (CCBV) in which the disc rides on a cam shaft and is held rigid by a torsion spring that provides both axial movement of the disc in addition to the standard 90-degree rotation of a standard butterfly valve. Because the valve’s disc can rotate and translate, it can hold a tighter seal, preventing leakage despite dimensional changes caused by changing operating temperatures.