AI, ROI, and the OR: ADDITIV Medical 2026 Unites Global Experts to Bridge 3D Printing Gaps

A surgeon in Barcelona rehearses a cardiac repair on a model printed from the patient’s own scan. A children’s hospital in Nebraska turns around a custom cranial guide in days instead of weeks.

The faster that knowledge moves between the hospitals, labs, and companies doing this work, the faster the standard of patient care rises, and that exchange is exactly what ADDITIV Medical, hosted by 3Dnatives, exists to accelerate. Register HERE. 

Now in its 9th edition, ADDITIV Medical 2026 will bring together more than 500 professionals from hospitals, medical device companies, and additive manufacturing providers worldwide, including surgeons and 3D printing leads from UCSF, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, and Children’s Nebraska, alongside industry leaders such as Erez Ben-Zvi (VP of Healthcare, Stratasys), Dan Crawford (Founder and CSO, Axial3D), and Michael Librus (CEO and Founder, Synergy3DMed).

The summit takes place on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 12:40 PM EDT (4:00 PM to 6:40 PM CEST) and is free to attend. The event consists of three expert panels and live audience Q&As. 

“Every project we cover in medical AM traces back to a patient, a faster diagnosis, a smoother surgery, a better outcome,” Filippos Voulpiotis, Managing Director of 3Dnatives said. “That’s what makes this community worth bringing together. ADDITIV Medical is our way of helping that work travel further.” 

What the Panels Cover

Panel 1: Can We Trust AI to Design a Patient-Specific Model? (4:10 PM to 4:55 PM CEST)

When a software algorithm takes over the design of a custom implant or anatomical model, who is ultimately responsible for its accuracy? This session tackles the friction between rapid automation and patient safety, from verifying that an AI hasn’t misread a scan to where algorithmic efficiency ends and human liability begins.

Speakers: 

• Anish Ghodadra, Medical Director, 3D Printing Program, UPMC

• Dan Crawford, Founder and CSO of Axial3D

Conversation moderated by David Adrover, President of Addliance.

Panel 2: Who Pays for Personalization? Navigating the Reality of 3D Printing ROI (5:00 PM to 5:45 PM CEST)

The clinical benefits of custom medical 3D printing are clear, but the financial pathways to sustain it are not. This panel digs into who absorbs the upfront capital costs, whether hospitals can secure insurance reimbursement for personalized guides, and how institutions build a repeatable return on investment.

Speakers: 

• Michael Librus, CEO and Founder, Synergy3DMed
• Gabe Linke, Manager of 3D, Children’s Nebraska

Conversation moderated by Clare Scott, Managing Editor of Today’s Medical Developments.

Panel 3: How 3D Printed Guides and Models Prevent Surgical Surprises (5:50 PM to 6:35 PM CEST)

Even the most experienced surgical teams encounter unexpected variables once a patient is on the table. This discussion explores how physical, patient-specific models and guides are shifting pre-operative planning, from time saved in the OR to where the scan-to-print pipeline still bottlenecks.

Speakers: 

• Shafkat Anwar, Director, Pediatric Heart Center 3D+ Program, University of California, San Francisco 
• Erez Ben-Zvi, Vice President of Healthcare, Stratasys
• Ferran Fillat Gomà, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Digital 3D Surgery Expert, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona 
• Devid Zille, Director of 3D Medical Visualization and Printing Lab, Tampa General Hospital

Conversation moderated by Naomi Nathan, Head of Healthcare Division at Mobility Goes Additive.

Sponsors and Partners:

ADDITIV Medical 2026 is proudly supported by Protolabs, Stratasys Medical, and Carbon. Media partners include Today’s Medical Developments, Mobility goes Additive, ASTM International, AMGTA, SPE, 3D Alliances, Wevolver, Metal AM Magazine, Manufacturing in Focus, Tooling and Production, IAM3DHUB, Manufacturing.net, Manufacturing Engineering and Technology, and 3DPrint.com. 

Registration

ADDITIV Medical 2026 is free to attend. Register HERE to secure your place.

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