China makes global breakthrough in high-speed 3D printers for medical equipment

A medical technology company in southwest China has pioneered globally unprecedented speed in the 3D printing of orthopedic casts, producing personalized supports in less than half an hour.

The state-of-the-art machines are the world's first 3D high-speed printing (3D HSP) systems for producing medical equipment, developed by West China Pitech, headquartered in Chengdu, the capital of southwest Sichuan Province.

The printers can rapidly produce external fixation supports similar to plaster casts used in emergencies and to help patients recover from injuries. The technology has now been widely applied in 16 provinces and regions across China.

"Our equipment is the world's first 3D HSP printer. Traditional machines usually take five to six hours to print, but that's been shortened to about 20 minutes. This is key to the new quality productivity forces that we advocate for now, as it gives patients a better experience and provides more timely treatment," said Sun Miao, general manager of West China Pitech.

Besides 3D printing, the company also takes a leading role in medical rehabilitation. One of their products, a robotic device with a control stick that can be pushed and pulled in all directions, lets patients play the classic Chinese tile game of Mahjong and other interactive games to aid upper limb recovery.

"You can start trying to push it forward. We now control this hand, shuffle the cards here, and fully mobilize people's subjective initiative," said Zhang Tailue, head of the logical feature team of West China Pitech.

The level of resistance on the control stick can be adjusted based on the personalized needs of the patient, according to Zhang.

"The scenarios we are currently targeting are communities and homes. With our equipment offered to communities, the elderly can simply go downstairs and spend a few minutes completing these. It’s an important example of the new quality productive forces, as it allows more people to enjoy a better experience at a lower cost," said Zhang.

China makes global breakthrough in high-speed 3D printers for medical equipment

China makes global breakthrough in high-speed 3D printers for medical equipment

The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) launched a network-wide test on Sunday, a non-trading day, to brace for the possible pressure of continuous surge in stock-trading volume.

Over the past week, Chinese stocks rallied after a slew of policies introduced by the government to prop up the economy.

By the close of trading on Friday, September 27, the Shanghai Composite Index increased by 2.88 percent, ending at 3,087.53 points.

On Sunday, the SSE organized financial institutions to conduct tests on platforms for bidding, comprehensive business, and others to verify the accuracy and stability of the trading system.

According to the test plan of the SSE, transactions and clearing for one trading day were simulated. This aimed to verify that the bidding platform would run smoothly when a large number of orders were declared during a continuous bidding period.

The test subjects mainly involve financial institutions such as securities firms and public funds, and was not open to ordinary shareholders.

The entire test ran from 09:15 to 14:00. All the test data was based on that obtained after the market closed on Friday, involving stocks, funds, block transactions, ETF subscriptions, and redemptions to ensure the completion of the test.

Up to date, all tests of the SSE have ended, and the bidding trading system has received a total of 270 million orders, which is twice the historical peak and three times the number declared on Friday. The test results showed that the overall system performance was normal and in line with expectations.

Shanghai Stock Exchange conducts pressure test to ensure smooth trading