An exhibition design company asked us to work with their client, a maker of replacement heart valves and the keyhole surgery instruments used to deliver them. They needed three full-size human figures showing exactly where each valve sits and how the instruments reach the heart.
The figures. We started from an existing CAD model of the male body and heart. We added channels through the groin for the instruments and created a chest cavity to hold the heart. Each body was CNC machined in clear acrylic. The chest cover is held in place with tiny magnets that are almost invisible, so it could be lifted off for a closer look on the stand.
The hearts. Each figure has its own heart, built in clear SLA at high resolution. We sectioned a stock CAD file of the heart to show three different valve replacement positions, one per figure, each with the matching instruments for that operation.
We tried polishing the outside and lacquering the inner chambers, which can't be polished. The best effect came from sand blasting the outer surfaces, so that the hearts glow red under a red spotlight.
Related: CNC machining · SLA 3D printing · Model making · Medical device prototyping
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