At first look, it’s an unassuming little box made out of red plastic. But the more you know about the Sharp Safety Station, the more amazingly ingenious it becomes. Made by Advanced Medical Innovations of Chatsworth, CA, the Sharp Safety Station is an exceedingly simple yet elegant solution for safe handling and disposal of sharp metal paraphernalia such as needles and scalpel blades used during surgery.

“This is the Cadillac of the Operating Room because it replaces standard needle counter boxes that have been used in surgery for well over 20 years,” says Mike Hoftman, AMI’s president.

“To make sure nothing falls out of the box,” Hoftman continues, “it’s got three safety hinges, overlapping walls, an ultra secure snap closure, and a magnetic surface that keeps blades and needles safely inside the unit. Plus the box can easily be separated into two different pieces providing separate neutral storage locations in the Operating Room. Our mission at Advanced Medical Innovations is to find the problems in the healthcare industry, and devise innovative ways to solve them.”

Working from AMI’s CAD files, 3D-CAM built the prototype parts for the Sharp Safety Station using SL7870, a resin that is approved by the FDA. Finally, the team of craftsmen in 3D-CAM’s Finishing Shop sanded, painted, and assembled it into a workable prototype that accurately represented the finished unit. “3D-CAM had the box ready in less than a week,” Hoftman states, “and a few days later, I was demonstrating it for hospital purchasing groups and getting sales.”

“We had some very exacting specifications: three hinges, two separate needle holders for recapping and exchanging hypodermic needles, two scalpel shield docks (to protect doctors and scrub nurses from the sharp blade), and a built-in scalpel blade remover. And 3D-CAM delivered. Their prototype looked, felt and functioned like the real product. That’s why I’ve been coming back to 3D-CAM since 1992.”