The more minimally invasive medicine becomes, the smaller and more complex medical devices have to be. While that can mean better care and greater access for patients, it also creates a significant dilemma: how do you manufacture these devices at scale? Adam Steege, founder and CEO of Trio Labs, a Morrisville, North Carolina-based company, develops micron-scale metal parts for medical devices. He invented RIPL, or Resin Infused Powder Lithography, a lithography-based process that prints stainless-steel parts at five-micron resolution with tolerances as fine as 0.0005 inch and Ra32 surface finish, which are specifications normally associated with CNC machining. On The Lattice, Steege explains why Trio sells finished parts rather than 3D printers, how minimally invasive surgery and interventional cardiology push instruments smaller and more complex than machining or metal injection molding can economically produce, and why manufacturability is the third leg, alongside clinical need and design, of every successful device. Ultimately, Trio Labs aims to hit the sweet spot where complex, micron-scale designs lead the next generation of medical devices for patients.
⚠️ Disclaimer:
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The views expressed do not constitute engineering, medical, or financial advice. The technologies and procedures discussed may not be commercially available or suitable for every case. Always consult with a qualified professional.
About Our Guest:
Adam Steege founded his first company, Agile EndoSurgery in 2010 which focused on development of a laparoscopic surgical device. This experience made starkly clear the need for better micro-scale manufacturing technologies and served as the inspiration for the invention of RIPL, the technology behind Trio Labs. To date Adam has over 80 pending and issued patents.
Key Topics
- Why manufacturing, not design, has become a bottleneck for next-generation medical devices
- Adam Steege’s journey from Agile EndoSurgery to founding Trio Labs
- The clinical push toward smaller, more complex devices for minimally invasive medicine
- The “three-legged stool” of clinical need, design solution, and scalable manufacturing
- Inventing RIPL, or Resin Infused Powder Lithography, for micron-scale metal manufacturing
- What conventional metal 3D printing gets wrong about resolution, tolerances, surface finish, and material performance
- Five-micron resolution and CNC-equivalent performance for medical device components
- Why Trio sells finished parts instead of 3D printers
- Trio’s “half ASML, half TSMC” vision for specialized manufacturing
- How design flexibility can unlock new possibilities for minimally invasive surgical devices
- ISO 13485 certification and why Trio Labs is focused exclusively on medtech
- Trio’s stainless-steel materials today and its path toward additional medical-grade materials
- Finding early customers and transitioning from R&D projects to volume production in 2027
- When 3D printing makes economic sense compared with metal injection molding and CNC machining
- Combining manufacturing processes and scaling from R&D to production
- The challenges and “growing pains” of building a scalable medical manufacturing company
- Where Trio Labs sees opportunities in surgical, cardiac, bronchoscopy, and stroke intervention
Timestamps:
00:00:00 – Welcome And A Parts-First Thesis
00:01:20 – Founder Lessons From A First Startup
00:04:45 – Minimally Invasive Devices Hit Manufacturing Limits
00:09:36 – Why RILP Had To Be Invented
00:11:48 – Selling Parts Instead Of Printers
00:17:06 – RIPL Explained And Where It Wins
00:19:58 – Finding Customers And Building To Production
00:22:50 – Unit Economics Versus CNC And MIM
00:27:19 – Scaling Challenges And The 2027 Goal
00:29:50 – Disclaimer And Closing
Resources
🔗 Contact Adam Steege and Trio Labs
🔗 Companies and Technologies Mentioned
🔗 Learn more about Trio Labs and RIPL
- 3Dnatives: Trio Labs and Its Microscopic Metal 3D Printing Technology
- 3DPrint.com: 3DPOD with Adam Steege and Scott Schiller
- 3D Printing Industry: Trio Labs Approaches MIM-Based Binder Jet 3D Printing Market
- NC Tweener Talks: Adam Steege, Founder & CEO of Trio Labs
- Chamfr: Trio Labs Supplier Directory
- Tiny Tech Fund: Triotin Labs
- VisionTech Partners: Adam Steege, Trio Labs
🔗 Micro-Metal Manufacturing & Micro-Precision 3D Printing
- Small Scale, Large Impact: How Micro-3D Printing Is Enabling Manufacturers to Win Big
- How Micro 3D Printing Is Transforming Medical Device Innovation
- How Micro 3D Printing Improves Medical Device Accuracy
- How Micro 3D Printing Is Making Medical Devices Smaller and Less Invasive
- Confined Electrodeposition in Localized Liquid Electrolyte Microzones for Microscale Metal Additive Manufacturing
- Additive Manufacturing of Superelastic NiTi Braided Metamaterials for Minimally Invasive Vascular Medical Devices
- MICRO: Medical Device Manufacturing
🔗 Learn More from 3DHEALS!
- Interview with Adam Steege: 3D Printing Small Things
- 3DHEALS: Metal 3D Printing for Healthcare
- 3D Microfabrication: Medical Applications
- Interview with Alan Dang: Metal 3D Printing for Medical Devices
- Interview with Craig Rosenblum: 3D Printing Post Processing
- Interview with Peter Mercelis: Investing in Medical 3D Printing
- Metal 3D Printing in Dentistry
- Metal 3D Printing Medical Devices
- 3DHEALS Healthcare 3D Printing Resource Center
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