Feb 02, 2025 
Garren Angacian is the Engineering Manager of Himed. Over 30 years of operation, Himed has become a global leader in calcium phosphate-based biomaterial production and has developed proprietary plasma spray coatings and surface treatments. Garren and his team collaborate directly with dental and medical device manufacturers worldwide to provide innovative biomaterial solutions. Drawing on his experience with all three major classes of medical devices, Garren’s work in the medical device industry over nearly a decade has centered on process optimization, root cause analysis, mechanical design, and quality management systems. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Robotics from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD) and a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University (Durham, NC). Garren will be speaking at the upcoming 3D-printed orthopedic device event.
When was the first encounter you had with 3D printing? What was that experience like? What were you thinking at that moment?
Garren: Senior year of my undergraduate schooling at Johns Hopkins (2016). I was taking a course in mechatronics wherein we needed to 3D print a chassis for an autonomous navigating robot car. Outside of also teaching myself SolidWorks CAD as part of this project, this is where I learned about printing with two different materials, one for the main body of the part and one for supports. Then the print could be dipped into an acidic solution that would dissolve the supports. I think this concept is impressive and am hopeful it can be applied to other types of 3D printing, as the removal of supports entirely, without removing portions of the intended design, can be pretty challenging.
What inspired you to start your journey?
Garren: Himed learned about ceramic 3D printing via a webinar in early Covid. This sparked our interest in the topic. I’ve been interested in 3D printing since my years in college about a decade ago and have used it for both professional and personal Engineering projects.
Who inspired you the most along this journey in 3D printing?
Garren: I cannot think of one person, but I am always inspired to hear patient success stories with patient specific implants that require the technological advances that 3D printing provides. Oftentimes, there is no other good option for these cases and it is amazing that we can, when necessary, tailor these solutions.
What motivates you the most for your work?
Garren: Making an impact on patients and helping my team grow as engineers. Every day I get to learn something new and/or have meaningful conversations with our customers to solve patient problems is a good day.
What is/are the biggest obstacle(s) in your line of work? If you have conquered them, what were your solutions?
Garren: Ensuring there is a fine balance between production support, customer specific developments, and internal projects to improve production yields and efficiency. If we spend all our time on production support, then we are unable to make process improvements. With that being said, it is critical to ensure that production continues to meet the demanding lead times our customers provide.
What do you think is (are) the biggest challenge(s) in 3D Printing? What do you think the potential solution(s) is (are)?
Garren: Specific to Himed’s applications, it can be challenging to help customers along the journey from traditional subtractive to additive manufacturing. There are a multitude of technological, quality, and regulatory implications from something as simple as switching raw material suppliers, let alone changing technologies wholesale. As we gain more experiences in this area, Himed and others should be able to create a roadmap to tout to potential customers that will ease these burdens and streamline the process.
If you are granted three wishes by a higher being, what would they be?
Garren:
- Allow people to have perfect health spans (not necessarily longer life, but longer healthy life)
- Be able to remember everything my parents and grandparents ever taught me and every good memory with them.
- Ability to travel in time to visit interesting points in history, past, present, and future
What advice would you give to a smart driven college student in the “real world”? What bad advices you heard should they ignore?
Garren: Try multiple areas early in your career. For example, it is rare to see college students take coursework specifically on QA/RA, yet this makes up a large portion of the totality of an Engineering organization in medical devices. Some find these areas extremely fulfilling, but most engineers in school are focused on working in “R&D.” In reality, R&D only makes up a small portion of a larger Engineering organization. Trying a few different roles and getting good exposure will help folks home in on what they really want out of their careers.
What’s your favorite book you read this year and why? Alternatively, what’s your favorite book of all times you read and why?
Garren: This year: Blind Spots (Marty Makary): I like to learn about the general medical device/healthcare industry and this book covered a lot of interesting topics of what medicine gets wrong over time and how long it can take to correct it.
Related Links:
Interview with Craig Rosenblum: 3D Printing Post Processing
Interview with Dr. Bryan Scheer: From Bedside To SiNAPTIC Technologies
3D Printing for Orthopedic Care (On Demand)
Streamlining Orthopedic Surgical Planning with AI
Event Recap: 3D Printing and AI in Orthopedics
Post Processing for Healthcare 3D Printing (On Demand)
From Esthetic to Functionality – Perspectives of Anodized 3D Printed Titanium Dental Restorations
Metal 3D Printing in Dentistry – Restoration
Best Practices in Central Europe: 3D Printed Maxillofacial Implants (On Demand, March 31, 2021)
Metal 3D Printing Medical Devices (On Demand, December 16, 2021)
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