From Happy โขMeals to Healing: How MedCADโค Founder Pioneered 3D-Printedโ Implants
Forโ Blake Hairston, โthe path from designing children’s โtoys to crafting custom medical implants wasn’t aโ planned career shift, but a response to a changing landscape and a burgeoning technological prospect. After a accomplished career in โขtoy design, including work โคonโ McDonald’s Happy Mealโฃ toys and โขBratz โคdolls, Hairston recognized a shift in the job market in the late 2000s. She observed that many of her peers’ roles were moving to Asia, โขleaving medical and aerospace asโ primary growth areas within โฃthe U.S.
Recognizing the potential of 3D modeling within healthcare, Hairston โmade a pivotal decision. “It was thrilling and scary, but I โsaw the opportunityโข because the technologyโฃ was so new,” she recalls. She โleft her โstable 9-to-5 job and launched MedCAD.
Initially, Hairston began experimenting with anatomy modeling,โค adapting software โpreviouslyโค used in toy growth for applications like orthognathic surgery – specifically โคjaw and teeth repairs. By 2009, she had developed a business โขplan aimed at securing FDA clearance. Her innovations began to attract attention, particularly โขfrom โa younger generation โฃof surgeons who were โขagreeable withโค advanced technology and 3D animation.
A single phone call in 2009 dramatically altered the course of herโค company.โ “I โhad one โฃofโค thoseโข pivotal moments in your life, where your whole world changes,” Hairston explained.โ “I got a phone call from a surgeon that I knew, and he said, โฃ’Hey, you know, do youโ think you could make me โa cranial implant?'”โค
That request marked โthe beginning of MedCAD’s focus on creating custom implants for patients โคwith deformities resulting from trauma or physical abnormalities. While skull implants remain a notable part of the business, MedCAD has expanded to include reconstruction products for the foot, ankle, andโ face, all designed using 3D technology.
“We were some of the earliest peopleโ doingโ it,”โ Hairston stated. “There’s aโข fantastic thread to all of this is, that we are able to bring a person back as much as we canโ to aโ normalized state with a lot โless surgeries. [Patients are] โwaking up withโฃ the ability to have teeth implantsโข after they heal. That’s โขthe power of this technology-we can do aโฃ more holistic approach to reconstructing a footโค orโ a face.”
Nearly two decades afterโฃ its founding, MedCAD hasโ achieved profitabilityโ and โis experiencing significant growth. the company currently generatesโ an estimated $10 million to $20 million in annual revenue,โ with cranial and neuro productsโข driving growth at a rate of 18%โข to 25% year-over-year as 2022. While โthe majority of โขrevenue comes from long-term contracts withโ global medical leaders, MedCAD is also expandingโค through a direct-to-hospital โstrategy.
Despite her success in โboth toy โฃdesign andโฃ business ownership, Hairston finds the most fulfillment in the impact โher implants have on โpatients’ lives. “Toys are really fun forโ children, but they’re not played with for long,” she said.”We can really make aโค difference making these kinds of products for โhumans that change their lives. That โgave me a lot of the power and the passion โtoโ doโข it.”
