TCT Focus: Dr. Richard Bibb
Profiles of thinkers, achievers, movers and shakers in the rapid product development industry.
Dr. Richard Bibb doesn't seem to shy away from anything when it comes to his work. Whether he's doing research, working on an article or giving a lecture, it seems Bibb can do it all - and do it well. Bibb is the Director of Research as well as the head of medical applications at The National Center for Product Design & Development Research (Cardiff, UK). He is also an excellent lecturer on RP as it relates to the medical world. Bibb has been involved with many research projects and has had a great influence on the medical world, and we can be sure that he will be involved in much more in the years to come.
What was it that first got you interested in rapid prototyping and
medicine? When did you decide that you wanted to apply your knowledge
in RP technologies to the medical field? And were they both something
that you were always interested in or did you discover them separately?
The two areas came together in 1998. Originally, I studies industrial
design and I first discovered RP in 1994 when was helping to do
research for a product design textbook. That got me interested and one
of my lecturers then asked whether I would be interested in doing a PhD
in RP in Cardiff. I decided that it would be a missed opportunity if I
didn't at least try it so I accepted the challenge and moved to
Cardiff. It was only after finishing my PhD that my manager suggested
that I could stay on and do post-doctorial research. I considered
several different angles, but advancements in medical applications were
by far the most exciting developments at the time. This also coincided
with an approach from a local surgeon, Adrian Sugar, who was keen on
learning more about the RP technology.
Was there anyone you found to be particularly influential to you and the career path you have chosen?
Professor Robert Brown gave me my first opportunity to get started in
RP research. After that the surgeon I mentioned previously, Adrian
Sugar, a maxillofacial surgeon from Morriston Hospital (Swansea, UK)
and his team were instrumental in helping me get the medical
applications research going. Naturally, medical applications of rapid
prototyping and manufacturing requires close collaboration between
clinicians and design engineers, and Adrian's enthusiasm and
cooperation were fundamental to me getting started in what was a whole
new field for me. We have collaborated ever since and have produced
some excellent research as a result.
We have heard that you are in exceptional lecturer. How did you first
get involved in this? Where are you lecturing next and what are you
planning to speak about?
I present as often as I can to diverse and varied audiences from
academia, industry or health care. I think this makes me think
carefully about how to communicate the important messages without
resorting to jargon or making too many assumptions about the audience.
Of course, it helps a great deal that my research has a strong human
interest that everyone can relate to. I suppose the other thing that
helps is that I really enjoy presenting. My next presentation will be
to the Royal College of Anaesthtists in London where I will be speaking
about how CAD and rapid prototyping can help them to convert their
ideas into innovative products.
You established the Medical Applications Group at PDR in 1998, which is
a group dedicated to applying product development expertise and modern
technology to the medical world. How did you go about starting this?
Are there many groups like this in the world or is it unique?
Getting started was a case of reviewing the technologies and selecting
those that had real application and potential. After establishing the
technologies, it was a matter of meeting as many clinicians and
potential collaborators as possible. I also took training in anatomy
and physiology and made strenuous efforts to learn medical language and
see surgery and other treatments first hand. This meant that I could
communicate effectively with the clinicians and better understand their
needs, and, of course more importantly, the needs of patients. There
aren't many centers doing exactly what we do but there are lots of
overlaps with different areas of research. I don't think our Medical
Applications Group is unique in what we do, but it is unusual for such
research to be based primarily on product design expertise rather than
manufacturing engineering. What we do is very much applied research and
our design background gives us a very practical and results based
approach. I think our success has been mostly due to the "can do"
problem solving attitude and a good understanding of clinical needs.
Our principle of close collaboration also helps a great deal in
transferring results rapidly into clinical practice.
How is this group connected to the University of Wales Institute,
Cardiff (UWIC)? Are students involved with PDR and do many of them work
there after graduating?
PDR is a research institute of the University and is entirely
focused on research and development for the benefit of industry and the
economy (including health care). We don't have any undergraduate
programs so we don't have any students. We have around 50 employees,
most of whom are professionally qualified and industry experienced. The
vast majority of our work is carried out for, or collaboration with,
industrial partners. We do, however, have many PhD programs underway
and we also contribute to Masters programs in collaboration with other
schools in the university. I am also proud to say that PDR has
recruited several UWIC graduates who have all turned out to be
excellent employees.
Are you currently involved with anything at PDR that you are
particularly proud of or excited about? Do you see any potential
medical breakthroughs in the future? Have there already been any?
We have done a few world firsts, which is always satisfying. For
example, we have been amongst the first to use selective laser melting
to create stainless steel custom sitting surgical guides. These are
surgical guides or templates that allow the accurate transfer of
computer-aided surgical planning into the operating room. We have also
done some research on a CAD and rapid manufacturing approach to
removable partial denture frameworks. We have also added some
innovative solutions to the medical models we supply to hospitals, for
example, to assist in cranioplasty plate manufacture. However, there is
still much to do before we can make RP&M technologies completely
meet the needs of clinicians and patients.
Looking at your responsibilities at PDR, it is very obvious that you
are extremely involved (director of Research, head of the medical
applications department, involved with PDR research, written numerous
publications, etc.). How do you balance your time between being so
involved with UWIC and students, being a lecturer and being a
researcher?
Luckily for me, because PDR is dedicated to research and development, I
have very little teaching responsibilities. This leaves me time to
balance my managerial responsibilities with my research activities. It
is hard work sometimes, but ultimately very rewarding. I am also
fortunate to have a growing team of very capable colleagues who I can
depend on totally.
Back in 2005, you were involved with the partnership between PDR and
Swansea NHS Trust's Maxillofacial Unit at Morriston Hospital to form
The Center for Applied Reconstructive Technologies in Surgery (CARTIS)
at UWIC. The plan for the center was to perform cutting edge research
and apply this to maxillofacial surgery (that which deals with the
face, jaws, neck, head and mouth). How is this facility doing and how
has it grown since then?
The collaboration is doing well and we have begun to achieve some of
our objectives. We are investing in some 3D scanning technologies
located at Morriston Hospital and we have started delivering training
courses in advanced technologies for surgeons and prosthetists. Our
next objective will be to seek further funding to support more
ambitious projects.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
I think I am very lucky that I have a job that is so rewarding. Even
after all these years in RP, I still get great satisfaction from
pushing technology to its limits and being able to build something that
first looked impossible or at least very difficult, especially if
nobody else has done it before. It is also very satisfying and humbling
whenever I meet patients who we have, in some small way, helped. When
you see the difference that some of these treatments can have on
somebody's quality of life, it makes all the effort pale into
insignificance.
Do you have any upcoming plans for the future? Any new research ideas?
At the moment, we are very keen to see where we can go with selective
laser melting. The ability to build in functional and versatile
materials like stainless steel has really opened up a lot of
opportunities for us. I also think there is enormous scope to develop
RP processes that are capable of producing better prostheses.
