A selection of projects we've completed for Rochester businesses, makers, and enthusiasts.
Kidney Transplant Surgical Training Model for URMC
Medical & Research
Challenge
URMC needed a physical training model so surgical residents could rehearse the vascular anastomoses of a kidney transplant — sewing the renal artery and vein into the recipient site — before doing it in an operating room. The design comes from the University of Michigan transplant surgery team, who developed and published it as a low-cost, reusable trainer and make it available to print. The catch is size: the abdominal block is roughly 10 × 10 × 10 inches, past the build volume of the desktop machines most shops run.
Solution
Printed on our large-format capacity in two parts — the abdominal cavity block with its sculpted recipient fossa, and a separate kidney with the hilar cleft rendered — so each part came off the plate whole, with no sectioning and no glue seams through anatomy a resident has to read by feel. Material was PLA+ 2.0: dimensionally stable across a long run, and rigid enough to survive being handled session after session. The cavity block alone was a 27-hour print.
Result
Delivered in five days, branded for both URMC and the Michigan transplant programme. The point of a part like this is that rehearsal has to transfer: anatomical proportion has to hold well enough that what a resident practises on the bench matches what they meet in theatre, and the model has to keep its geometry through repeated use rather than deforming after a few sessions.
Model design by the University of Michigan transplant surgery team. See Claflin J, Waits SA, “Three Dimensionally Printed Interactive Training Model for Kidney Transplantation,” Journal of Surgical Education 2020;77(5):1013–1017. Roc 3D Printing produced the physical model; we did not design it.
Custom Award Trophies for a Global Tech Summit
Awards & Promo
Challenge
An international tech conference needed 150 branded trophies for their annual summit across three categories. Traditional trophy suppliers quoted an eight-week lead time at $85 per unit — a cost and timeline that would have missed the event entirely.
Solution
We designed a modular two-piece trophy with the event logo and category integrated into the body, printed in durable PETG with a metallic-accent top. A swappable base plate let the organizer update recipient names without reprinting the full trophy for future years.
Result
150 trophies delivered in three weeks at $28 per unit — a 67% cost reduction and 60% faster than the original quote. The client has since commissioned two regional variants using the same base design.
Branded Fidget Giveaways for a Trade Show Booth
Promo Products
Challenge
A Rochester tech company wanted a memorable booth giveaway that attendees would actually keep on their desks — not toss in a hotel trash bin. Off-the-shelf fidgets felt generic, and injection-molded custom fidgets required $12,000+ in tooling for a first run.
Solution
We designed a two-tone fidget spinner with the client's logo recessed into the center hub, printed in their brand colors using a dual-material process. Each unit came off the printer ready to hand out — no painting, no assembly, no tooling bill.
Result
500 branded fidgets delivered at $3.20 per unit — roughly one-tenth the injection molding quote. The client reported triple the booth traffic of their previous trade show giveaway and reordered for two follow-up events.
Architectural Scale Model for a Rochester Development
Custom Design
Challenge
A Rochester development firm needed a presentation-quality scale model of a proposed mixed-use building for a city planning board review. Traditional architectural model-makers quoted six weeks and $6,500 — but the review was four weeks out.
Solution
Working from the firm's Revit files, we built the model at 1:250 scale across multiple print sessions. Transparent PETG windows, textured facade panels, and a removable roof section let reviewers see the interior layout. Streets and context buildings printed in neutral PLA to keep the focus on the new structure.
Result
Model delivered in 3.5 weeks at $2,400 — a 63% cost savings and ten days ahead of schedule. The concept was approved at the first review, and the firm has since commissioned two additional models for upcoming proposals.
Rapid Prototyping for a Rochester Product Launch
Rapid Prototyping
Challenge
A Rochester consumer-electronics startup was preparing for a Kickstarter launch and needed eight presentation-quality prototypes in under two weeks — one each for marketing photography, investor meetings, and a CES demo. The original prototype shop quoted five weeks.
Solution
Over four rapid iteration cycles we refined the enclosure around their custom PCB, added integrated cable routing, and tested snap-fit tolerances on FDM before moving to SLA resin for photo-ready final units. Each design revision turned around in under 48 hours.
Result
Eight presentation-quality prototypes delivered in 12 days. The Kickstarter campaign hit its funding goal in under six hours on launch day, and the team credits the demo-ready hardware for closing two pre-launch retailer deals.
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