What Insight Surgery does

Insight Surgery (formerly 3D LifePrints, rebranded January 2023) is a UK-headquartered MedTech company that digitizes the surgical planning process and supplies patient-specific medical devices to execute those plans. Founded in 2013, the company operates from Liverpool with US headquarters in Houston (Texas Medical Center) and additional manufacturing hubs in Manchester, Oxford, Wigan, and Omaha. Its core technology is the FDA-cleared EmbedMed digital platform, which ingests patient DICOM imaging data, enables virtual surgical planning and image segmentation, and drives the design and manufacture of patient-specific surgical cutting and drilling guides, anatomical models, and custom devices. Production uses FDM, SLS, SLA, and PolyJet 3D printing technologies across cleanroom facilities. The company holds FDA 510(k) clearances for the EmbedMed platform and for non-acute, non-joint replacing osteotomies across the entire appendicular skeleton, alongside ISO 13485:2016 certification.

The company's product portfolio spans orthopedic oncology, general orthopedics, pediatrics, and cranio-maxillofacial surgery, with a sub-brand for surgical simulation. Revenue is generated through one-time sale of FDA-cleared patient-specific surgical guides and anatomical models, plus professional services for virtual surgical planning — pricing is quotation-based with 10-day turnaround for urgent cases. Go-to-market combines direct hospital engagement with academic medical centers (Johns Hopkins, MD Anderson, Hospital for Special Surgery, Kaiser Permanente, Alder Hey, Nuffield, Wrightington, Children's Nebraska), a US distribution partnership with RICOH 3D for Healthcare, and embedded point-of-care manufacturing at partner hospitals. The company is venture-backed, with cumulative funding of approximately £1.7M plus a $2.5M Series A led by Nodenza Venture Partners in April 2025.

Name

Insight Surgery

Legal name

3D LifePrints UK Ltd

Website

https://insightsurgery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Insight Surgery is a UK- and US-based MedTech company providing FDA-cleared, patient-specific 3D-printed surgical guides and virtual surgical planning via its EmbedMed platform for orthopedic oncology, deformity, pediatric, and cranio-maxillofacial surgeons at major US hospital systems and NHS trusts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personalized Surgical Devices

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112), Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)

akta.pro primary industry

Surgical Navigation, Robotics & Patient-Matched Instrumentation (Ortho/Spine) (HLAHAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical & Dental 3D Printing Services (patient-specific devices, dental labs) (IMAAADAG), Medical & Dental Prototyping (Models, Guides, Pre-Op Planning) (IMAAAFAI), Operating Room Integration & Surgical Informatics (OR control, documentation, connectivity) (HLAHADAE), 3D-Printed & Patient-Specific Implants (Custom Ortho/Spine/Cranial) (HLAHAEAJ)

Keywords

• Patient-specific medical devices
• Surgical planning software
• 3D printed surgical guides
• Orthopedic oncology devices
• Virtual surgical planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Patient-Specific Medical Devices: One-time sale of FDA-cleared patient-specific surgical guides, anatomical models, and custom medical devices. Pricing based on quotation (fixed price or hourly rates). Devices ordered through EmbedMed client portal with 10-day turnaround for urgent cases.
2. Virtual Surgical Planning Services: Biomedical engineering services for virtual surgical planning, 3D segmentation, and device design. Includes cloud platform access through EmbedMed for case management, image upload, and design review.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Insight Surgery designs, manufactures, and supplies patient-specific medical devices (3D-printed surgical cutting and drilling guides, anatomical models, and custom implants) supported by its FDA-cleared EmbedMed digital platform for virtual surgical planning, image segmentation, and case management. The company sells primarily to orthopedic oncology, orthopedic, pediatric, and cranio-maxillofacial surgeons across the US and UK.

Product overview

Insight Surgery is a personalized surgery technology company offering an integrated platform combining digital planning and physical medical devices. The core offering centers on the FDA-cleared EmbedMed platform, which processes patient imaging data to enable virtual surgical planning and rapid design/manufacturing of patient-specific devices. Physical products include sterile surgical cutting and drilling guides, anatomical models, and specialized implants (LUMiC cup). The portfolio spans orthopedic oncology, general orthopedics, pediatrics, and cranio-maxillofacial surgery. Additional offerings include the INSIGHT Glenoid Guide System for shoulder arthroplasty and 3D LifePrints simulation solutions for surgical training. The company operates from manufacturing hubs at point-of-care locations in the US (Texas Medical Center, Children's Nebraska) and UK (Manchester, Oxford, Wrightington), providing 10-day turnaround for urgent cases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EmbedMed™: FDA-cleared digital platform that digitizes the surgical planning process and enables rapid design and manufacture of patient-specific medical devices.
• 3D LifePrints™ Simulation

Products and services

• EmbedMed Platform FDA-cleared cloud-based digital platform that digitizes the surgical planning process, processes patient scan data (DICOM), simulates and evaluates surgical planning options, and manages device ordering and case tracking for clinicians designing patient-specific medical devices.
• Patient-Specific Surgical Guides Custom-designed 3D-printed surgical cutting and drilling guides that translate virtual surgical plans onto patients. FDA cleared, delivered sterile, used for orthopedic, orthopedic oncology, pediatric, and cranio-maxillofacial procedures.
• Virtual Surgical Planning (VSP) Biomedical engineering service using CT/MRI scan data to create detailed virtual surgical plans including resection planes, margins, and reconstruction strategies for complex surgical cases.
• Anatomical Models Patient-specific 3D printed anatomical models for pre-operative planning, patient education, and surgical rehearsal. Available in various materials for different use cases.
• INSIGHT Glenoid Guide System Patient-specific surgical guide for precise shoulder arthroplasty planning that calculates optimal axis for primary shoulder replacement without relying on healthy glenoid anatomy. Co-developed with Wrightington NHS Hospital surgeons with NHS part-ownership and commercialization benefits.
• LUMiC Patient-Specific Cup Implant Patient-specific cup implant for pelvic reconstruction following tumor resection, delivered in partnership with ImplantCast for complex oncologic pelvic reconstruction cases.
• Sterile Surgical Guides Patient-specific guides delivered sterile directly to hospitals, eliminating the need for hospital sterilization and streamlining surgical workflow. Available in the US market with UK availability planned for end of 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced OR time - Complex procedures completed in 90 minutes with use of surgical guides
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RICOH 3D for HealthcarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic distribution partnership enabling Ricoh to distribute Insight Surgery's patient-specific surgical guides through their US healthcare network and enterprise-wide hospital 3D printing programs. Guides offered for pediatric and adult orthopedic and maxillofacial surgeries.
• Children's NebraskacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovative partnership for on-site manufacturing of personalized medical devices at Children's Mammel Innovation Center. First-of-its-kind collaboration between leading pediatric hospital and personalized surgery med-tech. Enables rapid turnaround and enhanced precision for pediatric surgeries.
• Alder Hey Children's Hospital NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing NHS partnership hub for point-of-care manufacturing. Professor Dan Perry testimonial highlights collaboration benefits for pediatric orthopedic surgery.
• Wrightington Hospital NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative development of the INSIGHT Glenoid Guide System with Professor Puneet Monga and Professor Ian Trail. NHS as part-owners with commercialization benefits.
• Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, OxfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS partnership hub for point-of-care manufacturing and pediatric orthopedic oncology collaboration with Dr. Tom Cosker.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Brainlab: Surgical navigation, planning software, and OR integration platform with growing footprint in orthopedic and CMF surgical planning. Comparable technology stack (digital surgical planning + intraoperative guidance) but broader portfolio across multiple surgical specialties.
• DePuy Synthes (Johnson & Johnson): Orthopedic and neurosurgical incumbent offering patient-specific surgical planning and instrumentation, particularly in trauma, spine, and CMF. Competes for the same surgeon customers and hospital procurement budgets as Insight Surgery.
• Stratasys: Major 3D printing hardware and services company with healthcare solutions including anatomical models, surgical guides, and point-of-care printing partnerships. Comparable in 3D printing technology stack and healthcare customer base, though positioned more as infrastructure provider.
• Stryker: Global orthopedic medtech incumbent with Mako surgical robotics, patient-specific instrumentation for knee/hip, and broad hospital 3D printing partnerships. Offers overlapping capabilities as part of a much wider portfolio and competes in the same surgeon accounts.
• Zimmer Biomet: Major orthopedic incumbent with established Patient Specific Instruments (PSI) for knee replacement and ROSA robotics. Provides patient-specific surgical guides as part of its broader implant ecosystem — direct competitive overlap in orthopedic personalized instrumentation.

Direct peers

• Materialise: Belgium-based provider of medical 3D printing services and software for virtual surgical planning, patient-specific guides, and anatomical models — directly overlapping with Insight Surgery's EmbedMed platform and surgical guide offering across orthopedic and CMF indications.
• Axial3D: UK-based medical 3D printing company providing patient-specific anatomical models and surgical guides for hospitals, with operations in the UK and US. Closely comparable in customer base (NHS trusts and US hospitals), product set, and point-of-care go-to-market.
• Renishaw: UK-based engineering company with a healthcare division offering patient-specific cranial implants, neurosurgical planning software, and 3D-printed surgical guides. Comparable in regulatory approach (FDA-cleared, ISO 13485) and patient-specific device manufacturing.
• 3D Systems (Healthcare): Operates a dedicated healthcare 3D printing business offering virtual surgical planning, patient-specific anatomical models, and surgical guides for orthopedic and CMF procedures — direct competitor in the same product category with broader scale and capital resources.
• Onkos Surgical: US-based medtech company focused on personalized surgical solutions for musculoskeletal oncology and complex revision orthopedics, including patient-specific 3D-printed implants and guides. Closely comparable in orthopedic oncology customer base and personalization thesis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/insightsurgery
• Xx.com/3DLifePrints

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Insight Surgery