News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) entered into an agreement to acquire Kumovis, a Munich, Germany-based additive manufacturing solutions provider for personalized healthcare applications. Kumovis’ solutions are built upon their unique extrusion technology specifically developed for precision printing of medical-grade, high-performance polymers such as PEEK (polyether ether ketone).
Osseus, an innovative spinal solutions company, obtained FDA 510(k) clearance and launch of the Pisces-SA Standalone ALIF Interbody System. The Pisces-SA interbody can be used with both bone screws and alternative fixation bone anchors allowing for increased intraoperative flexibility.
A group of researchers from Korean hospitals have carried out a retrospective study to verify the effectiveness and safety of patient-specific 3D printed titanium implants on maxillofacial bones.
Regenerative medicine specialist CollPlant (NASDAQ: CLGN) has revealed that the 3D bioprinted breast tissues it’s developing are set to enter animal trials in the very near future.
Researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Western Australia are developing 3D printed artificial heart valves made from a patient’s own cells that grow as the individual ages.
Health Canada, the government arm that deals with national health, has approved its first Canadian-made 3D printed medical implant.
Skåne University Hospital is the first hospital in the world to 3D print a PEEK cranioplasty implant on site for it to be successfully received by a patient. The implant, based on Evonik‘s VESTAKEEP PEEK biomaterial filament, was 3D printed using the ApiumM220 3D printer from the German company Apium. While this is the first reported case of an implant to be 3D printed and implanted in the same hospital location, other companies, such as Lima Corporate, are currently developing on-site 3D printing capabilities for metal implants.
Bioconvergence company BICO is partnering with Nanochon, a startup developing regenerative joint replacements. Under the terms of the deal, Nanochon will purchase $1.5 million worth of products and services from BICO’s SCIENION to develop 3D printed regenerative joint implants. Nanochon’s novel joint implant technology promises to deliver faster and more successful recoveries for patients while reducing costs to health providers, payers, and patients.
The medical 3D printing industry marked an exciting milestone in Canada this week: Health Canada (a government department tasked with national health policies) has approved a 3D printed medical implant made by LARA 3D in Quebec City. The 3D printed device, a patient-specific mandibular plate, is the first made by a Canadian manufacturer to be granted authorization for implantation.
Incredible AM (aka 3D Incredible) has been one of the pioneers in India for metal 3D printing with a state-of-the-art AM plant located in Pune. The company has now reported that it has produced over 600 3D printed implants and medical devices, making it one of the largest and most advanced such service providers in the world.
Korea-based biotech startup Plcoskin is set to lead an international joint research project focused on developing a new type of 3D printed breast implant.
Stryker, a major adopter of AM for implants production is establishing a new medical R&D Lab in Queensland, Australia that builds on existing partnerships with hospitals, researchers, universities and local governments to drive the transformation of research into viable, commercially available precision medical device technology.
Bioprinting company T&R Biofab and B Braun, a major healthcare solutions provider, held a joint presentation to launch T&R’s new 3D printed PCL Craniofacial bone implants products. The event, hosted by B Braun Korea was held at the Dragon City Hotel in Seoul.
Medical device company MANTIZ has acquired an Eplus3D EP-M260 metallic 3D printer to additively manufacture cages in titanium for use in implant surgery. The entire process of shaping the company’s proprietary PANTHER spinal implants is now carried out internally by MANTIZ.
A team of interdisciplinary researchers at KU Leuven University have taken a step closer to being able to regrow teeth from the root using 3D printing.
BellaSeno GmbH, an ISO 13485-certified MedTech company developing absorbable scaffolds using additive manufacturing technologies, established a novel, leading-edge additive manufacturing facility for medical implants supported by the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, Leipzig, Germany.
Surgeons at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK, have fitted a 3D printed sternum implant in a patient to help repair their breastbone.
Leading Chinese 3D printer, 3D scanner and electronic device manufacturer Shining 3D Tech. Co., Ltd, has shared that it’s partner, Mantiz, is using Shining 3D machines to produce medical implants.
Australian med-tech company Anatomics has conducted a study on the benefits of 3D printed patient-specific medical models for pre-surgical planning.
Leading German specialty chemicals business Evonik has signed a long-term agreement with 3D printed scaffold developer BellaSeno GmbH. The agreement guarantees BellaSeno’s use of Evonik’s bioresorbable polymer RESOMER in the production of its proprietary 3D printed Senella product.
Guyson International, a North Yorkshire-based industrial finishing equipment manufacturer, has launched its Powder Flush system to clean 3D printed medical implant trabecular structures.
Thinking Robot Studios Inc., a privately held medtech company based in Buffalo, New York, has been granted permission to build an implant 3D printing facility. Located at Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park, a reclaimed ‘smart growth’ area, 22 acres of land is to be acquired by the company. The intention is to build office and manufacturing space on the lot worth an estimated $84 million.
Robert Smith, an iron worker from St. Petersburg, Florida, has become the first person to receive a 3D printed finger bone implant in the U.S.
CollPlant, an Israeli 3D bioprinting and regenerative medicine firm, has announced that it is developing implants for breast tissue regeneration. After conducting early development, the company has successfully produced the first prototypes. It believes that these 3D bioprinted breast implants could have the potential to provide a safer alternative to the standard methods of permanent breast implantation.
Contract 3D printed implant manufacturer Tangible Solutions, has announced the expansion of its facility in Fairborn, Ohio.
Nexxt Spine, an Indiana-based spinal implants manufacturer, has announced that it will develop 3D printed bone healing spinal implants with the help of MTS Systems Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of simulations and testing systems.
Professor Mashudu Tshifularo and a team of surgeons at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in South Africa have just completed a landmark operation for 3D printing in healthcare.
RTI Surgical, a Michigan-based medical technology company, has enrolled its first Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) patient for clinical evaluation of its Fortilink Interbody Fusion (IBF) 3D printed implants.
British metal 3D printing specialist, Renishaw, has collaborated with nTopology, and research organization Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) to streamline the 3D printing of spinal implants. The metal implants made in the study mimic the structure of human bone and have lattice structures.
Scientists at Rice University and the University of Maryland (UMD) have outlined a new proof-of-concept for 3D printing artificial bone tissue. With results published in Acta Biomaterialia, the hope is that such tissues may one day help to damage related to arthritis and sporting accidents.
Tangible Solutions, an Ohio-based manufacturer of medical devices, has validated the quality and consistency of its 3D printed titanium spinal implants. The results of this validation were published in a recent study.
Nexxt Spine, an Indiana-based medical device manufacturer, has expanded its metal 3D printing capabilities with the installation of two Concept Laser Mlab 100R systems from GE Additive.
Chinese medical 3D printing provider Huaxiang Group has been granted landmark clearance from the country’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for a novel 3D printed spinal implant.
Korean researchers have utilized a 3D printer to fabricate more affordable and customizable artificial testicles for patients in need of a testis transplant.
3D printed implant developer Osteopore has teamed up with Maastricht University Medical Centre (UMC+) to develop a bioresorbable bone implant that could prevent lower leg amputations, made possible using a 3D printer.
Global medical technology firm Stryker, that has rapidly become a leader in 3D printed titanium implants, has announced plans to invest €200 million (approximately $225.8 million) for expansion of it’s R&D facilities in the Irish city of Cork.
California-based medical 3D printing service bureau PrinterPrezz has partnered with UCSF Surgical Innovations, an incubator-accelerator for medtech innovators at UC San Francisco.
Belgian software and 3D printing service provider Materialise has acquired a 75 percent stake in Engimplan, a Brazil-based medical device manufacturer. In this agreement, Materialise will apply its medical 3D printing expertise to Engimplan’s device portfolio. Together, the two companies will work to accelerate the introduction of 3D printed medical implants and instruments to the Brazilian market.
Thrive Orthopedics, a distribution enterprise founded in 2017, debuted its very own product line with 3D-printed orthoses called the Balance 3D+ Brace, an ankle foot orthoses (AFO). The brace reduces postural sway and increases postural stability. This relative newcomer to the AM scene has created an orthotic that lines the sole of one’s foot while also bracing the heel and calf for additional support. The company prides itself on the elegance and aesthetically pleasing look of its product. It also projects product prices in line with industry standards.
Once thought destined mainly for prototyping, additive manufacturing is now increasingly employed in the development of spare parts, small series production and tooling in forward-thinking manufacturing industries such as aerospace, electronics, automotive and medical devices. Among industries at the forefront of innovative manufacturing, the medical sector has emerged as a major segment driving the growth of additive manufacturing: France’s 3D MedLab operates at the forefront of this segment
DePuy Synthes, a part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices group, has launched a new 3D printed titanium spine implant line. Named the CONDUIT Interbody Platform, the devices are the first release to use trademark technology from Germany’s Emerging Implant Technologies (EIT) since it was acquired by Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH in 2018.
Qrons, a New York-based biotechnology start-up, has announced an Intellectual Property (IP) License Agreement with Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, to develop 3D printable implants to treat penetrating or traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
3D printed implant developer Osteopore has partnered with the National University of Singapore (NUS) spin-off Magloy Tech to commercialize its new OrthoMag bone graft product.
German metal 3D printer manufacturer SLM Solutions has announced it has entered into a partnership with Canwell Medical, a medical device manufacturer based in China.
Swiss medical company Medacta officially initiated the commercial use of 3DMetal Femoral Cones for revision knee arthroplasty after successfully receiving clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CE marking.
Spanish football club FC Barcelona’s R&D lab, Barça Innovation Hub, has joined the EU-backed ‘TRIANKLE’ project to help test its upcoming 3D bioprinted cell-restoring ankle implants.
Researchers from the Korea-based Chungbuk National University have developed low-cost personalized artificial eyes for canines that have lost theirs to incurable diseases.
Scientists from the Skolovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) have developed a novel method of 3D printing personalized ceramic bone implants.
Biotechnology firm United Therapeutics and Israeli bioprinting firm CollPlant have broadened their partnership to enter into the serial manufacturing of 3D printed kidneys.
Global provider of advanced materials and additive manufacturing services, Henkel, has collaborated with dental product manufacturer Keystone to scale up 3D printing solutions for the dental industry.
China-based orthopedic implant manufacturer AK Medical has added eight GE Arcam EBM Q10plus 3D printers to its fleet, citing a rising demand for implants across the country. The company has been using EBM (Electron Beam Melting) technology since 2009, working closely with a range of clinical and R&D experts to standardize and certify additively manufactured medical devices in China. Moving forward, AK has stated that it will focus its efforts on 3D printing while expanding beyond just additively manufactured bone joints.
Stratasys enhanced its J750 printer to enable printing ultra-realistic bone models, which may be used in biomedical training and research. The printer can now mimic porous bone structures, fibrotic tissue, and ligaments so medical professionals can create models that behave just like human bone. The company has relied heavily on clinical research to enhance its product.