News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
A bioengineering PhD candidate from the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering has been developing a 3D printed phantom head which so closely resembles a human head that it can be used to test the 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imager (7T MRI), one of the strongest clinical MRI devices in use.
Endocon GmbH, a German medical device company, has turned to additive manufacturing to improve hip and knee replacement surgeries. The company utilized metal AM technologies from GE Additive to create the endoCupcut, an innovative medical device that makes hip cup extraction easier, more cost effective and more reliable.
Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies*, through its subsidiary Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH, have acquired Emerging Implant Technologies GmbH (EIT), a privately held manufacturer of 3D-printed titanium interbody implants for spinal fusion surgery, based in Wurmlingen, Germany. The products in this portfolio leverage EIT’s proprietary advanced cellular titanium, which consists of an open and interconnected porous structure designed to allow bone to grow into the implant. As an industry leader across the full range of orthopaedic and spine specialties, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies will leverage its global commercial infrastructure to bring EIT’s technologies to patients around the world.
UK-based medical 3D printing expert 3D LifePrints recently entered into a long-term agreement with the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. Under the newly signed collaboration, 3D LifePrints will continue to supply the hospital with specialized 3D printing services, including the printing of medical models.
Researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) have leveraged Optomec’s LENS Hybrid Controlled Atmosphere system in the development of 3D printed dissolvable magnesium structures. The dissolvable components are being investigated for medical applications and, specifically, the production of patient-specific implants.
3D Systems today announced at IMTS 2018 that Align Technology, maker of the Invisalign system of clear aligners for straightening teeth, has increased its investment in 3D Systems’ SLA 3D printing technology as part of its continued operational expansion. The multi-year collaboration is part of Align’s highly customized additive manufacturing solution that meets the needs of Align’s global business.
It’s not just bioprinting technology that stands to revolutionize biomedical research and drug discovery. As researchers from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada have shown, even low-cost 3D printing can be used to create helpful and innovative tools for medical research.
Researchers from the University of Minnesota have made an important breakthrough in the development of a bionic eye. We’re not exactly talking about a Terminator-like bionic eye, but it does skew into the realm of science fiction, as the bionic eye could one day enable people with visual impairments to see better.
Ali Khademhosseini, a bioengineering professor at UCLA specializing in tissue engineering and bioprinting, and his team have developed a new and innovative technique for bioprinting tubular structures that mimic complex vessel networks and ducts. The breakthrough research, recently published in the journal Advanced Materials, could enable the bioprinting of tissues for implanting or drug testing.
Conformis, a medical technology company that offers patient conforming joint replacement implants, today announced the completion of the first two Conformis Hip System implants. The Conformis Hip System is the first ever 3D designed primary total hip replacement system. The first surgeries were performed by Gregory Martin, M.D., Joint Fellowship Trained Orthopedic Surgeon and founder of Personalized Orthopedics of the Palm Beaches, and took place at a leading HCA Facility, JFK Medical Center in Atlantis, Florida on July 31, 2018.