News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
A Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust patient was the first person in the world to be supplied solely with a fully digital 3D printed prosthetic eye on 25 November 2021. He first tried his eye on 11 November alongside a traditional acrylic prosthetic. By going home on 25 November with just his printed eye, he is the first patient to use a 3D printed eye as their sole prosthetic.
Stratasys continues to enhance anatomic modeling solutions for healthcare providers through the introduction of a new software module, Digital Anatomy Creator, for Stratasys Digital Anatomy 3D Printers. The new software allows users to easily manipulate material formations and customize the internal structures of their prints to achieve patient-specific anatomic models that are a direct replication of a patient’s pathologic and biologic anatomy.
PrinterPrezz and Uniformity Labs have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to utilize Uniformity’s technology in laser powder bed fusion and binder jetting for medical device applications.
Advancements in additive manufacturing have the potential to significantly improve health care, allowing for surgical implants to be custom designed for each patient. Lauren Judkins, a graduate student in the Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering, is adapting these advancements to enhance the recovery of patients who experienced rib injuries.“To create designs specifically for each unique patient, 3D printing is a necessity,” Judkins said. “I’m really motivated by the impacts my work could have on human health in the future.”
Formlabs is the first 3D printing company listed in a major group purchasing organization (GPO) catalog, demonstrating the increasing demand for 3D printed surgical tools and medical supplies in hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs). Formlabs received a contract from Vizient, the largest member-driven healthcare GPO in the nation, to offer its 3D printers, materials, and solutions for converting CT/MR imaging into tactile, patient-specific anatomical replicas for surgical planning, implant sizing, and patient consent. The contract provides negotiated pricing, terms and conditions for Vizient member healthcare organizations.
Medical device manufacturers Nvision Biomedical Technologies and Watershed Idea Foundry have received FDA clearance for what is reportedly the world’s first 3D printed titanium anterior cervical plate.
3D bioprinting firm BICO has announced an initial $1.5 million contract manufacturing deal with regenerative joint replacement start-up Nanochon.
3D printed anatomical models developed by rapid prototyping service provider Laser Modelling Israel (LMI) have aided surgeons in a complex segmentation surgery for conjoined twins.
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.