News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
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.
Medical device firm Osseus Fusion Systems has announced that its Aries family of 3D printed lumbar interbody fusion devices have received FDA 510(k) clearance. The approval marks one of the largest FDA clearances for a family of 3D printed spinal devices of that kind.
AVINENT Digital Health has recently acquired the Stratasys J750 3D printer, a powerful device in the field of 3D printing that stands out from the crowd in terms of its technology for its ability to reproduce the most realistic models.
In Tennessee, oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Brooks, and his team of residents are using EnvisionTEC’s 3D printing solutions to create better treatment plans, implants and other life-changing devices for patients with birth defects, or recovering from disease or trauma.
Though spinal cord injuries can be a life changing issue—resulting discomfort, extreme pain and even paralysis—new 3D printing research coming from the University of Minnesota could take us one step closer to treating and helping people with long-term spinal cord injuries.
“Imagine a completely robotic being consciously controlled by a biological brain,” YouBionic’s Federico Ciccarese tells us. And though my mind goes almost directly to the massive Jaegers from Pacific Rim, there is a real world example of Ciccarese’s idea that could soon become a reality.
As additive manufacturing gradually improves its viability as a manufacturing process, its role as a prototyping technology can sometimes be overlooked or underemphasized. Rather than seeing its prototyping potential as a limitation, however, there are some who are looking to shine a spotlight onto this particular application of 3D printing.
Stryker’s Spine division today announced the publication of a pre-clinical animal study comparing the performance of spinal implants made from a variety of materials, which illustrated the bone ingrowth and biological fixation capabilities of its 3D-printed Tritanium cages. The study, titled “Bony Ingrowth Potential of 3D Printed Porous Titanium Alloy: A Direct Comparison of Interbody Cage Materials in an In Vivo Ovine Lumbar Fusion Model,” was published in the July issue of The Spine Journal.