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Simulation of Additive Manufacturing for medical applications – Current capabilities, benefits and open challenges

Patrick Mehmert

by Patrick Mehmert, Product Manager Additive Manufacturing, Simufact Engineering GmbH

Simulation of additive manufacturing processes gets more and more powerful and widespread in industrial applications. Also for medical applications the simulation of the production before the real print offers valuable benefits. Manufacturing problems can be identified in advance and countermeasures developed before a print fails. For geometrical critical applications the distortion prediction and compensation is very helpful.

Continue reading “Simulation of Additive Manufacturing for medical applications – Current capabilities, benefits and open challenges”
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Process with ceramic filled resins for stereolithography-based additive manufacturing of Bonelike Materials – Presented by Jaco Saurwalt, Admatec Europe

Jaco Saurwalt

Process with ceramic filled resins for stereolithography-based additive manufacturing of Bonelike Materials – Presented by Jaco Saurwalt, Admatec Europe, at 3D Medical Conference 2019.

Additive manufacturing technologies have expanded the possibilities of ceramic processing. In parallel, their introduction to the market has enabled the discovery of new applications for ceramics.

Among all additive technologies, stereolithography-based (SLA) techniques have the most potential because of their high precision and because the final properties of the printed parts are comparable to traditional advanced ceramics. Continue reading “Process with ceramic filled resins for stereolithography-based additive manufacturing of Bonelike Materials – Presented by Jaco Saurwalt, Admatec Europe”

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M3dRES – Additive Manufacturing for Medical Research and Education – Presented by Ewald Unger, Medical University Vienna

Ewald Unger

M3dRES – Additive Manufacturing for Medical Research and Education – Presented by Ewald Unger, Medical University Vienna, Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, at the 3D Medical Conference, which takes place on January 30-31, 2019, at MECC Maastricht, The Netherlands.

In the last few decades Additive Manufacturing (AM), colloquially known as 3D printing, has been rapidly adopted as a cutting-edge technology gaining more importance in medical applications. Novel ideas for medical treatments using AM has reached maturity in this new field of research, with an increasing number of publications and the establishment of educational programmes in Universities across the globe. The uniqueness of AM in producing customized models with high accuracy allows planning and training of critical operations and traching of advanced medical strategies for a better patient support. Continue reading “M3dRES – Additive Manufacturing for Medical Research and Education – Presented by Ewald Unger, Medical University Vienna”

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Bioinspired Heart Valve Prosthesis and Cellular Scaffolds by Silicone 3D Printing – Presented by Fergal Coulter, ETH Zurich – Complex Materials

Fergal Coulter

Bioinspired Heart Valve Prosthesis and Cellular Scaffolds by Silicone 3D Printing – Presented by Fergal Coulter, ETH Zurich – Complex Materials, at the 3D Medical Conference, which takes place on January 30-31, 2019, at MECC Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Artificial heart valves are highly demanded medical devices, but suffer from inferior performance compared to their biological counterparts. To tackle the poor longevity and hemodynamic behavior of many synthetic valves, an additive manufacturing platform was developed that enables the fabrication of polymer heart valves that are customizable to the patient and feature unique biologically-inspired leaflet designs.

Exploiting the shaping freedom of additive manufacturing, the synthetic valves are customized using geometries tailored to fit the anatomy of the patient. The architecture of the leaflet is designed to mimic the fiber reinforcement found in a natural valve. Continue reading “Bioinspired Heart Valve Prosthesis and Cellular Scaffolds by Silicone 3D Printing – Presented by Fergal Coulter, ETH Zurich – Complex Materials”

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Additive Manufacturing of orthopedic products – Presented by Richt Loorbach, Hulotech

Richt Loorbach

Additive Manufacturing of orthopedic products – Presented by Richt Loorbach, Hulotech B.V., at the 3D Medical Conference, on January 30-31, 2019, MECC Maastricht, The Netherlands

With AM there’s new possibilities to produce orthopedic solutions which before never can dreamed of.
Custom products on a large scale of production. Prosthetic, or Orthosis and more. Continue reading “Additive Manufacturing of orthopedic products – Presented by Richt Loorbach, Hulotech”

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Additive manufacturing a novel titanium dental implant abutment – Presented by Les Kalman, Research Driven

Les Kalman

Additive manufacturing a novel titanium dental implant abutment – Presented by Les Kalman, Research Driven at the 3D Medical Printing Conference, which will take place on 30-31 January 2019 at MECC Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Dental implants are an important elective option for the replacement of a missing tooth or teeth. The abutment acts as an interface between the implant and artificial tooth/teeth. A novel dental implant abutment, that provides a simple, efficient and inexpensive alternative for tooth fabrication, has been developed, patented and termed Tempcap.

The initial (traditional) prototype was fabricated by laser welding components but resulted in a weak structure with excessive variability in design. Manufacturing through conventional machining proved too costly and complicated. Additive manufacturing was investigated as an alternative to fabrication. The prototype was digitized and refined through CAD and initially printed in Duraform 316L stainless steel. The prototypes were qualitatively assessed for functionality by implant threading and successful simulated fabrication of an artificial tooth in a laboratory setting.

Based on the final optimized design, Tempcaps were 3D printed in dental-grade Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) (ADEISS, London, ON). Complimentary to the 3D printing process, all Tempcaps underwent post-processing, which included final thread tapping for pronounced thread geometries, heat treatment for relieving thermal stresses and strengthening, and bead blasting for a smoother finish.

The final research objectives are: (1) to compare the maximum torques experienced during insertion of conventional and 3D printed Tempcaps into dental implants and (2) to assess the mechanical strength of the retentive pin projections under compression.

Results will be obtained this summer. The research will provide the necessary results required to verify and validate the 3D printed Tempcap for a clinical assessment. Continue reading “Additive manufacturing a novel titanium dental implant abutment – Presented by Les Kalman, Research Driven”

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Additive manufacturing (resorbable) metal implants for orthopaedic applications – Presented by Holger Jahr, UK RWTH Aachen

Holger Jahr

Additive manufacturing (resorbable) metal implants for orthopaedic applications – Presented by Holger Jahr, UK RWTH Aachen, at the 3D Medical Conference, which will take place on 30-31 January 2018 at MECC Maastricht, The Netherlands. Read the interview

In our increasingly elderly population the number of large bone defect treatments is increasing. Due to lifestyle changes, traumatic knee injuries in young adults is also an increasing phenomenon and strongly associated with premature osteoarthritis. Additively manufactured implants seem to offer attractive and personalized solutions for both. Designing complex micro-architectures with advanced nano-topographies is crucial to creating state-of-the-art meta-biomaterial properties to improve their bone tissue regeneration potential and anti-microbial properties. While a plethora of materials exist, metals appear to be beneficial for certain applications. The best implant, however, may be the one that does its job and disappears. Continue reading “Additive manufacturing (resorbable) metal implants for orthopaedic applications – Presented by Holger Jahr, UK RWTH Aachen”

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Additive manufacturing to revolutionise personalized regenerative medicine – Holger Jahr, UK RWTH Aachen

Holger Jahr

Additive manufacturing to revolutionise personalized regenerative medicine – Holger Jahr, UK RWTH Aachen

Holger Jahr is Secretary-General of the European Orthopaedic Research Society and director of the Orthopaedic research lab at the University Hospital of the RWTH Aachen. He holds an associate professorship in Experimental Orthopaedics and honorary appointments with the Maastricht UMC+ and TU Delft. His research focuses on regenerative biomaterials for musculoskeletal disorders. In 2017, he received the Klee Family Innovation Award for his work on lattice structured 3D-printed metal implants. On January 31, 2018, he will speak during the 3D Medical Printing Conference in Maastricht about Additive manufacturing (resorbable) metal implants for orthopaedic applications

What drives you? Continue reading “Additive manufacturing to revolutionise personalized regenerative medicine – Holger Jahr, UK RWTH Aachen”

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“Additive Manufacturing: The Next Step in Making CT Components”, Presented by Peter Hoogerhuis, Philips Healthcare

Owning a 3D printer is only the beginning of the process – what is most important is the process knowledge. Next to this, what else do we need for ramping-up to larger volumes? The answer to this question is not as obvious as you would expect. Complexity of processes, varying cycle times and traceability makes lean manufacturing within the 3D printing process industry environment a true challenge. The journey from a prototype phase to large volume production brings lots of learning opportunities and experiences to share. By remaining focused on innovative product and process development, we are determined to develop this novel technology further and to redefine the future of design. Continue reading ““Additive Manufacturing: The Next Step in Making CT Components”, Presented by Peter Hoogerhuis, Philips Healthcare”

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Fortuitous Match: Research and Additive Manufacturing

An adolescent girl has now joined a special group of three baby boys and one baby girl who’ve received 3D-printed tracheal splints to treat a congenital breathing condition called tracheobronchomalasia (TBM).  All five continue to thrive thanks to the surgical procedures that helped their collapsed airways function normally and saved their lives. Continue reading “Fortuitous Match: Research and Additive Manufacturing”