China 3D Prints First PEEK Clavicle Implant

The medical team at Kunming Medical University Hospital in China, in collaboration with the company IEMAI 3D successfully transplants the first clavicle printed in 3D with PEEK. What does this milestone mean for the medical sector? How important is the use of thermoplastic materials?

For some months now, there has been a lot of talk about materials such as PEEK, ULTEM or the family of advanced thermoplastics to which they belong. But what makes them so important to the industry? In fact, these materials are widely used with FDM technologies. In turn, this makes it relatively more affordable to manufacture with these materials. Furthermore, these materials offer a resistance close to some metals but at a much lower price.

The 3D printed implants are not a novelty in the industry. It has been 10 years since the first 3D printed hip prosthesis was in a patient. More and more studies speak of the benefits of using additive manufacturing in its development. It is thanks to these studies that they have discovered that the use of plastics such as PEEK guarantees faster recovery and better acceptance of the implant from patients.