3D Printed Medical Implants: Discover Some of the Most Innovative Projects

The medical sector is benefiting greatly from advances in additive manufacturing. Thanks to the ability to create unique models for each patient, personalized medicine is finally becoming a reality. Medical implants represent a particularly sensitive field, as they involve the introduction of an external element into the body to replace a failing function or treat a disease. To ensure optimum compatibility, these implants need to be custom-designed, which explains why additive manufacturing has become indispensable in this field. To better understand the current state of implant development, the 3Dnatives team has compiled a selection of implants manufactured using 3D printing. This ranking includes implants already approved as well as others still in the research phase, illustrating the potential and continuing progress of this technology in the medical sector.

3D Printed Implants for Ear

The hammer, anvil, and stirrup are three bones located in our ear, the smallest in our human body because they do not grow after birth. Their shape, size, and position are therefore very important for the proper functioning of the ear. However, sometimes these bones break and need to be replaced. This is what happened in South Africa where a patient had 3D printed titanium bones implanted following a car accident. After a 3D scan of his middle ear, the team of surgeons behind the operation was able to model a bespoke implant, which was then printed on a powder bed laser fusion machine. Titanium was favored in this case for its biocompatibility and strength.

Ossicles are among the smallest bones in the human body. The picture shows a real ossicle and not the implant

3D Printed Jaw Implant After Tumor Removal

Anelia Myburgh, is an Australian woman from Melbourne who improved her quality of life thanks to additive manufacturing technologies. Due to a malignant tumor located in her jaw and teeth, the doctors were forced to remove it, which caused a disfigurement in the woman’s face by losing more than 80% of the jaw. The case of de Myburgh led maxillofacial surgeon George Dimitroulis to explore the possibilities of additive manufacturing for the creation of custom models. Thus, he created a jaw implant with a titanium frame capable of incorporating bone grafts. After more than 5 hours of surgery and several months of recovery, we can affirm that the operation was a complete success and the advances in this technology gave Anelia the security and confidence in her life.