Formnext 2021 | One step towards better healthcare
By: Khánh Vi
Tags: Technology, Medical, Healthcare, Orthopedics, 3D Printing

Formnext 2021 | One step towards better healthcare

As the foremost industry platform for additive manufacturing and industrial 3D printing, Formnext is the international conference point for the next generation of intelligent industrial production. This year, the highlight goes to healthcare and effective medical treatments. Khánh Vi Follow Nov 25, 2021 · 4 min read

3D-printed artificial limbs at formnext2021 (Source)

3D printing contributes so well to the healthcare industry. Medical devices, organs for studying purposes, and personalized prosthetics can be 3D-printed in medical and healthcare systems. It’s not only about lessening costs and time. It likewise means that we have some steps further to nourish and heal human lives. Let jump into some highlight healthcare innovations at formnext2021.

Artificial medical replacements

Deformable Acetabular Hip Cups

Built with Titan-Grade 1, the acetabular hip cups have a duration of up to 15 years. The long course helps minimize the replacement times and reduces surgical expense and risk, especially for the senior people. Hip cups manufactured by the Laser Powder Bed Fusion have high accuracy in micro detail, allowing bone cells to grow across the artificial cups.

Artificial ceramic bone parts

Since 2015, Particle3D has been developing disruptive bone-printing technology based on hard science from extensive pre-clinical work. Particle3D’s patented bio-ink allows the possibility of printing patient-specific, natural, and resorbable bone implants to rebuild the human’s frame according to the patient’s own CT or MRI scan.

With Create it REAL’s 3D print technology, the company enables companies like Particle3D to utilize the benefits of 3D Print, mass customization, speed, local production, and authenticity.

Breast cancer locator

Breast Cancer Locator

The Breast Cancer Locator™ (BCL™) is a proprietary, patient-customized, 3D-printed surgical guide that reduces positive margins during breast cancer tumor removal. The BCL™ provides data concerning tumor size, shape, and margin boundary to assist surgeons in removing cancer yet preserving normal breast tissue.

CairnSurgical™ collects patient MRI data, interprets it to mark tumor geometry and location, and uses the data to form the BCL™.

Single-arm and randomized, controlled clinical trials are underway to validate key aspects of the BCL™ technology.

Footwear optimization

3D-printed shoe soles

The orthopedic insole demand is significantly expanding these years as diabetes and heel problem patients rise. A peculiar personalized insole substantially increases the comfort and well-being of such patients.

The partnership between GeBioM and Create it REAL solves this issue by automating and digitalizing the workflow, allowing an orthopedic shoemaker to triple the production capacity and create even better products than possible today.

Pre-surgery model

3D-printed human spine for pre-surgeon purposes

The advanced technology in object scanning and real-time data transferring help to bring 3D modeling and printing to a higher level of efficiency. This provides surgeons better understandings and preparation, therefore raising the success of the surgery. Furthermore, medical training and education get vast benefits with more effective practical training and reasonable cost.

Artificial heart made by Create it REAL (Source)

The next level of 3D printing services is required for medical training and education to address the difficulty of learning material shortage: 3D-printed realistic, affordable organ models built to the closest accuracy with the patient’s scan. To improve students’ and medical professionals’ learning and training methods, Create it Real, the University of Heidelberg, and The University of Tübingen have started a project to produce realistic and accurate 3D models of a particular patient-funded within the framework of the Eurostars Programme.

Final thought

3D printing offers the medical industry great freedom of design, adaptability, and functional integration. For the manufacturers of dentures, medical and orthopedic technology products, orthoses, and prostheses, this creates many far-reaching opportunities. We, therefore, have the right to hope for a brighter future towards more effective and efficient healthcare practice and training.