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Two South African Cancer Patients Receive 3D Printed Titanium Jaw Implants
jigmypig (3675225) writes "Two patients in South Africa that have had their lives and more specifically their jaws severely affected by cancer, have just received 3D printed jaw implants. The jaws were 3D printed using a laser sintering process that melts powdered titanium, one layer at a time. The process saves a ton of money, and unlike traditional manufacturing of titanium jaws, it doesn't waste any materials. Traditional manufacturing wastes up to 80% of the titanium block used in the process, whereas with 3D printing there is little to no waste at all. This new process also allows for a fully customizable solution. The models are drawn up in CAD software, and then printed out to precisely fit the patient."
Cast is bad enough, but sintering is awful for strength. Horrible.
If it's FINE enough it should be, er.. fine. I wonder what the fail test is like for this being an orthopedic application, or is that even considered beyond "it's metal"?
When they say 3D printed do they mean a metal mill, or can we 3D print with any random material now?
And if so, why not use the far more tried tested, and better alternative milling?
Nope, it's "laser sintering." They take metal powder and fuse it together one layer at a time. You put a layer of metal powder down, the laser fuses it together, then you put another layer of powder over it. Repeat until done.
The nice thing is all the waste powder can be reused without having to melt it down, so there's almost no waste. The other thing is you can print shapes that are really hard to mill. No more ridiculously complex 6 axes milling machines that the US treats like munitions. Just Google ITER sometime to see the craziness.
So lets pretend that we've just completed writing this code, as opposed to having just completed sabotaging it -Altera
If I remember this correctly, sintering is actually one of the favoured manufacturing methods for implants. Something about how you can make the material surfaces porous enough for tissue to hold on to, which traditional machining simply cannot match.
I've no doubt that sintered parts have undergone failure testing and found acceptable. Do you know the level of regulation for a medical implant? It's insane.
They lost me at Titanium Jaw Implants. Titanium has a nasty tendency to foster bacterial growth in spite of its good attributes.
Gimme a high density plastic any day.
No I don't care about any sentences beginning with " Research shows..." or " Records prove", as they represent the OPINIONS of those promoting the problem.
Like asking a car salesman, what the best car on the lot is....
*Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!