3D printed porous bone structures in FFF technology

Modern technologies allow pushing the boundaries of modern medicine. FossiLabs, an American company from the 3D printing industry, has announced that it has developed proprietary technologies for producing porous bone structures using FFF technology. As the creators say, these are unique 3D printed implants in the form of porous scaffoldings. Equipment and software created by specialists from FossiLabs were used to create them.

Todd Reith, the founder of FossiLabs, says that the use of 3D printing technology has created a porous structure that would be much more difficult to perform with other methods. In the case of bone implants, porosity of the implant is particularly important because it ensures an adequate degree of integration of bone cells with its surface (used, among others, in dental implants).

The elements are made of PEEK, which is medical grade material. Good mechanical strength, Young’s modulus similar to bones, better load distribution compared to titanium implants and lower rigidity than in the case of metal implants make the material a great replacement for standard implant solutions. In addition, 3D prints from FossiLabs are enriched with a hydroxyapatite nanocoating, which, in combination with the porous surface, determines the creation of a permanent connection at the implant bone border.

PEEK has more and more applications in medicine. Due to its mechanical properties, it was used as a material to create BioNEEK – a bionic orthosis based on the design of a magnetic shock absorber that disperses and relieves shocks and relieves the knee joint. Equipment manufacturers are also indifferent. Nearly half a year ago, the German medical start-up Kumovis presented R1 – its first 3D printer allowing 3D printing with PEEK in the surgical standard.

Operating since 2017, FossiLabs is the author of a full system for the production of porous implants in additive technology. Thanks to it, it is possible to produce implants of any degree of porosity in specific regions of the implant to accelerate the time of osseointegration, i.e. the connection between the bone and the implant.

FossiLabs is currently looking for business partners for its project.

Source: www.centrumdruku3d.pl