Pedro, 16-year old, suffered stroke in 2012 which left him with his right hand affected by spasticity and lose fine movement. A team collaborated with Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and created a custom orthotic hand swimming fin for Pedro in less than a month using water soluble PVA material and Sigma 3D printer.

Cameron Haight, a 5-year old now, was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, which caused his fingers and toes to be deformed and few amputated. Receiving her own 3D Printed Hand, she and her mother began 3D Printing e-NABLE hands for other children using the first design made by Cameron called Tool 5000. They have set up an NPO called Different Heroes to raise money for these 3D printed hands for children around globe.

Emerging Implant Technologies (EIT), a German company, famous for its Cellular Titanium technology, has received FDA clearance again, to expand their EIT Cellular Titanium Cervical Cage to be used in multiple contiguous cervical levels (C2 to T1) and this is the first multi-level 3D printed cervical cage to enter the US market. It is designed to be used with autogenous and/or allogenic bone grafts to facilitate fusion, and should be used with supplemental fixation.

Temasek Polytechnic, a university in Singapore, is developing a new technique for better, faster, and cheaper Dental Crowns and Bridges, as a result of 3D printing. The technique involves creation of a traditional impression that is then turned into a form, which is scanned to create a digital model and in turn, the mold for shaping the exterior and interior metal form to attach the prosthetic to the receiving tooth.

3D printing solutions company Stratasys worked with the VA Center of Innovation (VACI) to install 3D printers in five VA hospitals across the country, helping veterans with custom 3D printed prosthetics and orthotics. Hand therapist Mary Matthews, with the help of Ben Salatin (Rehabilitation Engineer) made a 3D printed one piece orthotic for Newton, making it more comfortable and damage proof with increased aesthetics.

Foundations like the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Foundation and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are working round the clock to provide new life to more than 1 million victims of war in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Jordan by providing them 3D Printed Prosthetics. Using the 3D Scanning Technology and 3D Printing simultaneously, the parts can be printed without even doctor-patient meeting, while also cut down the heavy cost of traditional prosthetics that tend to be unfit and uncomfortable to the wearer.

A team of researchers at University of Minnesota researchers are working on what they call “Bionic Eye” by Custom 3D Printing photoreceptors on a hemispherical surface. The process consumed hemispherical glass dome, silver particle base ink, semiconducting polymer materials and approximately one hour. With 25% efficiency, they are now planning to create prototypes that are even more efficient and could be worked upon for implantation into a real eye, thereby restoring or improving sight.

The story of 5-year old Cameron Haight was undoubtedly inspiring, how he was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome (ABS) which cause his finger bones to fuse, skin webbing, indentations on one wrist and fingers and even amputations. With help from eNABLE and Robo R1+ 3D Printer, he started 3D Printing prosthetics for other children in need and now through Different Heroes, a non-profit organization raised by Cam and his parents, they were able to gift their favorite football team Carolina Panthers idol with an adult-sized version of his own 3D Printed Panthers Prosthetic Hand.

A Chilean startup Copper3D had recently unveiled PLACTIVE, an antibacterial 3D printing filament designed for the production of medical devices such as prosthetics and braces. Taking interest in PLACTIVE, the NASA Nebraska Space Grant is working with the University of Nebraska Omaha and Copper3D on a study of PLACTIVE and states the new material has already passed very exhaustive laboratory tests with +99.99% elimination of most dangerous bacterial strains.

Italian Startup Youbionic was founded by Federico Ciccarese, and they have come up with a newer version of their Youbionic arm that is a Robotic Arm made of 3d printing and designed to perform all movements that a human Arm can accomplish. The arm is 3D printed out of PLA and uses Actuonix Linear Actuators. The company has rolled out the 3D Print Files of the arm for $149 and files for hand for $99 with hopes to fund his team’s further development.

3D printed amphibious prosthetic leg called The Fin was developed months back by Northwell Health with help from Long Island design firm Eschen Prosthetic & Orthotic Laboratories and Composites Prototyping Center. The Fin is a carbon fiber 3D printed prosthetic attachment that allows amputee swimmers to move from land into the water, without having to switch up devices in between and it’s also designed to provide them with a more natural sensation as well. The device is expected to roll out soon and will greatly help the veterans swim again and recover part of their lifestyle.

India is progressing towards 3D Printing too and seeks to harvest the benefits of this technology. Recently, two children in Manipal, India received 3D printed prosthetic limbs from the brand new 3D Printing Facility called Hastha Centre for Congenital Hand Differences, at the Department of Orthopedics at Kasturba Hospital. The prosthetics made at the center can be customized to any level of amputation, whether above or below the elbow or for missing or shortened fingers.

Local company BioArchitects was founded by young entrepreneur, Felipe Marques four years ago with investment in medical 3D Printing to harvest the technology. The company now uses metal 3D printing technology to create patient-specific, biocompatible implants that replace hard tissue and allows doctors to actually be able to see and manipulate a replica of what they will find when they operate. The BioArchitects also performs in field of medical training, simulated operations and prosthetics, with their titanium plate being first of its kind to be approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Giza Systems recognized the project called Project Nitrous inspired by the work of Mohamed El-Hossary and Ahmed Mohsen, whose aim was to support and boost the work being done for people with disabilities (PwDs). Project Nitrous is extending its work into four main tracks: Creating assistive devices, Giving people with disabilities the technical knowledge to design their own tools, Creating a startup extension of the project run by people with disabilities and Providing a blueprint for others who want to start similar businesses and creating an open-source community where designs and tools are accessible to all. Project Nitrous was officially born in February 2018, and has helped 23 people so far, with 18 additional projects currently in progress.

Halifax resident Jacob Boudreau, who works for a logistics company, was inspired to open his own non-profit e-NABLE chapter, called Kindness3D. After legalization of marijuana in Canada, he stood for the waste management by recycling plastic waste from what he refers to as the “excessive cannabis packaging conundrum” of the NSLC (Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation), the province’s legal cannabis distributor. Using Kindness3D modified a paper shredder at Boudreau’s Dalhousie University Sexton Campus operation, recycled plastic was converted into 3D Printed Prosthetics for children. Additionally, he started a petition in hopes of convincing the NSLC to collect and donate all of its used cannabis packaging to Kindness3D.

Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/cannabis-packaging-3d-printer-prosthetic-limbs-1.4878440

Researchers at the Istituto Orthopedico in Rizzoli, Bologna made an attempt to improve on current methods for making tissue repairs and replacement by creating 3D Printed Meniscus Prototype. Using the real MRI Scans and converting them to .stl file, then proceeding to create a model from which to make the meniscus prototype and resulting scaffolds. The researchers used the 3D printed model of the knee to assist in reconstruction of the meniscus. They used a series of 2D cross sections to create tool paths, using LifeInk 200 bio-ink as the material for printing cells, and then 3D Printing the final product of Meniscus Prototype.

A Team led by Professor Yoon Jin-sook from Severance Hospital, South Korea worked on 3D Printing Custom Eye Prosthetics on a large scale by solving the production cost and time. Following the scan of patient’s eye and conversion of data into STL file, the Eye were 3D Printed using Carima DS131 and Biocompatible Photopolymer Resin (FotoTec DLP.A, Dreve Inc.). To give them much realistic look, the Sublimation Transfer Technique was used to print the image of the iris and blood vessels on the 3D-printed ocular prosthesis.

Zortrax recently launched two brand new Resins for its latest Inkspire 3D Printing Platform for dental and prosthetic applications. Raydent Crown & Bridge is class IIa biocompatible, lasts 30 days, is safe for human contact and can boasts high abrasion resistance guaranteeing permanent smooth surfaces and anatomical shape for the duration of its usage. Another product involved Raydent Surgical Guide, Class I biocompatibility, which is safe for transient contact with human tissue, translucent to enhance visibility, features high dimensional accuracy to enable correct placement of implants or guidance for tools, and low viscosity and water resistance to make the guides easy to wash.

During the LMT Lab Day Event held at Chicago, New York, Arfona made some huge announcements regarding their upcoming updates. Arfona is a New York-based dental tech startup, which was founded in 2016 by several 3D printing enthusiasts and dental technicians, and specializes in thermoplastic 3D printed dental prosthetics. After the 3D printed flexible partial denture, they have now come up with new FILAdent material – a thermoplastic PMMA filament that can be used to 3D print denture teeth when combined with Valplast’s partial dentures. PMMA, or poly(methyl methacrylate), is inert, biocompatible, and easy to obtain, and has been used to make cranial implants previously.

A Team of Researchers from China worked towards combining 3D printing with patient‐specific instrumentation (PSI) and performing a prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) to show that 3DP‐designed PSI performed better than traditional TKA. CT scans were converted to 3D printing files, printed out on an UP BOX, using bio-safe polylactic acid. Eighty five patients got operated and received the LEGION Total Knee System. The outcomes on the follow up revealed PSI to have better postoperative radiological outcomes, accuracy in 3DP-designed PSI, and feasibility.

Surgical Removal of tumours, especially in Oral Cancer patients, is disfiguring and cannot be completely recovered even after reconstruction surgeries. But Titanium implants have shown promises in the field of reconstruction surgeries, and now, Russian researchers are trying to figure out osseous integration occurring with titanium implants in animals, post re-section, and studying both the implanting and then the required removal of prosthesis meant to be temporary. Titanium bionic implants, tetragonal-shaped, were fabricated to mimic human bone and a Russian-made selective laser melting (SLM) printer was used with Titanium VT1-00 powder. The researchers concluded Clear Establishment that the insertion of the implant led to tissue growth over the device, but with no inflammation detected.

A team of Researchers recently tried to evaluate the 3D Printed Prosthetics and Their End-Users Usage by creating a Prosthetic that had four features: Body powered control, Cosmetic appearance, Lightweight structure and Water and dirt resistance. The initial samples were printed on an Ultimaker 3, using PLA, testing the leaf spring and movement of the hand in five different experiments. The designs were then tested using both the Box and Blocks Test (BBT) and the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) test which included 20 healthy students from the Delft University of Technology. The hand had negligible assembly, involving only removal of supports and one ‘snap-fit step.’

Authors Linglong Deng, Xing Zhao, Chi Wei, Wengiang Qu, Li Yu, and Shaobo Zhu, wrote their research paper about using 3D Printing in Bone Cancer and its application to create Prosthetic fit for the patient. Chondrosarcoma is an Aggressive Bone Tumour that requires limb salvaging as the only option. The team used 3D Printing to create Prosthesis with Titanium and screwed into the scapula of the patient suffering from Chondrosarcoma. After four weeks, the patient was able to move his hand, elbow, and shoulder, and is still in good condition with no pain in the shoulder.