Media Library

Author: Anton du Plessis (Research Group 3D Innovation, Stellenbosch University, South Africa)

Additive manufacturing allows complexity of manufactured structures, allowing entirely new design capabilities. In the context of complex structure design, lattice structures hold the most promise for high complexity, tailorable and ultra-lightweight structures. In medical applications, these structures find application especially in bone implants – allowing matching of local elastic modulus of implant to that of bone and also allowing osseointegration. With this new complexity comes new manufacturing quality control and metrology challenges. Traditional metrology tools cannot access the entire structure and the only reliable method to inspect the inner details of these structures is by X-ray tomography. This work highlights the challenges of this process, demonstrating a workflow for dimensional metrology of coupon lattice samples. The confidence gained by inspection of such lattice coupons support the application of these lattices in end-use parts. The same principles are applied to larger samples and limitations are discussed using examples of implants. (Submission 610)

Author: Jack Stubbs (Director PD3D Lab, Institute for Simulation and Training, University of Central Florida, USA)

3D Printing is influencing the medical and surgical fields in many positive and interesting ways. The PD3D lab at the University of Central Florida has been working with many applications including Patient Specific Pre-Surgical Planning Models, Patient Specific Medical Device Development, Surgical Skills Task Trainers, Anatomical Training Models and Procedural Simulation Manikins. Through the advances of Polyjet 3D Printing and patented methods of creating composite structured materials, the tunability and fidelity are being develop to simulate realistic tissues that look, feel and behave like human tissues.

Author: Noam Eliaz (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel)

The corrosion resistance of an implant material affects its functionality and durability and is a prime factor governing biocompatibility. The introduction of additively manufactured (AM’ed) dental, orthopedic, maxillofacial, and other implants raises a new challenge to corrosion engineers. AM’ed cellular and other structures often contain inherent crevices. In addition, higher level of porosity, less homogeneous microstructures, and higher residual stresses might all degrade the corrosion resistance, not only the mechanical properties, compared to wrought alloys. Furthermore, surface treatments such as electropolishing and electroplating may also be more challenging when dealing with cellular structures. This presentation highlights the challenges in corrosion control of implants in general, and of AM’ed metallic implants in particular.
 

Author: Philipp Brantner (Department of Radiology at the University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland)

With 3D Printing in healthcare becoming increasingly common this talk will take a broader look at the potential applications of 3D Printing in hospitals and its associated challenges. Based on the experience at the Basel University 3D PrintLab it will take into account the feedback of referring physicians as well as alternative presentation technologies such as virtual reality.
 

Author: Giorgio De Pasquale (Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Additive manufacturing is allowing since several years the fabrication of metal lattice structures with high resolution, especially thanks to the increasing performances of DMLS (direct metal laser sintering) processes. The mechanical behavior of lattice structures depends primarily to the parent material, however it can be significantly modified or adjusted by means of the design of single cell and the 3D cells stacking. The most known advantages associated to engineered cellular structures are lightweight and thermal exchange, although advanced functionalities are appearing in the fields of materials joints and energy absorption. The applications of these properties are wide and include biomechanics/bioengineering, micromechanics, human-machines interfaces (HMI), sport and traditional mechanics (machines, vehicles, plants, etc.) The most recent projects released by the “Smart Structures and Systems” Lab. include the AM processes optimization for qualified and repeatable production of lattices at industrial quality level, the design methodologies linked to reduced-order modeling, the testing for reliability, and the development of patented technologies exploiting metal AM lattice structures.
 

Author: Paulo Jorge Bártolo (Chair in Advanced Manufacturing, University of Manchester, UK)

Additive manufacturing encompasses a group of technologies enabling the generation of complex, biomimetic 3D structures for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The ability of 3D printing to pattern multiple materials, cell types and biomolecules provides a unique tool to create tissue constructs closely resembling the composition, architecture and function of biological tissues. This keynote provides a concise overview of recent advances on the use of additive manufacturing and materials for the fabrication of cell-laden constructs and multi-functional and hierarchical scaffolds for tissue engineering.
 

Author: Bahattin Koc (3D Bioprinting Lab, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey)

Bioprinting is a relatively new tissue/organ engineering method where living cells with or without biomaterials are printed layer-by-layer in order to create three-dimensional living structures. In comparison to scaffold-based tissue engineering approaches, this method fabricates complex living and non-living biological structures from live cells alone or with biomolecules and biomaterials. This presentation will discuss about direct 3D bioprinting of cell aggregates and also cell-laden hydrogels for tissues/organ engineering. Bioprinting process such as how to digitally copy and design tissue/organs, how to prepare bio-inks, bio-printing instructions and how to print live cells will be explained.  The presentation will also discuss the several applications and also the challenges in organ printing.
 

Author: Francesco Moscato (Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University of Vienna, Austria)

Modern cardiovascular interventions focus on the reduction of trauma via minimally invasive access and on individualized treatment addressing anatomical and patho-physiologic differences among patients. This focus poses numerous new challenges as interventions often require image guidance, without direct sight, and enhanced preoperative understanding for better planning and navigation. Additionally, medical education needs to be adapted to the better prepare surgeons and interventional cardiologists to these challenges. Both computational and physical models ("patient twins") provide therefore ideal tools for enhanced therapy and education truly at the point-of-care. In this talk examples of anatomical and functional 3D-printed and computational models will be presented that highlight how 3d modeling helps improving cardiovascular therapies.
 

L. L. Chepelev, O. Miguel, and A.M. Sheikh

The COVID-19 global pandemic has placed an unprecedented strain upon global medical resources, resulting in shortages of both, everyday disposable medical items, and specialized devices and materials that are often crucial to patient survival. In this work, we discuss the most acute needs faced by the Intensive Care Unit physicians in Canada and the mitigation steps our group undertook to address these needs. We provide several practical examples of devices developed and manufactured within our group and discuss some of the associated implementation challenges. (Submission 601)

M. Schmidt, J. Roitenberg, R. Sims, J. Inziello, F. Lobo Fenoglietto, and J. Stubbs

In response to the personal protective equipment shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our team established a collaboration with Orlando Health and Stratasys for the development, validation and mass production of 3D-printed, custom-fit N95 respirators and face shields. The partnership has delivered more than 5000 face shields to local Central Florida hospitals, including Orlando Health and Lakeland Regional. (Submission 580)

S. Marconi, G. Alaimo, E. Negrello, V. Mauri, A. Cattenone, A. Pietrabissa, and F. Auricchio

The present work aims at describing the workflow applied for the use of AM technologies during the worst phase of Covid-19 emergency. AM technologies have proved to be effective for the production in short time of lots of devices which rapidly run out of stock due to unprecedent high demand, as many components to be used within ventilation systems. Moreover, many systems required modifications to prevent personnel infection. We report the workflow applied to face the different needs, in terms of materials and technologies selection according to the specific requirements (disinfection, device criticality) and some of applications carried out. (Submission 607)

T. Lück, C. Seifarth, P. Malauschek, O. Schendel, and H. Nopper

Additive manufacturing (AM) represents an excellent tool to accelerate the product development process. Used as modern manufacturing technology it still has to compete with traditional technologies like e.g. injection molding. Having both technologies in house available, cirp GmbH faces decision making for the adequate tool within that context at first hand. A good example is the ramped up development of 2 corona devices namely a reusable respirator mask and an aerosol protection face-shield. This work assesses the cost and benefits and the subsequent production decisions using the example of those 2 devices. (Submission 605)

F. Porras, M. Araya, O. Sánchez, R. Vargas, and  S. Corrales

The new possibilities in Additive Manufacturing allow the development and manufacture of functional, high strength, and customizable 3D printing prosthetic components. This study characterizes the structural resistance, under static loads, of a 3D printed prosthetic foot fabricated with additive manufacturing of continuous filament deposition. Two conditions (keel and heel tests) were evaluated according to the standard ISO 22675. Peak forces of 4106 N were applied to the prosthetic foot with a maximum deformation of 40.8 mm, as a result, no visible fractures were found and total shape recovery. (Submission 600)

D. Gailevicius, G. Merkininkaite, D. Andrijec, D. Andriukaitis, H. Gricius, R. Vargalis, L. Jonusauskas, and S. Šakirzanovas

Scaffolds for cell growth have been irreplaceable in regenerative medicine. Typically, the scaffold structures are rigid or semi-rigid. This can be overcome using multiphoton laser lithography that allows the fabrication of flexible geometries, appropriate for soft tissue application. A step beyond that is the application of a postprocessing step appropriate to hybrid polymers that results in new materials and new properties. This gives an option to produce new types of structures. (Submission 608)

G. De Pasquale, A. Buffon, L. Bongiorni

The fabrication of metal parts by laser-based additive manufacturing (AM) processes is providing many applications in the medical field. The layer-by-layer growth of the component provided by powder micromelting allows, at least in theory, the incorporation of discrete sensors and wires inside the metal material. However, several process-related issues make this operation very challenging. This paper introduces the incorporation of thermal and inertial sensors inside 17-4PH steel specimens fabricated by DMLS (direct metal laser sintering) process (PCT/IB2019/053581, 02/05/2018). In the final configuration, the sensors are totally encased into the continuous metal parts with complete protection against contamination and tampering. (Submission 596)

J. Zimmer

In this talk, I will present the possibilities of using 2-Photon-Polymerisation (2PP), which is the technology behind Nanoscribe’s 3D microprinting, and highlight customer applications in the fields of of medicine and biology. This technology allows for the straightforward printing of virtually any 3D object, with linewidths and line-distances down to 0.2 µm and 0.5 µm, respectively. At the same time, it allows for total sample sizes in the range of several millimeters. The print results in a polymer object. Several biocompatible resins are available. Alternatively, methods are available to transfer the resulting geometry into other materials.
With this technology, highly integrated microscopic parts can be created. I will present recent examples from the fields of medicine and biology, including: tools to interact with individual cells, tissue models, 3D components for lab-on-a-chip applications, and microscopic tools for surgery.

Author: Lina Yan, Li Ping Zhao, Gavin Kane O'Neill

To solve the stress shielding problem in the orthopaedic implants applications, lightweight lattice structures were designed to optimize the internal of the implants. The variation of truss size of lattices can affect the mechanical performances of implants. Also the printed dimension of the shell is closely related to the fitting of implants, and its thickness will again affect the mechanical property of the printed implants. In this study, high resolution X-ray computed tomography was used to quantitatively investigate the consistency of the dimensions in the designed and printed orthopaedic implants. (Submission 584)

L. Yan and G.K. O’Neill 

Stress shielding problem originated from mismatching of material’s modulus has bothered biomedical field for many years. Using advanced additive manufacturing technology, orthopaedic implants can be redesigned to achieve low modulus and good bending stiffness taking advantages of lightweight structures. In this study, 7 patterns of lightweight structures were designed and printed using selective laser melting method. Tensile and 4-points bending tests were conducted according to the ASTM standards for orthopaedic implants, and the optimal lightweight structure was selected which can be used for new orthopaedic implant design. (Submission 582)

C. Polley, Sebastian Schulze, T. Distler, R. Detsch, A.R. Boccaccini, and H. Seitz

Additive manufacturing of novel biomaterials with additional stimulating functions represents a promising strategy for bone repair. In this study, a systematic investigation of the necessary thermal post-treatment of 3D printed barium titanate composite ceramics to achieve the desired mechanical properties for bone regeneration is presented. The maximum sintering temperature was varied from 1320 °C to 1380 °C in 10 K intervals. After sintering, the samples were systematically characterized with respect to their porosity and mechanical properties. Specimens sintered at 1380 °C exhibit a considerably densified microstructure and improved mechanical integrity compared to specimens sintered at lower temperatures. (Submission 598)
 

Author: Th. Friedrich, F. Wegner, and T. M. Buzug

Minimally invasive endovascular interventions play an important role in clinical practice. The procedures are a versatile tool to physicians and are therefore also important for the development of devices and imaging systems, which leads to a high demand for preclinical evaluation. This work focuses on the feasibility of 3D-printing for vessel phantoms with user defined stenoses made of elastic materials. (Submission 597)

Author: A. Ibbeken, C. Hagen, F. Zell, A. Steffen, U. Grzyska, A. Frydrychowicz and T. M. Buzug

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder caused by a partial or complete collapse of the upper airway due to a shift of soft tissues. A parameter to measure the airway collapsibility is the critical closing pressure, which defines the pharyngeal pressure at which the airway collapses. A 3D printed collapsible model of an idealized upper airway geometry was used to perform deformation and pressure measurements and thus to determine the critical closing pressure. The influence of increasing airway resistance on the deformation behavior was examined by changing the size of the inflow area. (Submission 593)

Author: H. Nopper, T. Lück, O. Schendel, W. Dirk, D. Salzmann, A. V. Reinschluessel, T. Döring, T. Muender, and R. Malaka

Virtual (VR) and Augmented reality (AR)  represent  excellent tools for surgeons to understand spatial relationships, to train their workflow to improve surgery results. By providing realistic haptic feedback, implementing 3D-printed organ phantoms to those tools, their benefit gets even more compelling, increasing their immersion. In this work investigates the realism of organ phantoms regarding physical hardness, touch and feel. In a user study with 12  surgeons, we evaluated casted liver phantoms in 50 %, scale of the actual liver size. Results from surgeons allowed the configuration of a measurement tool for exact exploration of realistic haptics within this context. (Submission 606)

Author: J. Kuhl, P. D. Mendoza Ponce, W. Krautschneider, and D. Krause

It is suspected that the minimal invasive implantation of aortic valves (TAVI procedure) causes damage to the implant that affects its performance. Medical simulators can be used to investigate this suspicion systematically, repeatedly and under constant conditions. This paper describes the development of a heart model that extends the existing HANNES simulator for aortic valve performance evaluation. The advantages of additive manufacturing (AM) are used to provide an anatomically realistic replication of the relevant anatomical sections of the heart and the aortic root. (Submission 574)

Author: M. Wegner, J. Spallek, D. Krause and E. Gargioni

In radiotherapy, X-ray imaging and dose quality assurance is often carried out using physical phantoms, which simulate the X-ray attenuation of biological tissue. Additive manufacturing (AM) allows to produce cost-effective phantoms that can easily be adapted to different purposes. The aim of this work was to compare mechanical and X-ray attenuation properties of different materials, used in different AM technologies, machines, and materials. The average Hounsfield Units (HU) were measured by means of computed tomography (CT). The materials displayed tissue-equivalent CT numbers ranging from -104 HU to 1627 HU, showing a broad field of application for phantoms in radiotherapy. (Submission 577)

Author: M. Alqahtani and P. J. Bártolo

External fixation is a common technique for the treatment and stabilization of bone fractures using pins or wires. Different designs were considered, but all of them present limitations such as high weight (they are based on heavy frame), not comfortable to use and not customized to individual patients. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel lightweight customized external fixator, overcoming some of the identified limitations. It also investigates the mechanical characteristics of the newly developed fixator considering different stages of healing using finite element method. (Submission 609)

Author: L. Jonušauskas, T. Baravykas,  A. Butkutė, D. Andriukaitis, H. Gricius, T. Tičkūnas, and D. Andrijec

Miniaturization is one of the key trends in medical field. In order to keep up with increasing demand novel manufacturing techniques have to be developed. Here we present an approach of using amplified femtosecond laser to realize both additive and subtractive micro-machining in a single workstation. It allows simplification of fabrication workflow as well as allows to produce more complex microdevices. Example structures, such as macromolecule separator and flow meter are demonstrated. We highlight peculiarities, challenges and opportunities that can be exploited using hybrid manufacturing and how it can be employed in medical field (Submission 602)

Author: M. Habib, R. Sims, J. Inziello, F. Lobo Fenoglietto, and J. Stubbs

Commercially available pediatric laryngoscope blades have limited variability in shape and sizes. Difficult airway intubations may require physicians to improvise in their selection of a patient’s blade size and could potentially lead to physical trauma and complications. With advancements in three-dimensional (3D) imaging, modeling, and printing, we are introducing a method for the design and fabrication of patient specific pediatric laryngoscopes at the point of care and comparing our methods to current industry standards. (Submission 603)
 

Author: H. Wei, A. Behrends, T. M. Buzug, and Th. Friedrich

Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a rapidly developing imaging modality, which determines the spatial distribution of magnetic nanoparticles. Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) is a promising therapeutic approach where magnetic nanoparticles are used to transform electromagnetic energy into heat. The similarities of MPI and MFH give rise to the potential of integration of MFH and MPI. 3D printing is used for the manufacture of an oil-cooled MFH insert. The design and the implementation of a MFH insert for a preclinical MPI scanner is presented in this paper. (Submission 595)

Author: L. R. J. Chakka, N. Z. Laird, T. Acri, S. Elangovan, and A. K. Salem

3D printing offers unique solutions for bone tissue regeneration with an opportunity to engineer scaffolds with the desired structure, shape, and porosity. Scaffold’s surface-to-cell interaction is critical for better tissue integration and regeneration. To achieve this, we have surface modified the 3D printed scaffolds with polydopamine (PDA) to evaluate the potential of the surface modification for bone regeneration. (Submission 586)

Author: N. Rekowska, J. Konasch, A. Riess, R. Mau, T. Eickner, H. Seitz, N. Grabow and M.Teske  

Additive manufacturing (AM) of drug delivery systems (DDS) is a promising tool for the development of patient-tailored treatments to ensure exact formation of individual scaffolds with specific incorporated drug combinations and concentrations. This study describes a novel hybrid AM process, combining stereolithography and inkjet printing, for printing a basic Polyethylene Glycol Diacrylate (PEGDA) DDS body and placing the model drug acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in different drug depot locations. Adjusting the drug release by drug depot positioning according to drug diffusion is being investigated. The drug release rates from first 3D printed samples are being shown.  (Submission 585)

Author: E. Karakaya, L. Fischer, J. Hazur, A. R Boccaccini, I. Thievessen, and R. Detsch

Various additive manufacturing technologies have been used to produce three-dimensional (3D) complex bio-artificial structures, while the extrusion process is currently probably the most widely used technology. The printed constructs should mimic closely tissue structure and function. To achieve this goal, the selected biomaterials must meet several criteria, like support of cellular attachment, proliferation and production of the ECM, are the key requirements. (Submission 578)
 

Author: J. Yang, P. J. D. S. Bartolo

Additive manufacturing is a relevant technology for tissue engineering applications. However, due to some limitations in terms of the printing heads being used it is difficult to create complex multi-material hierarchical structures resembling natural tissues. The combination of 3D printing and microfluidics has the potential to overcome these limitations allowing to engineer functional artificial tissues with complex architectures. To achieve this a novel negative protrusion compression co-axial nozzle with a small expanding chamber is proposed in this paper, allowing balanced fluid flow conditions and uniform core-shell fibers. (Submission 611)

Author: M. Herzmann, S. Leonhardt (Kumovis)

Abstract: To allow easier judgement about successfully 3D printed parts Kumovis develops a proprietary software as guiding instrument for physicians and engineers operating the filament printer R1 to manufacture surgical guides, instruments and implants. The software takes multiple parameters into account to manage the risk of failed print jobs and provides a Go / NoGo decision for the printer operator. Aim of the software is the raise of success rate per printed parts in a regulated market and reduction of failed print jobs. (Submission 616)

Author: M. Meglioli, G. M. Macaluso, A. Toffoli and S. Catros

Sars-Cov-2 pandemic has taken hold over the globe in the last months. Even the best healthcare systems all over the world are overwhelmed by the number of patients and the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). Medical operators are exposed at high risk for contracting COVID-19. Additive manufacturing techniques allow to produce protective masks and facial shield. Thanks to 3D scans of the face, open-source files and software, many researchers and clinicians can print individualized PPE. This method paper aims to illustrate the key-aspects for producing individualized protective masks and face shields. (Submission 583)

Author: Y. Sun, A. Mercader, and T. C. Lueth

As an important diagnostic device for detecting respiratory infections, the nasopharyngeal swab is running out of supply due to the fast spread of COVID-19. In this short paper, we present a novel design platform in Matlab for realizing patient-specific nasopharyngeal swabs that can be quickly 3D-printed to fill the swabs’ shortage. Firstly, the swab is realized with our geometry modeling tool using the size derived from the patient’s CT data. Then, Selective-Laser-Sintering (SLS) is employed to print the swab using polyamide as biocompatible material. A printed swab is also presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed design platform. (Submission 581)

Author: E. Westphal, R. Mau, T. Dreier, and H. Seitz

Due to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), medical protective equipment is in high demand. In order to cover the need for these protective materials, frames for face shields, for instance, can be produced flexibly, quickly and decentrally in small quantities through 3D printing. In this study, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is used for the production of corresponding components from Polylactide plus (PLA+) and Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) material. Stereolithography (SLA) is also used to produce high-quality frames from a photopolymer. The frames are presented and examined with regard to their manufacturing technology features and surface properties. (Submission 575)
 

Author: M. I. Mohammed, and F. Elmo

We present the preliminary phases of developing a custom lower limb splint concept which considers both design and mechanical elements of the final device. We present an approach to verify the flexural properties of the device through the systematic measurement of flexural stress of 3D printed samples and how this evolves based upon increased porosity. Our initial results demonstrate we can effectively predict the stiffness characteristics of a 3D printed splint concept and apply this to inform the design choices. (Submission 592)

Author: K. Rybalcenko, C. Folgar, I. Anastasopoulos, G. Ioannides and L. Folgar  

Antimicrobial study was conducted to test the surfaces of additively manufactured (AM) polyamide parts via powder-bed fusion. As printed parts exhibit rough, porous and powdery surfaces providing a favorable breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. This creates an issue for AM parts intended for use in medical and other highly controlled applications. A novel surface processing method able to seal and smooth surfaces was used to improve antimicrobial properties of parts. Processed parts were tested for microbial growth and the results were compared to the unprocessed parts. This study presents the obtained results and discusses possible applications of this method. (Submission 579)

Author: Y. Merhi, P. H. Mikkelsen, C. Suetta, J. V. Nygaard, and S. Agarwala

With advancements in electronics technology, the new-era of devices are flexible and bendable. This has given rise to new smart textiles as wearables. Printed electronics enables to put down electronics on textiles without affecting the flexibility of the fabric. We have developed dry electrodes on healthcare stockings to stimulate muscles to preserve muscle mass in COVID-19 patients. The fabric does not allow direct printing of electronics. Thus, various layers are used. This paper investigates the mechanical strength of these layers on the stocking to remain functional for daily usage. We also discuss washing results on the layers. (Submission 594)
 

Author: A. Butkutė, T. Baravykas, T. Tičkūnas, L. Jonušauskas, and V. Sirutkaitis

Glass is one of the most common materials in medicine. It is used due to being biologically inert, having excellent optical transparency and possibility to handle it easily. However, there are severe limitations in processing glass structures in 3D fashion at µm scale. In this work we present femtosecond laser-based selective glass etching as an attractive tool to produce medical glass structures. We discuss how it can be used to create various microfluidical and micromechanical systems. The challenges and capabilities related to the technology are highlighted, comparing it to other additive manufacturing techniques. (Submission 599)