Stephen Dyson, head of industry 4.0 at Proto Labs writes.
According to Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, we are currently in the midst of a “Fourth Industrial Revolution”, in which significant advancements in digital technology are causing a fundamental change in the way that we live, work and relate to one another.
Across every industry, businesses are currently adopting new technological innovations as a means of gaining a competitive advantage, and the medical industry is no exception.
Digital manufacturing technology such as CNC (computerised numerical control) machining and 3D printing is transforming many industries, including healthcare. Providers of healthcare and medical devices have new opportunities to address the challenges they face, and to directly improve the quality of many patients’ lives.
CNC machining, for example, a process in which computers are used to control high-speed milling and turning tools, was employed to create custom-machined aluminium joint housings for a powered exoskeleton, as part of a robotics system designed at the University of Houston to help paraplegics walk again.
Utilising 3D printing, implants and prosthetics can now be tailor-made for individuals. A form of 3D-printing can be used to create custom designed hearing aids to the exact geometry of a person’s ear, for example, while customised bionic eyes are helping people with profound vision loss to recover some degree of sight through the use of a retinal implant, and 3D-printed joysticks are used by people with limited mobility to control their wheelchairs.
Proto Labs was recently called upon to support the creation of a bespoke cranial implant, working closely with the designer to manufacture the implant to a patient’s very specific requirements, within three days.
3D printing: Meeting very specific criteria
Surgery following a cerebrovascular event had left a patient in need of a particularly large cranial implant, which Buenos Aires-based medical device manufacturer Novax DMA was charged with developing and creating. However, the implant needed to meet some very particular criteria; it was critical that the implant not only fit perfectly, but was also able to integrate with the patient’s biological functions, minimise the transfer of heat into the brain tissue, and be sufficiently permeable to allow both heat and liquid to dissipate as necessary.
There was concern that titanium, which is typically used in the manufacture of medical implants, may not meet all of these requirements as, being a metal, it is a conductor of heat and isn’t permeable enough.
By employing a process of additive manufacturing, however, in which a laser was used to apply the titanium one layer at a time, it was possible for Novax DMS to create a lattice-shaped implant that not only fit the skull exactly, but also allowed for bone growth as well as enabling liquids to permeate. In addition, the design had an insulating effect, minimising the conduction of heat into the cranium’s interior.
Rapid turnaround
The moment the final information regarding the implant’s dimensions had been received, work began on its construction. The preparation of the data and the manufacture of the implant itself were carried out in around just two and a half days. Then, following various procedures involving logistics and co-ordination, the implant was delivered to the hospital within three weeks.
The operation in which the implant was fitted was over in 90 minutes, and the patient left the clinic just two days later. Within three weeks of the procedure, the wound had fully healed and the patient experienced no ill-effects or complications.
Transforming the medical industry
Technology today is evolving and developing at a rapid pace. As a result of advances made during this fourth industrial revolution, it’s now possible for ideas created as a CAD model to quickly become a physical reality within just a matter of days.
The speed and potential for personalisation that advanced manufacturing technology allows is positively transforming the medical industry. Embracing these technological advances enables challenges to be addressed in ways not previously achievable, ultimately helping patients to live better, healthier and longer lives.
