GE Additive says that it has supplied two Concept Laser Mlab 3D printers to Italian medical implant company Tsunami Medical.
This follows a purchase of two machines in 2015.
According to GE, the company uses its direct metal laser melting (DMLM) technology to make metal spinal cage implants.
Using metal 3D printing makes it easier to calibrate the mechanical properties, elastic modulus and rigidity of a device and allow device designers the freedom to create open structures, when compared to previous polyether ether ketone (PEEK)-based implants, according to GE.
The structures can also be incorporated into the shape of the implant and produced in one production step, without the need for additional coating. This allows for the design of porous structures with customized conformations of pores, thickness and overall porosity, the company said.
The implants can be used for patients with degenerative disc diseases, vertebral instability, pseudoarthrosis, a lack of spinal fusion or degenerative spinal fusion and adult deformities.
This story uses material from GE, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
