Replacing an Elderly Woman’s Jaw Using 3D Printing
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/Jaw_replacement_small.jpg" alt="" width="76" height="57" />Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has come to the assistance of a woman suffering from progressive osteomyelitis, a disease that was causing her jawbone to disintegrate.
Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has come to the assistance of an elderly woman suffering from progressive osteomyelitis, a disease that was causing her jawbone to disintegrate. A Belgian company, LayerWise, used laser sintering to melt successive thin layers of titanium to create a replacement jaw.
The operation was a success, reports CNET’s Martin LaMonica, returning the woman’s jaw line and allowing her to speak and swallow normally again.
According to LayerWise, the transplant demonstrates that precision 3D printing can be effective for both bone and organ implants. Below is a LayerWise video that accompanies the story.
Categories: Manufacturing
