Renishaw
Maxillofacial implant
Custom maxillofacial implant additively manufactured with Renishaw technology.
University Dental Hospital of Wales (UDH) has been leveraging Renishaw’s additive manufacturing technology to produce custom maxillofacial implants and surgical guides.
The Cardiff-based hospital has previously used Renishaw’s additive manufacturing processes to manufacture a series of dental products, such as cobalt chrome frameworks, and has now extended its application to reduce surgery time in surgeries.
By harnessing 3D printing, each implant is designed to fit the patient, and thus no modifications are required, and no surrounding bone needs to be trimmed prior to insertion into the body, as may be required with standard implants. Using 3D printing, time is not only reduced but so is cost and the period the patient is under anaesthesia. UDH treats 100,000 patients per year and strives to deliver the best care possible to each one of them, while also providing being committed to leading research and teaching. Thus, the hospital is continuing to work with Renishaw and 3D printing to maximise the potential of the technology in a medical setting.
“Several hospitals are reaping the benefits of additive manufacturing in implant production,” explained Roger Maggs, Senior Chief Dental Technologist and Head of Dental Technology Services at UDH. “We have the advantage of having worked with Renishaw for three years in the dental field. This has put us ahead of the game and in a position where we can now start thinking about producing more unique designs that will benefit our surgeons.
“The staff at UDH are also benefitting from the partnership. The team are involved in every stage of the development of new technologies for medical applications, including inputting CT data and making and manipulating digital models ahead of surgery. It is admirable that our staff are at the forefront of the latest medical technology and has allowed for the evolution of some very talented technologists such as Luke Maxwell and Paul Clark who must be considered leaders in this technology.”
“AM allows hospitals to achieve high precision when producing implants,” commented Ed Littlewood, Marketing Manager of Renishaw’s Medical and Dental Products Division. “By collaborating with Renishaw, UDH can develop their maxillofacial implants further, seeing improvements with each case and helping a wider range of patients and surgeons across different departments.”
