University of Nebraska Lincoln uses LENS Hybrid Controlled Atmosphere System to develop next generation dissolvable metal implants.
Optomec has unveiled details of how the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is using its LENS metal 3D printing technology to develop dissolvable magnesium components for next-generation medical implants.
Using Optomec’s LENS Hybrid Controlled Atmosphere System, researchers are able to 3D print patient-specific magnesium implants with a controlled time to dissolve, eliminating the need for second surgeries and reducing risks and costs associated with current titanium or stainless steel implants such as plates and screws.
“We are proud to be the first customer of an Optomec LENS Hybrid Controlled Atmosphere System, the only commercially-available machine to provide hybrid manufacturing capabilities for reactive metals,” said Dr. Michael Sealy, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Materials Engineering at UNL and a pioneer in advanced manufacturing research. “Our research is focused on advancing the performance and functionality of dissolvable devices. Using LENS, we are applying a hybrid additive manufacturing process to control the disintegration of medical fasteners and plates so they stay in-tact long enough to serve their purpose and then degrade away once the bone is healed.”
Fittingly, the research was unveiled at IMTS this week, where just two years ago, Dr. Sealy and his team at University of Nebraska became the first customer of the Optomec LENS 3D Hybrid Controlled Atmosphere System, the industry’s first atmosphere-controlled system for additive and subtractive processing of metals, including titanium and aluminium.
Tom Cobbs, LENS Product Manager at Optomec commented: “Dr. Sealy’s pioneering work enables the design and manufacture of components with a combination of properties unobtainable using traditional metal working methods. We applaud his innovative use of hybrid additive manufacturing to create and qualify a new class of metal components with unique properties that will benefit mankind.”
Powdered metals such as magnesium, titanium and other reactive materials must be processed in a controlled atmosphere environment where oxygen and moisture impurities are maintained below 10 parts per million. Dr. Sealy used the Optomec LENS 3D Hybrid Controlled Atmosphere System to process these materials in a way that addresses how to maintain the strength and integrity of a degradable implant long enough for it to do its job.
The LENS Hybrid CA System enables Sealy and his team to couple LENS deposition technology with layered surface treatments to print 3D metal components in magnesium with controlled degradation. This research is believed to have far-reaching applications for lightweight structures in aerospace and automotive.
