CARTIS and Geomagic MaxFax
Geomagic has announced that its customer CARTIS (Centre for Applied Reconstructive Technologies in Surgery), of Cardiff, Wales, will present its best practices for the production of custom medical devices using digital technologies and additive manufacturing fabrication methods. This presentation will take place at the upcoming Advanced Digital Technologies North America Regional Leadership Group Conference, to be held in La Jolla/San Diego, California, January 25–26, 2013.
CARTIS is a unique partnership that combines the medical and technical expertise of the Maxillofacial Unit at Morriston Hospital and the National Centre for Product Design + Development Research (PDR) at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Through collaborative research and clinical application, the Centre has pioneered the effective application of advanced design and manufacturing technologies in reconstructive surgery and prosthetic rehabilitation.
Mr. Sean Peel, a Ph.D. candidate and medical applications research technician at Cardiff Metropolitan University and its Patient-Specific Medical Design Knowledge Transfer Center, will present three case studies that detail the use of disparate digital technologies to efficiently merge design expertise with clinical requirements. These cases have yielded a cranioplasty implant, an orbital-temporal implant, and a zygomatic osteotomy positioning jig/drilling guide. In creating these implants and guides, designers used the Geomagic Freeform 3D modeling system to perform digital anatomical reconstruction, implant form design and final implant detailing. These pieces were ultimately produced using additive manufacturing processes that included electron beam melting, selective laser melting and stereolithography.
“The advances made possible by using the right software in the digital workflow are astonishing. Geomagic Freeform has become the centerpiece of our process because it lets us sculpt our devices accurately and aesthetically, and it provides the digital output formats needed for advanced additive fabrication methods,” said Dr. Dominic Eggbeer, Research Officer at Cardiff Metropolitan University and member of CARTIS.
After fabrication each of the three designs were used or implanted successfully. In each case design and surgical time was significantly reduced, and, importantly, no modifications of the designs were required in-theater. In terms of quality, the design process was on par with, or better than, traditional lab methods, the main benefits being a significant increase in fit accuracy and fewer surprises in the operating room.
“The best practices presented by CARTIS at this event provide a reminder that 3D software truly has the power to change lives,” said Joan Lockhart, VP of Marketing, Geomagic. “We applaud the work of organizations such as CARTIS for showing that 3D scanning, digital design and new additive fabrication technologies can be used in transformative ways for the betterment of humanity. I’m proud our solutions play a part in this life-changing work.”
