Exactech
Exactech's Stemless Shoulder implant.
Exactech's Stemless Shoulder implant.
Implant manufacturer Exactech has announced it is transitioning the manufacture of a shoulder prosthesis from Electronic Beam Melting (EBM) technology to Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS).
The Equinoxe Stemless Shoulder implant is a bone-conserving prosthesis, which has been produced using GE Additive Arcam’s Q10plus EBM platform since the implant’s release to market in 2018. It is now being manufactured with DMLS technology to facilitate a scale up in production.
Exactech’s Stemless Shoulder product is designed for anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty and features a porous bone cage which is enabled by 3D printing and encourages bone-through growth. The company has been leveraging 3D printing technology for a number years, achieving a landmark FDA clearance of a 3D printed orthopaedic implant in 2010, and bringing in-house two Q10plus EBM machines to boost its production capacity in 2016. The following year, Exactech partnered with EOS to test the vendor’s 17-4PH IndustryLine material on the company’s M 290 platform and implemented LPW Technology’s (now part of Carpenter Additive) PowderSolve quality control software.
As it looks to increase the distribution of its Stemless Shoulder implant, the company has sought to harness DMLS technology and has outlined plans to transition all US Stemless Shoulder procedures to the new laser printing process throughout the rest of 2020.
Exactech
3D printed porous structure.
“We have been incredibly pleased with our original EBM Stemless Shoulder implant and the early positive clinical feedback we received from our surgeon customers,” commented Exactech Vice President of Extremities Chris Roche. “The new laser-printed device is built on this solid foundation while also giving us the ability to ramp up production to serve even more patients, which drives us and fulfils our mission.”
After the switch up in production methods, orthopaedic surgeons Curtis Noel, of the Crystal Clinic in Akron, Ohio, and Stephanie Muh, MD, of the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan, were among the first to perform surgeries with the implant. Dr Noel is also part of the design team behind the Stemless Shoulder implant, which encompasses insights from more than half a dozen medical professionals.
“As a member of the design team, I am very proud to be one of the first to implant the laser-printed Stemless Shoulder,” Dr Noel said. “The bone-conserving design, along with its compatibility to the Equinoxe Shoulder System, make this a great solution for both patients and surgeons.”
“One of my favourite features of the Stemless implant is its bone cage structure that is design to provide initial press-fit fixation while also allowing for bone-through growth,” added Dr Muh. “That intentional design element, along with the porous structure being design to mimic the trabecular nature of cancellous bone, differentiates it from competitors.”
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