3D face printing, now a reality!

The OsteoFab Patient-Specific Facial Device from Oxford Performance Materials is a fully customisable face implant that can be used for facial reconstruction thanks to 3D printing.
 
 Traditional engineering methods put many restrictions and limits on designers but 3D printing allows for incredibly ease of really complex shapes and parts.
It’s this ability that allows the
face implant to be easily customised depending on the patient and their condition. There are no limitations from the patients anatomy and the method massively reduces costs from what would be an expensive and complex surgical procedure.



Now, the technology has been given the go ahead from the FDA.
“With the clearance of our 3D printed facial device, we now have the ability to treat these extremely complex cases in a highly effective and economical way, printing patient-specific maxillofacial implants from individualized MRI or CT digital image files from the surgeon,” said Scott DeFelice, CEO of Oxford Performance Materials, in a statement. “This is a classic example of a paradigm shift in which technology advances to meet both the patient’s needs and the cost realities of the overall healthcare system.”
Oxford Performance Materials first tested the technology a year ago when they replaced 75% of a patients skull with the PEKK biomedical polymer printed part.
“It is our firm belief that the combination of PEKK and Additive Manufacturing (our OsteoFab technology) is a highly transformative and disruptive technology platform that will substantially impact all sectors of the orthopedic industry,” said DeFelice.
Now they have successfully performed a skull implant and the FDA have approved the face implant, the company plans to move on to other parts of the body such as femurs, knee caps, and hips, which may require a little fine tuning due to the maneuverability of the areas.  The PEKK polymer however has properties that closely resemble bone.