CASE STUDIES ON ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Case Study 1:
Superior fixation for implants using Additive Manufacturing

The Brief: The Biomechanics Research Centre at National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway) identified that inadequate primary (immediate) and secondary (long-term) fixation is a major factor in loosening, and thus failure of, orthopaedic

implants. Current surface coatings on the market rely on friction for achieving primary fixation of the implant. In some cases, this friction can be inadequate and lead to loosening of the implant and eventual failure. Better primary fixation would lead to more effective long-term bone in-growth and so a longer implant lifetime. The project aimed to develop a novel surface architecture for improved bone ingrowth in orthopaedic implants with the ultimate objective of building a company to commercialise the resulting technology. The Solution: NUI Galway approached 3T RPD to further develop the potential benefits of producing a hip stem by additive manufacturing. 3T worked with the university to explain not only the opportunities the technology offers but also to identify and workaround its limitations. The hip stem design underwent a number of iterations to refine and improve the product to ensure optimal results for the bone/implant interface and to ensure consistent building in Titanium Ti6Al4V on the metal AM machines. The Result: This resulted in OsteoAnchor technology. This is an optimised surface architecture for an implant incorporating a multitude of tiny claw features which embed into the patients bone during implantation and a network of interconnected pores beneath the surface of the claws which encourage secondary bone in-growth. OsteoAnchor technology results in excellent primary fixation of the implant because the claws gently but securely embed into the bone and resist micromotions when the patient starts load bearing. This results in the in-growth of hard bone rather than fibrous tissue into the porous substructure beneath the claws, thereby achieving excellent secondary fixation. OsteoAnchor technology has been shown to provide an effective solution to primary and secondary fixation problems through the increased mechanical interaction of its unique surface architecture features with the host bone. Friction testing of OsteoAnchor and two existing technologies porous tantalum and plasma sprayed surface architectures has shown that OsteoAnchor provides a resistance to transverse motion under normal pressure which is up to 74% greater than porous tantalum and 246% greater than plasma sprayed coatings. This demonstrates OsteoAnchors ability to provide much greater primary fixation compared to other, leading technologies currently on the market. It would not have been possible to produce the OsteoAnchor features using any other production process because of the complexity of the surface design. Taking advantage of the one-step nature of additive manufacturing to produce the hip stem meant the complex surface architecture was built integrally with the implant core. This is expected to result in lower total production costs due to the simplified manufacturing process. Talking about the success of the project, Pat McDonnel, Principal Investigator at the Biomechanics Research Centre at the university said: The OsteoAnchor project has benefited from the strong relationship that we formed with 3T. This resulted in excellent communication resulting in an outstanding end product with the potential to create improved medical outcomes for patients and to build a sound commercial organisation.

Case Study 2:
Titanium mandibular implant for QMC patient

The Brief: A patient at Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham had significant facial asymmetry leading to functional problems and aesthetic issues. The surgical team wanted to improve both areas and looked to produce an implant (alloplastic facial implant). In the past, a number of materials and techniques have been used for such implants, however all have limitations. The Consultant Maxillofacial Prosthetist Healthcare Scientist, Jason Watson, was aware of the benefits of Metal Additive Manufacturing for the production of customised implants and discussed the options with Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon Dilip Srinivasan. Both agreed that a titanium DMLS implant could overcome some of the problems associated with existing implant materials (including extrusion, migration, foreign body reaction and infection) whilst giving a superior aesthetic outcome. The Solution: A computerised tomography (CT) scan was performed on the patient and this data was converted into a 3D CAD file. The CT showed that the bone in the area of the deformity was of poor quality due to previous radiotherapy. A model of the patients skull was built using Plastic Additive Manufacturing. 3T produced the initial, functional design for the implant and worked with the QMC team to refine the onlay to ensure that it met not only the aesthetic requirements but also that it avoided

key nerves, had good fixation to the patients jaw bone and allowed for possible future placement of dental implants. The implant was initially produced in plastic and, working with the plastic skull model, demonstrated fit and allowed the surgeon to plan the surgery. The team could immediately see that, if produced in titanium, the onlay was a significant improvement on models made in the past from titanium plate. This gave the team the confidence to commission the part in medical implant grade titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) and the surgeon signed off the design ready to undertake the surgery. The Result: The mandibular onlay has been successfully implanted into the patient and during surgery, the part gave a very accurate operative fit. It has corrected the bone deformity and post-operatively has shown a good correction leading to improved facial symmetry. The surgery has the potential to improve both self-confidence and self esteem within the patient. The surgery has been deemed a success with no reported complications (6 months post operative) and the QMC team is now looking to use additive manufacturing technology in future prosthetics. Speaking about the technology, QMCs Jason Watson said: Metal additive manufacturing is one of those technologies that offer surgeons the ability to truly customise implants and make them solely patient specific. Working in partnership with 3T, we have demonstrated that the future is not mass manufactured cheaper parts but costeffective, custom made parts. DMLS allows total customisation from physical shape to physical properties to match the surrounding bone. Titanium is widely accepted as a biocompatible material, but is a difficult material to work with using traditional manufacturing techniques. It is hard to cast, difficult to mould or bend from a plate and CNC milling cannot produce sufficiently complex shape, as well as resulting in high material wastage. Using DMLS to produce the implant allowed not only a complex shape to offer an acceptable aesthetic outcome, but also the ability to produce a shape that mimics the bone tissue it replaces by varying the density of metal in different layers, simulating compact and trabecular bone structure which will, it is envisaged, match the natural bones strength qualities and thus further enhance biocompatibility. Other additive manufacturing processes such as electron beam melting (EBM) have been used to produce implants in the past, but the team at QMC believe that DMLS produces a more consistent end product which requires less post production processing.

Case Study 3:
AM produces bespoke Garmin mounts

The Brief: Whether cycling for pleasure or in a race or time trial, many cyclists use a GPS computer to monitor their performance, distance and speed, or for computerised navigation. However, a common problem is that the only place they can be mounted is on the vertical stem of the handle bars, making the screen very difficult for riders to see without looking directly downwards which isnt particularly safe, especially when racing! Martyn Harris works for 3T, the UKs leading Additive Manufacturing (AM) Company as their DMLS Projects Manager, and is also a keen cyclist having represented Team GB in 2011 and won the Track Cycling Masters World Championship. Faced with the problem of not being able to easily, and safely, see his own cycle computer (an SRM Power Meter), he posted an item on an online time trial forum to gauge interest in producing a bespoke, customisable mount. The feedback he received was extremely positive and many cyclists asked if he could produce a mount for their Garmin GPS Cycle Computers. Whilst Garmin do supply a mount with their computers, they have to be secured with cable ties which mean theyre not very robust and vibration can be an issue. The computer also cannot be located in a position that is easily visible by the rider. The Solution: Jason Swann, a cycling enthusiast replied on the forum with some basic CAD data that he had already produced for a Garmin mounting bracket, so Martyn set about producing a prototype using 3Ts plastic AM process. Several iterations were then designed and trialed to fit various models of the Garmin computers. Initial prototypes in Nylon proved to be a little flimsy, and they rattled loose. So Martyn switched to using Glass Filled Nylon material instead, which gave additional stiffness so the mounts were more robust. Several further iterations were worked through in order to get the thickness of the part right. The nature of the AM process means that small adjustments can be made to the CAD data and a new part

built in just a matter of days. Once tested, further modifications can be made until the design is fully tested and finalised. The Result: Initially designed just for use on time trial bikes for racing, the cycling community asked if mounts could be made to fit onto a road bike for leisure cycling. With the benefit of AM building directly from the CAD data without the need for any tooling, each mount can be customised to fit directly onto the handle bars of any bike and to hold any Garmin computer. Currently over 20 different versions are available to order including left handed versions, giving a truly bespoke product to meet the needs of any cyclist. 3Ts vibro finishing process gives the mounts a smooth finish and using their colouring services, they can be produced in a variety of colours to match the livery on the bike. Martyn cycles for the Banjo Cycles Racing Team and they recently undertook a 6 hour mountain bike endurance challenge using the Garmin mounts, which really put them to the test in some extreme conditions. The result was minimal vibration or movement throughout the challenge. Extra bits: The Garmin mounts are available on Martyns RaceWare Direct website retailing at 24.99 for a standard mount and 27.99 for a customised version. To date, there have been sales of over 500 units. Through the cycling network and online forums, they have now gone global and arebeing sold to cyclists in every country in the world!

Case Study 4:
Swindon Engines - race with high performance parts

The Brief: Design Engineers at Swindon Engines, the high performance engine specialist, were tasked with designing an Airbox suitable for conditions encountered by a high performance production road car. The part would be used on track testing and so would need to withstand the associated vibration, heat and deliver the long service life required. The project meant taking a high performance road car and upgrading the engine to increase the power output and therefore performance of the vehicle. In addition to providing a good service life, this had to be achieved with a look and feel of material that would be acceptable for the customer. The Solution: Sean ORafferty, Production Manager at Swindon Engines says Due to the nature of our business we are always up against tight timescales and ever more aggressive deadlines. It is for this reason that Additive Manufacturing (AM) is such a great solution for us. When making the initial demonstrator car it is uneconomic to go to the expense of tooling for an injection moulded or traditional composite part, and that is where using 3T RPDs AM services came into play. Instead of designing several versions of the part for various phases of manufacture, including the tooling that would usually be required, Swindon Engines were able to go with the final

solution from the first part produced. This reduced the overall design time required for the project, allowing resources to be used more effectively in other areas. The Result: We have been able to cut our time to testing in half by building the part with 3T explains Sylvain Rubio, Technical Manager. The parts produced using plastic Additive Manufacturing are of identical form to those we originally devised. This means the performance we see on our dyno tests will carry over directly to the finished car. The consequence of a reduced design cycle also allows more time to be dedicated to performance work resulting in a more complete product. The figures generated from the part in conjunction with the rest of the project work allowed Swindon Engines not only to meet but also exceed the targets set out by the customer for the engine output. It has been a pleasure working with 3T, continues ORafferty. The service provided has been excellent, there is always someone available to speak to directly who understands the details and we received the parts well ahead of the expected delivery and only five days from placing the order. It is great to work with such high quality and responsive suppliers.