San Diego, Calif. – At this week’s American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual meeting, EOS , a manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, is displaying at its booth a working direct metal laser-sintering system (DMLS) with a variety of plastic and metal medical devices.
Parts exhibited include customized surgical drill guides reflecting patient-specific geometry, bone rasp samples, and prototype stainless steel surgical tools. The latest test results for customized PEEK implant manufacturing will be available. The show runs from February 15 to 19 at the San Diego Convention Center.
"Our offerings at the AAOS meeting demonstrate just how mature laser sintering is now," says Martin Bullemer, EOS manager for medical business development. "Metal and plastics laser sintering have clearly become enabling technologies for medical products." Bullemer will be available at the booth for questions.
Plastic and metal laser-sintering systems from EOS, Novi, Mich., allow medical designers to tailor parts specifically for doctors and patients using 3D data generated by MRI, CT, and/or CAD. Modern data preparation software in combination with laser sintering can be used to create complex geometries, porous surfaces suitable for better osteointegration or lightweight structures to promote better patient comfort.
Other EOS-related activities at the AAOS meeting include:
- Exhibitor Morris Technologies Inc. announced that, in collaboration with Kapstone Medical, it will soon file with the FDA for 510(k) pre-market notification for the first DMLS-generated titanium implant.
Says Chuck Hansford, Morris VP of the medical business unit, "We are in the final mechanical and biocompatible testing stages with a Ti 64 ELI implant made with material from EOS. We hope to submit our application before the end of the first quarter of this year." - WITHIN Technologies Ltd will be visiting the show. The company's FEA/CAD optimization software works in tandem with plastic and metal laser-sintering systems, such as those from EOS, to create strong, lightweight parts including innovative lattice structures.
"Additive manufacturing provides the design freedom to create components you can’t produce any other way," says WITHIN’s Dr. Sia H. Mahdavi. "Much as CAD systems have manufacturability aids developed specifically for processes such as injection molding and casting, our software identifies the optimum solution to each design challenge and helps manufacturers maximize what laser-sintering machines do best."
EOS, founded in 1989, says that laser sintering is the key technology for e-manufacturing, the fast, flexible and cost-effective production of products, patterns, and tools. The technology manufactures parts for every phase of the product life cycle, directly from electronic data. Laser sintering accelerates product development and optimizes production processes. The company employs 300 people worldwide, 250 of them in Krailling, near Munich, Germany.
For more information, contact [email protected].