Hangzhou, China - March 2025 - In recent years, the rapid development of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology has driven significant advancements in the research, development, and production of medical implants. The integration of Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) 3D printing technology has revolutionized the medical industry, enabling highly customized and biocompatible medical solutions.
Introduction
Metal 3D printing offers significant advantages in osteosynthesis, a surgical method for fixing bone fragments. Additive manufacturing allows for the creation of customized plates, screws, and other retainers that perfectly match each patient's anatomical features. This ensures secure fixation and accelerates the healing process.
Challenges in Traditional Manufacturing
A developer and manufacturer of implants for spinal surgery, neurosurgery, and osteosynthesis faced significant challenges in producing shoulder arthrodesis plates. These devices are used to resect the humeral head in cases of shoulder ligament damage. However, manufacturing these products using traditional methods is a challenge because it involves additional time and resources to design and build specialized tooling. At the same time, difficulties arise with such complex geometry. In addition to machining, bending operations are often required, but this technology is not very accurate and does not guarantee the necessary degree of repeatability.
Shoulder Arthrodesis Plates
Solution: Metal Powder Bed Fusion Technology
To address these challenges, Metal Powder Bed Fusion (MPBF) technology was chosen as a solution. The use of 3D printing technology allowed a fully functional prototype of the product to be created in a short period of time. In addition, it has significantly reduced the cost of developing a prosthetic prototype.
In the manufacturing of shoulder arthrodesis plates, Eplus3D's EP-M260 3D printer demonstrated exceptional performance. The EP-M260 is a medium-sized MPBF machine with a build volume of 260 mm × 260 mm × 390 mm. It supports both single-laser and dual-laser configurations and can process a variety of high-performance materials, including titanium alloys, stainless steel, and aluminum alloys.
EP-M260 Metal 3D Printer
Manufacturing Process
In the production of shoulder arthrodesis plates, the selected material is titanium alloy VT6, certified for medical use. The printing took about 12 hours, the length of the product was 25 cm with a layer height of 30 μm.
At the end of printing, the product was heat treated at about 700 degrees Celsius for two hours to relieve residual stresses. After that, the supporting structures were removed with hand tools, and then sandblasted.
Tapered threads are present in the product, they were removed from the 3D model for more accurate cutting by traditional machining methods. During melting, shrinkage and deformation can occur due to thermal expansion and contraction. This can affect the shape and size of the thread, as well as make it uneven.
In this situation, the most reliable and accurate way to create threads on metal parts is to design holes with a certain diameter. The threads can then be cut either by CNC or by hand. This ensures that it has a smooth surface and accurate dimensions that meet standard specifications.
Finally, the shoulder arthrodesis plates were successfully manufactured with high precision and complex geometries, precisely matching the anatomical features of each patient to achieve customization.
Technical Advantages of the EP-M260
The EP-M260 3D printer excels in medical and industrial applications with its high-density printing capability, achieving material densities of up to 99.9% for maximum strength and reliability. Its dual-laser system and optimized layer application strategy significantly enhance printing speed and efficiency, while the intelligent monitoring system ensures consistent quality through real-time process control. With a build volume of 260 mm × 260 mm × 390 mm and support for a wide range of biocompatible materials, including titanium and stainless steel, the EP-M260 is ideal for producing medium-sized, highly customized parts with complex geometries, making it a powerful tool for precision manufacturing.
Benefits for the Medical Industry
MPBF printing technology offers transformative advantages for the medical industry, delivering high precision and quality through laser-based metal powder melting, enabling the production of complex, patient-specific implants with intricate geometries.
By utilizing biocompatible materials like titanium and cobalt alloys, it ensures safe and durable medical devices tailored to individual anatomical needs. Additionally, MPBF reduces material waste, lowers production costs, and enhances efficiency with faster processing speeds, allowing manufacturers to meet stringent medical standards while improving treatment outcomes and operational productivity.
Future Outlook
The successful manufacturing of shoulder arthrodesis plates highlights the immense potential of Eplus3D's metal 3D printing technology in the medical field. As additive manufacturing technology continues to advance, more biocompatible materials and new processes will be introduced to the medical industry, providing patients with better treatment options.
Eplus3D remains committed to driving innovation in additive manufacturing technology, offering efficient and reliable solutions to the medical industry, and supporting the development of personalized healthcare.
For more information, please contact us: https://www.eplus3d.com/contact/
About Eplus3D
Since founding the first PBF machine in China in 1993, Eplus3D is engaged in research and development of industrial-grade Additive Manufacturing systems and application technologies using with MPBF™ (Metal Powder Bed Fusion) and PPBF™ (Polymer Powder Bed Fusion) 3D printing technology. Eplus3D provides professional application solutions for the fields of aerospace & aviation, energy, oil & gas, automotive, tooling, healthcare, consumer goods and precision manufacturing.
Eplus3D has four facilities in Beijing, Hangzhou, Stuttgart and Houston, with an annual scientific research investment of more than 20% of the revenue with comprehensive invention patents, utility model patents, software copyrights as well as appearance patents. It has made great achievements in the design, process, software, materials and post-processing development for additive manufacturing and has successfully implemented AM solutions at customer site in more than 40 countries and regions such as Europe, Americas, Middle East, East Asia and Southeast Asia.
APAC Headquarters
Eplus3D Tech Co., Ltd.
Hangzhou, China
P: +86-571-83819589
No. 118 Yanshankong Road, Wenyan, Xiaoshan, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 311258
EMEA Region
Eplus3D Tech GmbH
Ludwigsburg, Germany
P: +49-7141-3888118
Pflugfelder Str. 23, 71636 Ludwigsburg, Germany
Americas Region
EPLUS 3D TECH INC
Houston, USA
P: +1 (281) 302-6160
12425 W Airport Blvd, unit 201, Sugar Land, TX, 77478
