An Innovative Combination of the Power of Additive Manufacturing and the Integrity of Mimics Innovation Suite
(a) DICOM contours obtained from the disease free bone showing loading zone and articular surfaces, (b) use of fine density lattice structures in the loading zone and (c) near the solid suture holes to ensure adequate bonding between solid and lattice structures.
The proposed workflow maximizes the combined use of CT imaging and 3D Printing, and shortens the time it takes to design and produce a patient-specific implant. In this research, real-time customization of a patient-specific implant was made possible for the entire process of design and additive manufacturing.
AM presents notable design possibilities. However, creating patient-specific anatomical structures requires unique expertise due to the variety of optimization platforms. Additionally, the design and manufacturing process for complex anatomical structures is computationally demanding. How can these practical obstacles be overcome?