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Advantages of Additive Manufacturing for Healthcare

Qualified serial production of surgical implants, medical devices and dental prostheses

Medical device manufacturers are increasingly adopting metal additive manufacturing technology to produce a wide range of medical devices and dental prostheses. Selective laser melting is the ideal production technique to integrate function into medical device components, e.g. printing surgical implants with lattice structures for enhanced osseointegration and reduced stress shielding. Designs optimized for the SLM® process, and those custom to patients’ anatomy, often create complex bionic geometries which can only be efficiently produced with selective laser melting. The SLM® technology provides productivity and cost advantages to users, compared to conventional manufacturing processes such as casting and machining. 

Selective Laser Melting Solutions for Healthcare Applications

  • Orthopaedic Implants

    Hip, knee and extremity implants are produced with SLM® technology. 

  • Cranio-Maxillofacial Implants

    Patient-matched and custom CMF implants feature complex geometries that are efficiently manufactured with Selective Laser Melting. 

  • Dental Prosthetics

    Dental crowns and bridges, RPDs, implant bars, implant frames, implant abutments, orthodontic RMEs - Selective Laser Melting provides precise manufacturing!

  • Surgical Instruments

    Surgical instruments are produced as prototypes and in small series using SLM® technology.

Success Stories

Acetabular Cups With Integrated Lattice Structure

Machine SLM®280 
Material: Ti6Al4V
Layer Thickness: 60µm
Build Time: 15 hr (full load 34 parts)

Up to 34 acetabular cups (Ø44mm) can be placed on the build plate of the SLM®280, which means 30 minutes build time per part. The porous structure on the exterior surface facilitates osseointegration. SLM® systems are able to achieve the fine details needed across the porous geometry for optimal connection between the implant and the bone to encourage long-term stability of the implant through bone ingrowth. Selective Laser Melting enables the user to control the design and manufacture of the lattice struts in terms of shape, size, orientation and spacing. This level of control cannot be matched by traditional plasma spray coating processes.

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Success Stories

 Patient-Matched Maxillofacial Implants

Machine: SLM®125
Material: Ti Gd. II & Ti6Al4V
Layer Thickness: 30µm

These maxillofacial implants are designed and produced specific to the patient’s anatomy, on the basis of the patient’s CT-scan images. They enable a more efficient surgical procedure, achieving functional and cosmetic restoration. The production of patient-matched and custom CMF implants by Selective Laser Melting is more efficient and more economical compared to traditional CNC-milling techniques.

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Recommended SLM® Machines For Healthcare

SLM®125

The SLM®125 machine offers high-powered laser in a compact footprint for flexible manufacturing to fit your specific needs.Being the smallest machine in SLM Solutions portfolio it still offers the same top quality features of larger machines providing highest safety, quality and flexibility. 

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SLM®280 2.0

The SLM®280 2.0 provides optimum material quality and is particularly suitable for prototyping or small production series. Paired with a Powder Sieving Machine (PSM), the machine offers high material flexibility. Manual sieves allow efficient material changeover for adaptable production while maintaining safety and quality. Equipped with patented multi-beam technology and bi-directional recoating it helps shorten production times.

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SLM®280 Production Series

The SLM®280 Production Series targets the serial production processes with fully automatic powder management in inert gas atmosphere and provides a patented, enhanced gas flow that creates a clean process environment and increase build quality. A permanent filter module additionally increased machine uptime and safety.

 

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SLM® Materials for Healthcare Applications

SLM Solutions offers a wide range of qualified metal powders for use on our selective laser melting systems and commonly utilized in the healthcare industry. All materials provided by SLM Solutions are qualified for their chemistry, spherical structure, particle size distribution, dryness and flowability. We offer validated process parameters for all biomaterials on all our machines.

  • Ti-Based Alloys: Ti6Al4V Gd. 23, Ti (Grade 2)
  • Co-Based Alloys: CoCr28Mo6, SLM® MediDent
  • Stainless Steel: 316L (1.4404), 17-4PH (1.4542)

This is not what you are looking for? Other biomaterials are available on request. 

More SLM® Materials