Sep 06, 2016
Figuring out how to avoid the complications caused by 3D printed facial implants has become a crucial problem with 3D printing technology. The good news is that Professor Yoon Won-soo from Korea Polytechnic University seems to have found a solution. He and his team have developed a new biodegradable 3D printing material, whose 3D printed implants will not only greatly avoid any complications but could also accelerate the regeneration of natural tissue and gradually dissolve until they completely disappear.
It is said that this new FDA approved material is essentially a PCL polymer. It will, as we’ve mentioned before, gradually dissolve after being implanted into human body for two to three years. What’s more, it will largely reduce the negative side effects of the facial implants. Some permanent facial implants are prone to cause inflammation and once this has happened, the only method to eliminate it is by surgery.
Professor Yoon Woo-soo thinks that this new material will have a significant impact on modern medical treatment, especially for implant development. We’ve been using patients’ own bones as material to produce the implant for quite a long time, which could cause damage to the patient both physically and mentally. This new material, however, is very likely to solve the problem because it could be made into satisfactory implants directly and is easier to implant with only two hours’ printing time compared to the original eight hours.
What’s worth mentioning is that early this year, Professor Yoon Woo-soo and his team developed a biodegradable grid structure for facial bone surgery and was already approved by MFDS.
Source: 3D Printing Industry