For the procedure, a high-resolution CT scan of the tumor and affected ribcage was conducted by Anatomics, a Melbourne-based medical device company. After the scan, it modeled the implant after the patient’s original anatomy, and determined the structure of the implant that would replace the parts that required removal.
Watch the following interview about the making of the thoracic implant, courtesy of Engineering TV:
Anatomics then brought the design to CSIRO’s 3D-printing facility, which houses an Arcam 3D printer that works with the same titanium used for traditional thoracic implants. Quoted at $1.3 million, the Arcan printer deploys an electron beam to melt the alloy powder as it builds the part layer by layer.
Thanks to 3D printing, the implant could be retrofitted to the patient’s thoracic structure, and screwed into the bony sections of the ribs. The design-to-production time was much shorter than the regular manufacturing of such a complex part and the patient has remained healthy since the surgery.