83-Year-Old Woman Gets New 3D-Printed Titanium Jaw 121
arnodf writes "The University of Hasselt (in Belgium) announced today (Google translation of Dutch original) that Belgian and Dutch scientists have successfully replaced an 83-year-old woman's lower jaw with a 3D-printed model. According to the researchers, 'It is the first custom-made implant in the world to replace an entire lower jaw. ... The 3D printer prints titanium powder layer by layer, while a computer controlled laser ensures that the correct particles are fused together. Using 3D printing technology, less materials are needed and the production time is much shorter than traditional manufacturing. The artificial jaw is slightly heavier than a natural jaw, but the patient can easily get used to it."
Don't Draw that Jaw (Score:5, Funny)
You wouldn't download a jaw...
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These Jaws jokes are tearing me up!
Sign me up (Score:2)
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And you wouldn't, because you wouldn't feel anything.
Nerd.
Sweet! (Score:5, Funny)
Any day now... (Score:3)
I'm going to be reading how someone using a 3D printer is creating their own family.
oooooh and is the Pope going to have kittens!
I think I... (Score:1)
already saw that Bond movie.
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already saw that Bond movie.
Flash : A dog with titanium implants is now Jaws pet.
How do they attach muscle/tendons to titanium? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:How do they attach muscle/tendons to titanium? (Score:5, Interesting)
From what I understand of the jaws anatomy, it's essentially cradled inside a basket of muscles, those allow it to open/close. The tendon attachment, however, is tricky, as titanium forms a bond with bone (which grows around it) and not with tendons or ligaments.
Re:How do they attach muscle/tendons to titanium? (Score:5, Informative)
There some more information in the university's press release [uhasselt.be] which, handily, is also available in English translation [uhasselt.be] :
"The implant was coated with plasma sprayed artificial bone (hydroxy-apatite bone substitute compound) by Cambioceramics, Leiden, The Netherlands. Some anatomical parts, such as the condylar heads and the rims for the mandibular nerves were polished."
So I assume they attach the tendons to the faux-bone.
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Screws, clips, nails, adhesive. It's all been tried. I swear your average orthopedic surgeon spends way too much time at Home Depot coming up with ideas.
If you think I'm kidding, the first clue for me was the bolt cutters being replicated in stainless for a surgeon by a machine shop I was visiting.
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My orthopedic surgeon was a toolmaker and machinist before he decided to become a doc.
--
BMO
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Much of orthopedics is basically mechanics as applied to human bodies.
Why not stainless steel? (Score:2)
Not just in this case, but in general for medical implants. Sure it is heavier, but it is much stronger, just as corrosion resistant, and non-magnetic.
Re:Why not stainless steel? (Score:5, Informative)
Titanium is stronger than most stainless steels and is 2/3 of the density. Also nickle is a component of stainless steel and can cause problems in the body. Titanium is inert in the body.
almost true (Score:3)
pure titanium is as strong as typical steels but has less weight. Steels can be made that are much stronger than titanium.
Re:almost true (Score:5, Informative)
Pure Titanium is pretty weak with a Yield of around 20ksi. But the most common type is Grade 5 which when heat treated is good to about 150ksi yield. Most 300 series stainless especially 316 which is pretty much the most inert one is good to about 40ksi. You can get some insane Maraging steels that go to 350ksi. But working with those is a pain. The only times I've used it I had to wire EDM it.
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I really hate the whole metal vs metal debates and claims. "Aluminum" x% stronger then "steel." Because no engineer doing an sort of serious design would never ever just specify "Steel", "Aluminum", "Titanium" or even "stainless steel." And even if they did they would assume that the implementor would be pick the most common alloy for that field of use.
Even worse is welding, brazing, and soldering. I have heard the following claims: "Soldering can be just as strong as brazing." "Brazing can be just as stron
Re:almost true (Score:5, Informative)
I'm a mechanical engineer and I have to agree. Material selection is much more complicated than it seems. Let's take a typical aluminum parts I design.
If it is a high strength part machined from a block I'd use AL 7075-T6 since it's very strong and machines well. The T6 is an artificial aging that makes it stronger.
Sheet metal with tight bends 5052-O since other Aluminum will crack. The O means it is annealed so it's soft enough to bend cleanly.
Welded parts I'd use 6061-T6 since it's strong and welds nicely. The only problem is when you weld aluminum you anneal the area around the weld and the strength can drop from 36ksi yield to about 8ksi yield. If you really need the strength you can artificially age the part after you weld it but then the part typically warps and you have to straighten it back.
And once you have your part you have another problem with Aluminum. It's really soft. So it's easy to scratch and you can't get the surface clean because it keeps oxidizing and will rub off and make your hand black. So you can anodize it. There is a regular and a hard coat anodize if the part will be subject to wear.
These are just a few of the material selections you need to make. And this is just aluminum.
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zinc
Re:almost true (Score:5, Interesting)
I got a (4 Interesting) so I'll continue.
There are a couple of mechanical properties that you can generalize for a metal regardless of alloy type.
Density is pretty consistent. Aluminum is about .09 lb/in^3, Titanium .16 lb/in^3, and Steels .28 lb/in^3
But the most important one is Young's Modulus. This is basically how stiff a material is so higher is stiffer.
Aluminum is 10 Mpsi
Titanium is 16 Mpsi
Steel is 29 Mpsi
What is really freaky is that the Young's Modulus numbers are almost identical to the in proportion to the densities.
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except that if you want to be strength equivalent, in the case of aluminum/steel you need to use a greater volume of material- so in this case aluminum part of equal strength (and possibly lower weight) is stiffer than the steel part.
Young's modulus alone doesn't really tell you much about actual application without considering the other properties of a material.
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Nope. You need to differentiate between strength-per-volume and strength-per-weight. Per weight, titanium always wins, but pure titanium isn't that great, it's the alloys that really shine (no pun intended, especially since Ti isn't terribly shiny). 6Al4V is the normal "aerospace-grade" alloy, and is stronger per weight than any steel alloy. However, by volume I'm pretty sure it's the other way around; steel is stronger. So you can make a lighter part with the same strength as a high-strength-steel par
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Let's move on then to the basics of solid mechanics.
If something is in pure tension your strength is easy to calculate. You take the strength of your material with appropriate safety factors in psi and compare it to your load divided by the cross sectional area. Easy. So an aluminum and steel member of the same shape and with the same material strength will both be equally strong. But the Aluminum member will stretch 3 times as much and be 3 times lighter. If deflection is your criteria you will need the s
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When we talk about the engineering strength of materials we always work in strength per unit area. This is why you will see it quoted as pressures. Psi or MPa. Basically if you take a bar with a constant cross section and pull on the ends the stress is defined as the force applied divided by the cross sectional area. You will see Yield Stress defined which is when the part is permanently stretched. And Ultimate Stess which is when it actually breaks.
Since we work in areas and volumes when doing stress analy
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True that. I've now got seven stents - all titanium, for the simple reason they're strong, light, and non-reactive.
Back in '76 I over-filled my stainless Zippo; it leaked, I got one helluva leaking rash - instant "nickel allergy". To this day the only metal my body will tolerate for anything more than moderately brief contact is titanium.
As for the printed jaw, I'd be interested to see some follow-up on this - the possibilities are intriguing.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_series [wikipedia.org]
Re:Why not stainless steel? (Score:4)
Titanium is inert in the body.
For now. But I'm sure the medical malpractice attorneys who advertise in between infomercials will find a way to claim otherwise in short time.
Impresos en 3D el fracaso de titanio del implante? Marque cinco cinco cinco, cinco cinco cinco cinco!
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Titanium is routinely used for dental implants. A hole is drilled into the jaw, a titanium screw/stud screwed in, and a crown put on top. Titanium is ideal for surgical implants because bone actually grows around it, unlike other metals where bone recedes from them. For some odd reason, titanium is particularly bio-compatible, and doesn't cause any rejection issues like other materials. It's also popular for jewelry for people who are especially sensitive to other metals; it's like gold that way (gold i
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Titanium is inert in the body.
For now. But I'm sure the medical malpractice attorneys who advertise in between infomercials will find a way to claim otherwise in short time.
Surely you jest with such an ignorant post. I refuse to believe this post was made for teh realz.
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This surgery was done in Netherlands, not the shitty lawyer-worshiping USA. They probably don't have a lot of trouble with BS medical malpractice cases over there like we do.
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Re:Why not stainless steel? (Score:5, Informative)
Some people also naturally have considerable sensitivity to nickel outside the body too. Some people get terrible hives, rashes, and even permanent burns when wearing cheap jewelry (ie: silver plated jewelry which is made of nickel/rhodium alloys). Given such a damaging reaction when exposed to damp skin, having this inside the body could be dangerous.
Good question. Cheers!
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Titanium seems to be used across the board. My guess would be lower host rejection.
Re:Why not stainless steel? (Score:5, Funny)
Uh.. why not titanium? Does she really need her jaw to be stronger than a Mig jet fighter? Does she really want her jaw to be twice as heavy as a normal jaw so that she walks around like this :0 all the time?
Re:Why not stainless steel? (Score:5, Informative)
Titanium interacts better with bone and the body tends to tolerate it well (most artificial joints are made of titanium), is lighter that steel, and has superb sintering properties. In fact nanograin titanium oxide (a ceramic) when shaped and sintered is transparent, as light as aluminum, stronger than steel, and far more flexible than either. It is extremely heat resistant and you could in fact build a very impressive engine block out of it... and be able to tune you motor by adjust combustion until your ignition color went blue (indicating complete optimal combustion.)
You could print a very high quality bone replacement and put synthetic bone inside and out to support marrow, a blood supply and attachment points on the outside for muscle and tendon. In fact you could build anchor points for carbon fiber to replace portions of tendon, and the tendon would naturally grow into the fiber over time. With the work being done on 3D printing, Its almost certain that we'll eventually just print up actual replacement organs and tissues from our own stem cells and with a little Extracellular Matrix to make it all grow together, no scars, no complications. We truly live in amazing times!
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It is extremely heat resistant and you could in fact build a very impressive engine block out of it... and be able to tune you motor by adjust combustion until your ignition color went blue (indicating complete optimal combustion.)
Well you'd have to peek between the oil and coolant passages to get a good look inside the cylinder...it would mostly look like the slushie machine from hell with some flashing lights inside.
I still want one though! :D
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Here's a video [youtube.com] you might like :)
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Oh yeah I've seen that one. I'd like to see the same device inside a DI interference engine.
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I can't wear wrist-watches - the backsides are always stainless steel.
Yes you can. You just need to get a all-titanium model. My mother has the same problem you do, and I got her an all-titanium Citizen wristwatch about 10 years ago. The backside is titanium too. It works great for her; the only problem is that these days, she doesn't wear it that much because she (like me) just uses her cellphone to tell the time. :-/
I'm pretty sure Citizen still has all-titanium models available, if you're still into
Glad I'm not her husband (Score:2)
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or did they live any capp style and he wore out her jaw popping her one in the yap? this titanium jaw would be hell on the knuckles....
Experience (Score:5, Funny)
Sounds like the whole thing is a jaw-dropping experience!
On a more serious note... (Score:1)
I wonder if this could have been used for Roger Ebert, or did he have to have too much tissue removed to get rid of the tumor to make it pointless?
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He also says he won't undergo any more surgery, so it's unlikely he'll receive one of these jaws.
The man is a national treasure. Any filmmaker who sees their film reviewed by Roger Ebert at this point in his life should consider themselves blessed, even if his review is saying the film sucks. It's a hercu
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He can still type like crazy. He's on Twitter all the time and he can still write for his newspaper... so he isn't gone yet.
Bond, James Bond (Score:5, Funny)
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Richard Keil called, he wants his teeth back.
Don't say that too loudly - Barbara Broccoli might send a DMCA takedown order to the University of Hasselt.
Missed oppertunity (Score:5, Funny)
She should have had new titanium dentures built into it as well. She could have starred in the next James Bond movie.
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She's 83 - unless they're bringing Sean Connery back, she might be a tad old to play the supervillian.
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You haven't heard? They're making a remake of Dr. Who with the original cast.
They're calling it James Denture Bond: Dr. Who? Speak up!
Now that the technology has been proven... (Score:1)
How long before they can print Adamantium bone replacements?
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First they have to discover adamantium.
Trust me, if the stuff existed it would be all the rage in aerospace.
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After someone buys the rights to the name Adamantium and applies it to an alloy that would be used in bone replacements.
Adamantium is not a real substance, but the name could be applied to a substance as a marketing tool. That is the only way that I could ever see Adamantium bone replacements being made.
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Not necessarily; you could (in theory) create artificial bones that still have voids in them to contain bone marrow. Of course, implementing this in practice would be rather tricky, but if we can get to the point where we can print titanium bones in hours and also grow tissues with stem cells, it might be feasible to merge the two, growing new bone marrow inside an artificial femur or pelvis, for instance.
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Plus without Wolverine's super-healing it would be useless. You'd just take organ damage instead of getting broken bones (let's assume joints won't be damaged), and then you'll die because you don't have super-healing.
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Uh oh... (Score:1)
Should I be worried [youtube.com]?
This is amazing! (Score:2)
I was under the impression that 3D printing currently only worked with a few materials, and usually was just used with plastics. But 3D printing with metal? Welcome to the future.
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I was under the impression that 3D printing currently only worked with a few materials, and usually was just used with plastics. But 3D printing with metal? Welcome to the future.
Powdered metal isn't cheap.
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Metal powders are actually quite simple to make. (Even without resorting to mechanical production.
The real issue is that only certain metals could be sintered this way, and that for any kind of good resolution, you would a very tight beam on the laser.
For instance, aluminum would have to be sintered in a hermetically sealed build chamber filled with inert gasses.
On top of that, a sintered piece won't have the same strength as a milled piece. It would have much more in common with a hammer forged casting, an
The power of Kroll! (Score:4, Interesting)
That's true because it's not going to be 100% solid, but you can get to within 90% or more with laser sintering. However for this application being a little bit porous is an advantage because real bone can grow on it and into it. A bit over a decade ago researchers were treating milled titanium knee joints with hot caustic soda to make the surface porous and let bone grow into the portions that were in contact with bone.
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shapeways.com (Score:2)
The company shapeways.com will print print stainless steel for you for relatively cheap. (They do plastic, stainless steel, aluminum, sterling silver, ceramic, and glass.) I have the world's most awesome set of dungeon-crawling dice (bronze-finish stainless) that my wife gave me from that place.
amazing but having hard time with that first claim (Score:3)
replacements for jaws are decades old (though not 3D model), I used to work in IT for dental practice network and replacements for war veterans who had them destroyed is something I remember.
Another victim of a bad summary.... (Score:2)
In TFA, the novelty they are alluding to is this is the first 3D printed replacement, not the first replacement.
TFA mentions that compared to the current method, they can have a replacement in 4 hours, compared to several or more days.
I can imagine that this can allow the surgeon to tweak the model for the individual patient better.
Speed (Score:2)
That's almost fast enough that they could request a change to the part during surgery. OK, maybe off by a factor of 4 to 10.
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Having personally executed through the process of using CT scans to produce 1:1 computer models of bones that can then be printed with a rapid prototyper, I can assure you that you cannot have a replacement in just 4 hours. Oh, sure, it can be 4 hours from when you start the machine to when the part is finished printing, but you cannot go from presurgical CT scan to part model to printed part to cleaned, polished, (co
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In lieu of my limited knowledge, I'll tentatively take your word for that.
My intent was to clear up some perceived confusion exhibited by the poster of the comment I replied to, thus the title was 'Another victim of a bad summary...'.
I do appreciate your reply, as it gives me a reason for research to satisfy my own curiosity.
This stuff [TFA] is so far out of my league, that is almost like sorcery to me.
I was trained/educated as a Veterinary Technician, State Board(TM) certified in Oklahoma, and worked at OS
prints titanium powder layer by layer (Score:1)
Yes I would download a car!
TCO (Score:2)
How much is the printer, and what do the cartridges cost?
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(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing)
X-Men coming soon (Score:1)
Any way I could get this, for say, all my bones? Some retractable claws would be nice too ...
jaw-dropping? (Score:1)
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No, but perhaps some for ghasts, shades, spectres, vampires, and liches.
Star Trek tech is closer than we think (Score:1)
The coming 3D printing disruption (Score:3, Insightful)
3D printing is going to revolutionize the world. We are in a Moore's law-esque curve with the cost and capabilities of printers. They have already moved into the price range of a home computer (maker bot) and will soon sport the capability to print in combinations of varying arrays of materials. We're very quickly going to move from machines printing with one or two materials, largely either metal or plastic, into combinations of dozens, and then hundreds of materials. As we go, we'll also see the printing of biological devices (ie printing cells to scaffolding). Combined with research into stem cells and regenerative medicine, I expect the next 20 years to see a simultaneous,. interconnected revolution in manufacturing and biotechnology.
I just hope I live long enough to take advantage. Just as I get to the age where my organs start to fail, I want science to deliver customized printable organs.
while i tend to agree... i also think (Score:2)
that i myself dont really need much stuff 3d printed.
i need to pay rent, pay for food, and pay for transportation, and heat/cooling.
3d printing really doesnt help me do any of these things. i cannot 3d print food. i cannot 3d print land. i cannot 3d print fuel or energy.
it will revolutionize a lot of things, but what will it do to the economy? even more unemployment, even less chance for anyone to move up the social ladder and rise out of subsitence poverty and wage slavery.
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Nice! (Score:2)
obligatory (Score:1)
I, for one, welcome our Titanium-jawed Belgian grandmother overlords!
What, no photo of said jaw? (Score:2)
plastic teeth? (Score:2)
Can't we get articles posted closer to the original source instead of these crap repeater sites?
3D Stem Cell Printing (Score:1)
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I dunno about temperature (probably no problem outside of extreme temperatures) but nothing inside your body will affect your chances of being struck by lightning (unless it makes you taller or compels you to stand outside in thunderstorms). It could affect the path the lightning takes through your body though.