Stratasys Enhances Digital Anatomy 3D Printer

Stratasys enhanced its J750 Digital Anatomy™ 3D printer with advanced bone capabilities that are biomechanically realistic. The system mimics porous bone structures, fibrotic tissue and ligaments to create models that behave like human bone.

The technology enables healthcare providers to improve surgical preparedness and allows medical device makers to conduct testing and training on new devices. BoneMatrix™ material includes software capabilities that extend those benefits to orthopedic applications.

“We believe that better preparation leads to better clinical outcomes,” said Vice President Osnat Philipp, who leads the global healthcare team at Stratasys. “The mechanical properties of bone are so fundamental to the ability of our skeletons to support movement, provide protection for our vital organs and ultimately affect our quality of life. Being able to 3D print models that are biomechanically accurate and unique to each patient is critical to that preparation.”

The printer provides an alternative to off-the-shelf, manufactured bone models that lack those patient-specific characteristics and biomechanical realism. In contrast, this system offers haptic feedback that is realistic, and each model can be created from an actual patient scan.

Study results indicate that orthopedic screw pull-out force in the 3D-printed models has a similar haptic response to human cadaver bone, and that 3D-printed models of lumbar vertebrae accurately represented the range of motion compared to published literature on human spines.

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