The aim

Application of additive technologies where it is impossible to use traditional casting methods.

The solution

Laser powder melting technology using high- quality titanium, aluminum, and high-strength steel fine metal powders can be used to reduce production cycle time and cost for single part manufacturing. This technology can be used in a broad range of industries, from dental to aerospace

Advantages

• Achievement of high metal density in the final product is up to 1.5 times higher compare with casting.
• Creation of miniature forms of complex geometry and design in a single copy or series.
• Quick sample production of a part, implant, or tool for a prototype, exhibition, or emergency operation.

Applications and results

• Aerospace industry. 3D printing allows you to reduce the weight of individual elements of the aircraft and reduce the time of production of parts and machining.
• Automotive industry. Laser powder melting technologies can significantly reduce the weight, volume of the part, as well as the speed of its production and post-processing. The technology is also indispensable for manufacturing functional parts for various units and assemblies.
• Medicine and dentistry. The production of implants, crowns, bridges in dentistry, as well as the production of special medical instruments for operations brings the quality of treatment to a new functional level, which leads to the most successful result.

3DCeram has developed a unique stereolithography based technology for the manufacture of custom-made bioceramic cranial or jawbone implants named BioCranium®. Our custom hydroxyapatite ceramics implants allow the replacement of the important osseous defects of the dome of the skull and the jawbone part, thus guaranteeing the protection of the subjacent anatomical structures. This custom method is also used in reconstructive surgery for the patients carrying of a loss of cranio-facial osseous substance, after a surgical act. The ceramic implants are an alternative to the osseous grafts which very often come from the patient himself, and thus avoid him additional pains.

The surgeon remains at the heart of the operation that he controls by adjusting the medical device to the pathology of his patient. The 3D digital model of the bone defect to be repaired is made directly using the patient’s pre-surgery scan and in accordance with the instructions from the surgeon. He analyzes and decides on the right shape, location and structure of the porous zones adequate to support the integration of the prosthesis. The implant, accurate to one tenth of a millimeter and made in a very short time, is ideally suited to the morphology of the patient for a high quality reconstruction.

Since the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic, demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has increased rapidly. In addition to healthcare professionals, first responders and other essential workers are taking additional precautions to minimize the risk of infection. As a result, supply chains are overwhelmed and organizations everywhere are scrambling to ensure their employees are properly protected.

One example is Nexa3D’s recent announcement regarding their plans to produce protective gear for healthcare and other essential workers. Established as a direct response to the urgent requests for PPE pouring in from healthcare facilities as well as other essential front line workers, Nexa3D partnered with key players in the medical industry to develop a face shield that is lightweight and designed to be worn for long periods of time while limiting facial exposure to aerosol and splatter. Recently, Nexa3D joined Henkel’s Open Materials Platform. Soon after, the two companies Announced their initial collaboration with the availability of Nexa3D 3843 xABS Black, which is based on LOCTITE 3D 3843 and optimized to run smoothly on Nexa3D’s machines. The company’s NXE400 printers are powered by it’s proprietary Lubricant Sublayer Photo curing ( LSPc ) technology and patented structured light matrix, allowing them to produce up to 19 liters of part volume at high speed, thereby reducing the time it takes to produce functional prototypes and production parts, often from hours to just minutes.

As new challenges arise, industry collaborations like those offered by Henkel’s Open Materials Platform will be available to help companies quickly react and meet the need. And when a new situation does arise, the experience gleaned from this emergency will prove beneficial in helping others better leverage the benefits of additive manufacturing in the future.