Arcomedlab Develops the Largest 3D Printed Cranial Implant in the World
The applications of 3D printing in medicine are very varied. In this sector, we have seen great projects that make use of technology to improve the daily lives of patients and even save lives. Among these uses, we can find the additive manufacturing of custom implants that adapt to the needs of each person. Now, we have learned about the work carried out by the startup Arcomedlab, which has broken a record by creating the world’s largest cranial implant using 3D printing. According to the company, this implant covers almost the entire skull of the patient, from the supraorbital ridges to the occipital bone. To learn more about their activity, the use of technology, and the role of this news in the healthcare field, we talked to their team.
3DN: Can you introduce yourself and tell us about Arcomedlab?
My name is Ilan Rosenberg, CEO and founder of Arcomedlab. I started specializing in 3D printing with a focus on healthcare in Florence, Italy in 2011. Arcomedlab is an American startup founded in 2018, we are worldwide pioneers in developing technology that specializes in 3D printing custom-made synthetic bone implants for each patient with a PEEK biopolymer. To date, we have more than 600 implants successfully installed around LATAM. Arcomedlab was born with the mission to give access to personalized medicine to thousands of patients around the world, to restore and improve lives. Arcomedlab is ISO 13485 and is pending FDA certification. Arcomedlab presented the first patent in the world of a custom-made cranial implant, which is capable of storing and releasing different drugs locally through a drip mechanism activated only by gravity, managing to interact with the body. That is to say, we are talking about 4D printing.
On the left, Ilan Roseberg. On the right, the 3D printed cranial implant.
3DN: What 3D printing technologies do you use and what kind of projects have you carried out with them?
We work with FDM and SLA technologies for medical use. These are not used for projects, but rather they are 600 real clinical cases, mainly skull reconstruction (cranioplasties) with custom-made implants, and facial reconstruction with custom-made implants, apart from different types of surgical planning, facilitating the surgical procedure, optimizing time, resources and achieving less invasive surgeries for patients.
3DN: You have created the world’s largest cranial implant, what does this milestone mean for technology in the medical sector?
It is a very important milestone, as it opens the doors for a new future in 3D printing technology focused on medicine or health. Today we are able to reconstruct a complete skull of patients of all different ages, as well as any bone structure of the face. We are currently starting to manufacture custom-made bone implants for different parts of the body (hip, spine, sternum, extremities, etc).
3DN: How do you see the future of 3D printing in healthcare?
3D printing is the fourth industrial revolution. In the health field, it is a game changer as it opens up endless possibilities to rehabilitate, restore, reconstruct, plan, and improve millions of surgical interventions that are performed every day. All of this is to give a better quality of life to each patient and facilitate the surgical procedures of the different specialists and doctors. I think this is just the beginning, soon we will be printing with stem cells even more personalized implants, achieving an ideal bioactivation for specific purposes in each patient’s body.
3D printing has great potential in the medical sector.
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*All photo credits: Arcomedlab
