News and Events

Krailling / Leuven, September 25th, 2007 - The first Rapid Implant Manufacturing Forum took place in Leuven on September 12th. Organised by Materialise in collaboration with EOS, the forum provided a platform for discussing the latest trends in implant development and production using layer manufacturing technologies such as laser-sintering. The event was attended by more than sixty people from 16 different countries. Several speeches highlighted how layer manufacturing technologies are used today in the medical implant industry, and they also gave an outlook to the future.

The forum was attended by delegates from leading manufacturers, as well as users of the different technologies. Layer manufacturing technologies increasingly play a role in this industry due to different factors: The implant industry more and more requires individual solutions; the market is driven by flexibility, cost and quality – requirements that layer manufacturing technologies can fulfil. The symposium outlined the advantages that these technologies offer: reduced operation time and patient discomfort, freedom of design and functional integration in the development of operational devices and implants, but also reduced lead times.

Peter Ostiguy from DePuy Spine gave an impressive presentation on the use of the Direct Metal Laser-Sintering (DMLS) technology. The company is relying on the technology since just February 2007 and has already produced more than 1,200 parts. So far these parts are mainly used for evaluation purposes and sales samples. “Furthermore, we see a large potential in the surgical arena”, foresees Ostiguy, the company’s Staff Team Leader. He continues: “The DMLS technology spawns a new foundation on how we design our components. In the past we designed for manufacturability. Now, with laser-sintering, we can design for functionality.” Using DMLS, DePuy has reduced lead times in some projects by up to 50 per cent, even if product iterations became necessary. DePuy also predicts a wider use of DMLS manufactured instruments to be used in operating theatres once the new, hardenable material EOS StainlessSteel PH1 is commercially launched. The material fulfils the ASTM E8 specifications as built and complements the existing material EOS Stainless Steel 17-4. It is currently being tested at pilot customer sites.

Other speakers at the conference also reported on the use of laser-sintered devices during operations, and applications such as acetabular cups and knee implants in EOS CobaltChrome MP1. The Italian company ProtoCast developed a new manufacturing process for acetabular cups. These cups already received CE certification. Furthermore, the symposium also discussed the current status of European funded projects such as Phidias, Customfit and Custom-IMD.

Martin Bullemer, Key Account Manager at EOS, sums up the event: “The Rapid Implant Manufacturing Forum was an ideal platform for an open exchange between different users of layer manufacturing technologies. I am delighted to have learned so much more about the latest developments and am confident that the industry is heading even more towards Rapid Manufacturing, or e-Manufacturing as we put it, within the next 1-2 years.”

About EOS

EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems. Laser-sintering is the key technology for e-Manufacturing, the fast, flexible and cost-effective production of products, patterns or tools. The technology manufactures parts for every phase of the product life cycle, directly from electronic data. Laser-sintering accelerates product development and optimizes production processes. EOS completed its last business year on September 30th, 2006 with revenues of 52.3 million EUR and thus continues its ongoing growth.

www.eos.info