Gunshot and car crash victims in London who suffer facial injuries could soon have the missing pieces of their skull rebuilt with 3D-printed parts.
Scientists have created pioneering 3D open-source software which is set to transform the lives of patients.
The system, called Adept, produces titanium alloy that cuts weeks from the existing techniques which use off-the-shelf implants bent into shape.
It can be used to mend fractured eye sockets, where bone is removed to access a tumour, and major trauma injuries.
Implants are needed when bone dies and cannot be replaced. Adept imports a CT scan and the specialist click-selects the implant area.
The software analyses the other side of the face as a template, along with the screw holes needed to secure the implant.
The scan is then emailed to specialists at 3D printing firm Renishaw, which creates the implant.
Peter Llewelyn Evans, one of the lead developers, said: “There will be units using two or three expensive pieces of software to do the same thing. [Here] the design is in minutes.”
Adept will be presented at the Collaborate to Innovate Conference on November 17 before being rolled out to maxillofacial units for more testing.
