Materialise’s new US facility brings personalised medical implants closer to patients
Materialise, located in Leuven, Belgium, has opened a new Additive Manufacturing centre in Plymouth, Michigan, USA. The new facility will specialise in the Additive Manufacturing of personalised titanium cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) implants, which are used in facial reconstructive surgery.
Prior to establishing the new Michigan operation, Materialise manufactured titanium CMF implants at its AM facility in Belgium. The dedicated US-based facility will therefore significantly reduce delivery times of the fully personalised implants to hospitals across the country.
“With the opening of our new metal 3D printing centre in the US, we bring personalised care closer to US patients,” shared Brigitte de Vet, Vice President of Medical at Materialise. “The power of 3D printing paired with our three decades of experience in 3D planning and medical manufacturing, allows us to accelerate the delivery of personalised medical implants. We take pride in leading the charge to revolutionise patient-specific care and with our dedicated facility in Michigan we further enhance personalised care in the United States.”
Surgeons are increasingly embracing Additive Manufacturing solutions as they recognise the added value it brings to personalised patient care. Patient-specific AM medical solutions include anatomical models for diagnostic purposes, surgical guides, and implants to enhance accuracy and efficiency. These solutions are designed to bolster surgeons’ comfort before and during surgery, leading to more predictable and accurate surgical outcomes.
Materialise produces 280,000 personalised AM instruments and implants each year, including 160,000 for the US market. In 2017, it introduced one of the first personalised CMF implant portfolios in the United States, and in 2021, its innovative 3D planning and AM instruments played a role in the world’s first successful simultaneous double hand and face transplant performed at NYU Lagone Health in Manhattan in New York City.
