WILMINGTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sensable announced that
custom facial prosthetics, custom dental and maxillofacial implants, as well as
custom surgical guides, created with its Freeform® 3D modeling and design
system will be spotlighted at the 2011 American Association of Maxillofacial
Prosthetics annual conference starting this Saturday, October 29th in
Scottsdale, Arizona. Freeforms touch-enabled 3D modeling system allows
maxillofacial surgeons and prosthetic designers to start with existing CT or
MRI scans, then create and manufacture complex and exceptional-fitting
restorations in a fraction of the time previously required by producing them by
hand – speeding patient access to improved comfort, aesthetics and function.
“Were proud to showcase the innovation of our Freeform
customers and demonstrate how they are using our systems to produce
transformational implants and prosthetics for patients.”
Also at the conference, speakers from US military medical institutions
will cite custom implants and prostheses created using Sensable Freeform,
during a session on advances in the use of digital techniques for treating
wounded soldiers.
Maxillofacial medicine treats anomalies of the face, skull
and jaws, both congenital and acquired, through surgery and custom-made
implants and appliances. Prosthetists – specialists in designing and fitting
restorations – are going digital, and rely on Freeform as their go-to tool for
the prosthetics-making process.
“FreeForm allows us to help surgeons rebuild faces — and
lives,” said Nancy Hairston, president of MedCAD, a Dallas based custom medical device
manufacturer whose custom surgical splints for a complex mandible/maxilla
realignment were made on a 3D printer in biocompatible material and are on
display at the show. “In the past, custom implants and guides cost a lot
more than off the shelf parts. Today, with digital solutions like Freeform, we
can create customized parts for the same cost, save time, and with even greater
accuracy.”
“With FreeForm, our team can create our ClearShield
craniofacial implants at least 50 percent faster , moving from an STL file
created from a patient-specific CT scan, through to completed design a 3D model
in as little as a week,” said Cynthia Brogan, CEO of Osteosymbionics, whose
naturally shaped implants correct cranial defects.
In addition to the above cases, other custom prosthetics and
surgical guides designed in Freeform and showcased at the AAMP conference
include:
- Custom dental guides for complex implant surgeries from
ProPrecision Guides of Gainesville FL. - 3D study model of an aneurism to help a surgeon better
locate and analyze a treatment plan than by using 2D radiology images alone,
from service bureau Protowerx of Langley, British Columbia. - An obturator from City University of New York (CUNY), and
other complex dental appliances provided to treat congenital deformities or for
cancer patients when large sections of their palates must be removed, restoring
basic human functions such as speaking, breathing and eating.
As a design solution optimized for organically-shaped
products, Freeform saves hours, even days, when designing human forms. Its
design-for-manufacturability features allow service bureaus to streamline the
process of delivering a completed implant or appliance, as well as custom tools
and guides which can aid in surgery, using the latest additive manufacturing
techniques and biocompatible materials.
“Precise dental implant placement is paramount to stability,
comfort and life expectancies. With Freeform, I can design a typical surgical
guide in 15 minutes, instead of 45 minutes. The resulting surgical guide is a
perfect fit, and with direct manufacturing, we also avoid the heat, fumes, dust
and debris involved when manually forming acrylic guides and grinding them to
fit, as well as numerous intermediary steps,” said John Pellerito, principal of
ProPrecision Guides.
“Freeform is the one solution I cant live without in my
toolbox,” said Shawn Cherewick, owner of Protowerx. “The product has made it
possible for us to take notoriously ‘noisy CT scan files, and manipulate their
organic shapes so that even jagged and protruding edges of the aneurism –
shapes that traditional CAD would choke on – could be produced as models
effectively and efficiently like never before.”
Freeform Enables Maxillofacial Implant Designers to:
- Easily mirror intact anatomy from one side of the body to
the other damaged side, to create perfect symmetry - Split anatomical files at precisely the right location –
both standard and non-standard - Intuitively control the position of anatomy and implants
- Match jagged or irregular edges – for example, a skull
patch for a wounded soldier – at least 5 times faster than traditional CAD - Prep models for rapid manufacturing and tooling quickly
and accurately - Readily drive new biocompatible materials and additive
manufacturing processes, including- Trabecular metal that supports bone in-growth;
- 3D printing in a host of new biocompatible resins
including polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) - Milling and traditional casting, in titanium or PEEK
- Streamline digital workflows
- Scan, then design complex solid models such as in medical
applications. - Easily and quickly explore designs and produce study
models - Readily create manufacturable files, for example testing
insertion directions and draft
“Were witnessing a revolution in patient-specific
manufacturing today, where implants are being designed and produced faster,
more accurately and in new materials that provide enormous benefits to
patients,” said Joan Lockhart, vice president of marketing, at Sensable. “Were
proud to showcase the innovation of our Freeform customers and demonstrate how
they are using our systems to produce transformational implants and prosthetics
for patients.”
About Sensable
Founded in 1993, Sensable remains the leading developer of touch-enabled
solutions and technology that allow users to not only see and hear an on-screen
computer application, but to actually “feel” it. With 44 patents granted and
over 10,000 systems installed worldwide, Sensable helps people innovate with
human touch solutions. The company markets and sells the Intellifit™ Digital
Restoration System for dental labs; a suite of 3D organic design solutions that
includes its flagship product, Freeform; and the Phantom® and Omni™ lines of
haptic devices, used in surgical simulation and planning, stroke
rehabilitation, medical training, and a range of research and robotic
applications. With an unparalleled commitment to partnering with customers,
Sensable brings a human touch to innovating and implementing customer-centric
solutions. Sensable products are available through direct and reseller channels
worldwide. www.Sensable.com.
Intellifit, Freeform, Phantom, Omni, Sensable and Sensable
Technologies, Inc. are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sensable
Technologies, Inc. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their
respective holders.