3D Printing Complex Bones to Assist in Orthopedic Preoperative Planning! Ultra-Detailed!

Recently, eSUN’s partner Formon3D produced a 1:1 patient-specific orthopedic anatomical model for the Orthopedic Clinic at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (QKUK).

As shown in the figure above, by extracting the patient’s actual CT scan data, Formon3D utilized eSUN’s “bone white” PLA+ material to successfully print a highly accurate 1:1 3D anatomical model, including the pelvis, sacrum, lumbar vertebrae, and femur.

In complex orthopedic surgeries, doctors rely heavily on CT and MRI images as well as 3D digital models on screens. However, for complex cases affected by severe bone damage and deformities, two-dimensional images often cannot provide comprehensive spatial awareness.

3D printing this set of skeletal models helps in making more adequate surgical decisions, allowing doctors to intuitively “touch” the patient’s actual anatomical structure before entering the operating room, thereby accurately evaluating surgical plans and planning implant placements to reduce potential intraoperative uncertainties.

In addition, this model has also become a valuable teaching tool for medical students and residents.

Why choose eSUN’s “bone white” PLA+?

The pelvic structure is relatively complex, containing a large number of thin walls, openings, and irregular geometric shapes, and the entire printing process takes about 40-50 hours. Maintaining structural stability and preserving fine features over such a long printing time poses high requirements on the performance of the material.

According to feedback from Formon3D, eSUN’s “bone white” PLA+ has two major advantages in practical applications:

Highly realistic visual effects: The “bone white” color is close to that of natural bone tissue, presenting realistic visual effects, which has also been appreciated by the orthopedic experts participating in the project.

Excellent dimensional stability and precision: During the printing process lasting dozens of hours, eSUN PLA+ exhibited a low warping rate and high extrusion quality. After the model printing was completed, there were no obvious defects or dimensional errors, and the material demonstrated excellent interlayer bonding and dimensional stability throughout the entire printing process.

Evaluation from Formon3D:

At Formon3D, we frequently use a variety of additive manufacturing technologies and materials. For anatomical visualization, eSUN’s PLA+ bone white material has proven to be one of the most practical solutions due to its good printability, dimensional accuracy, surface quality, and realistic appearance.

In the medical field, the application of 3D printing technology has gradually extended from medical models, surgical guides, and rehabilitation aids to the design and manufacturing of implants, such as tissue engineering scaffolds, cells, tissues, and organs.

In the future, eSUN will continue to empower global precision medicine with high-quality and diversified 3D printing materials, ensuring that cutting-edge technologies truly serve life and health!