System and method of manufacturing a medical implant
Inventors
Reith, Todd • Linder, Eric • Heskett, Ryan
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11135771-B1
Publication Date
2021-10-05
Expiration Date
Abstract
A system and method for forming a medical implant using a printing device. The printing device includes a print head having a heated nozzle, a heated build plate for receiving the printed material thereon, and a reflective plate having an active heater. A method for forming a medical device includes extruding a printing material by contiguous deposition to form a porous object having a lattice-like structure. The medical device, such as a spinal implant, may have interconnected pores and different regions, each having a different porosity for encouraging bone growth therein. The printed medical implant may be designed to be patient-specific, customized, and printed on-demand.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to manufacturing a medical implant using an additive-manufacturing system in which a printing device forms the medical device by moving a print head and build components relative to one another. The system uses a print head having a heated nozzle to extrude a first material into an enclosed space while forming the medical device, and a planar heated build plate that includes a top build layer, a top frame layer, a heating layer with a resistant heater beneath the top frame layer, an insulating layer beneath the heating layer, and a bottom frame layer.
In addition to the heated build plate, the invention uses a reflective plate comprising an active heating element, positioned adjacent the heated nozzle. The reflective plate has a bottom surface configured to reflect heat towards the build plate, and the reflective plate, the build plate, and the nozzle are configured to maintain the first material at a predetermined temperature while forming the medical device.
The invention further encompasses a device and system for printing a medical device or surgical implant using the same thermal-management architecture, including the housing forming an enclosed space, the heated nozzle, the multilayer planar heated build plate stack with insulation and resistant heating, and the reflective plate with an active heating element. The moving print head and reflective plate are moved vertically in a Z-plane while the build plate is moved horizontally in an X-plane and in a Y-plane.
Claims Coverage
The independent claim set includes three independent claims. Across these claims, the core inventive coverage centers on maintaining a printing material at a predetermined temperature during implant formation using a heated nozzle, a multilayer heated build plate with a resistant heater and insulating layer, and an adjacent reflective plate having an active heating element, within a housing forming an enclosed space, with specified relative movement axes for a method claim.
Enclosed-space heated deposition with multilayer heated build plate and reflective active heating
A printing device comprising a housing forming an enclosed space; a print head comprising a heated nozzle for extruding the first material; and a planar heated build plate with a top build layer, a top frame layer beneath the top build layer, a heating layer comprising a resistant heater beneath the top frame layer, an insulating layer beneath the heating layer, and a bottom frame layer.
Reflective plate with active heating adjacent the heated nozzle
A reflective plate comprising an active heating element, located adjacent the heated nozzle, wherein the reflective plate has a bottom surface configured to reflect heat towards the build plate.
Coordinated predetermined temperature maintenance during forming via nozzle, build plate, and reflective plate
The reflective plate, the build plate, and the nozzle are all configured to maintain the first material at a predetermined temperature while forming the medical device.
Method axes for coordinated printing motion
Moving the print head and the reflective plate vertically in a Z-plane; and moving the build plate horizontally in a X-plane and in a Y-plane.
System-level printing architecture for a medical device at predetermined temperature
A system for printing a medical device comprising a printing material for forming the medical device and a printing device including a housing forming an enclosed space, a print head comprising a heated nozzle, a planar heated build plate with a top build layer, a top frame layer, a heating layer comprising a resistant heater, an insulating layer, and a bottom frame layer, and a reflective plate with an active heating element configured to reflect heat towards the build plate so the reflective plate, the build plate, and the nozzle maintain the printing material at a predetermined temperature while forming the medical device.
Device for forming a surgical implant using the heated nozzle, heated build plate, and reflective plate
A device for forming a surgical implant from a first material comprising a housing forming an enclosed space; a print head comprising a heated nozzle for extruding the first material; a planar heated build plate with a top build layer, a top frame layer, a heating layer comprising a resistant heater, an insulating layer, and a bottom frame layer; and a reflective plate comprising an active heating element positioned adjacent the heated nozzle and configured to reflect heat towards the build plate so the reflective plate, the heated build plate, and the heated nozzle maintain the first material at a predetermined temperature while forming the surgical implant.
Across the independent claims, the inventive coverage is the coordinated thermal-management printing architecture that maintains a printing material at a predetermined temperature by combining a heated nozzle, a multilayer heated build plate with resistant heating and insulation, and an adjacent reflective plate with an active heating element, all within an enclosed-space printing device; the method claim additionally specifies the Z-plane and X/Y-plane movement relationships for the components.
Stated Advantages
Maintains the first material or printing material at a predetermined temperature while forming the medical device or surgical implant.
Documented Applications
Manufacturing a medical implant, including forming a surgical implant.
Printing spinal implants such as spinal cages (e.g., anterior cervical interbody cage, lumbar spinal cage) for spinal procedures including spinal stenosis and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF), as described in the provided content summary.
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