The remobilization of finger joints that have been damaged by illness or injury is an emerging market in the field of demand-driven patient care. The FingerKIt consortium, which brings together five Fraunhofer institutes, uses AI to develop personalized 3D-printed joint implants so that these delicate finger parts can be replaced when necessary.
When finger joints become inflexible, after a sports accident or as a result of rheumatoid arthritis for example, it can put serious limitations on someone's life and cause them physical and mental strain. For certain professions—such as musicians, surgeons or craftspeople—it can even mean the end of their career.
, which often come loose quickly and need to be reattached in another procedure, or basic standard implants, which are only available in certain sizes and do not allow full movement., the goal should therefore be to create a perfectly fitting solution that does not slip out of place and that restores the previous level of mobility—i.e., a personalized implant.
At Fraunhofer IKTS, the implants are produced using near net shape manufacturing—a process which aims to create products that are as close as possible to the final shape, reducing the need for subsequent finishing work. Thanks to the expertise of Fraunhofer IKTS, it is also possible to use ceramic materials—these are processed by means of slip casting, which is a special plaster mold casting process.
His colleague Dr. Philipp Imgrund, head of the AM Process Qualification department at Fraunhofer IAPT, adds,"Process engineering is special too. As the structure of the implant shaft is very delicate, we have chosen to use the metal binder jetting 3D printing method for titanium. This method allows for an extremely precise production of the small, complex implants and also enables us to structure the surface of the shaft in such a way that it grows into the bone more effectively.
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