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About 3D Printer For Implant
Grade Silicone
Prayasta, incubated in IISc has
developed 3D printer for implant-grade silicone for nasal, breast,
airway stent and chin. Other uses would be calf, gluteal,
orthopaedic insoles, orthotic linings, pectrol, etc. The company
is gearing up for animal trails followed by human studies. The
specialized 3D printer, Silimac, can directly 3D print
implant-grade silicone material to make an implant within the
hospital itself.
The company , set up by Vikas Garg
and Shilpi Sen in 2017, was supported by grants from Department of
Science & Technology, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance
Council, Ministry of MSME (MoMSME), Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology (MEITY), Start-up Karnataka and National
Research development Corporation. Further it bagged the National
Start-up Technology Award from Technology Development Board and
was granted patents in India and USA.
3D printing allows personalization
of implants on a one-to-one basis which not only improves outcomes
of the surgeries but also reduces the average time spent for
achieving the same results using standard implants, said Vikas
Garg, co-founder, Prayasta.
As per Mr Garg, currently, Silicone
is one of the best implantable materials. But conventional
printers cannot handle implant-grade silicone because of its high
viscosity. That is why, we have taken a fresh approach and
developed a novel 3D printing technology from scratch, stated Garg.
Moreover 3D printed implants that
are prepared using Silimac can be personalized not only in terms
of shape, size, and contour but also in terms of weight,
stiffness, touch and feel making it a complete solution.
The company has also developed a
design methodology, ‘Novel Internal Architecture’ to make the
breast implants rupture-proof and suturable eliminating the risk
of leakage and post-implantation displacements respectively.
Along with IISc, the effort would be
to propel the translation of personalized soft tissue implants
from research to hospitals, to test the 3D printability of novel
materials in a fast-track mode. We would also to develop the
necessary skills for faster market reach of 3D printing
technology, noted Garg.
http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=154384&sid=1
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