LayerWise applied Additive Manufacturing (AM) to produce an award winning Titanium lower jaw reconstruction. The implant is developed in collaboration with project partners in medical industries and academia. To treat a senior patient's progressive osteomyelitis of almost the entire lower jaw bone, surgeons opted for such a complete patient-specific implant the first time ever. AM technology specialists at LayerWise printed the complex implant design incorporating articulated joints and dedicated features. The reconstruction - post-processed with dental suprastructure provisions, polished joint surfaces and a bioceramic coating - has been implanted successfully. It restored the patient's facial esthetics and allowed her to regain her speach within hours. Read more

“Besides a successful track record in industrial sectors, metal AM is gaining importance in medical implantology. AM’s freedom of shape allows the most complex freeform geometries to be produced as a single part prior to surgery. As illustrated by the lower jaw reconstruction, patient-specific implants can potentially be applied on a much wider scale than transplantation of human bone structures and soft tissues. The use of such implants yield excellent form and function, speeds up surgery and patient recovery, and reduces the risk for medical complications.”

- Dr. ir. Peter Mercelis, Managing Director of LayerWise

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LayerWise was featured on the Belgian national TV, in the "Reyers laat" program. Watch the interview (Flemish/Dutch language).