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Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull

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Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull

#11

Post by saalweachter »

sho_hn wrote: post #9
mattwad wrote: post #8

It seems mean to give her a transparent skull, if that's the final product! I mean, it's pretty cool but not if you want to feel "normal" :)

I'd like to think they preserved her scalp / kept it in circulation and returned it to its position, but I have no idea if skin can be kept alive across this surface. Maybe that's what those holes in the printed piece are about, though? Or are you concerned that even with skin on top it'd alter the appearance due to different subsurface scattering? Edit: Some additional info (note the English captions): https://www.y…

Yeah, I'd be incredibly shocked if they didn't preserve the scalp.

On the other hand, if she did have an exposed skull, I think there's like half a century or more of media which says you pretty much have to leave it transparent. You can always wear a wig or a baseball cap, but how else will people know you as an incredible (evil) super-genius without the exposed brain?

Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull

#13

Post by Dylan16807 »

azinman2 wrote: post #2

I'm curious to know how they then attach that skull to the rest of her body. Is there a skin transplant that somehow lives on top of plastic? Do they just screw it into other bones to hold it into place? But what about the juncture, and how can you ensure nothing gets in at that juncture?

Not a skin transplant, just the skin. "It is almost impossible to see that she's ever had surgery"

Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull

#14

Post by sjtrny »

azinman2 wrote: post #2

I'm curious to know how they then attach that skull to the rest of her body. Is there a skin transplant that somehow lives on top of plastic? Do they just screw it into other bones to hold it into place? But what about the juncture, and how can you ensure nothing gets in at that juncture?

They probably use some type of bone cement to help close up gaps between the implant and the skull.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_cement

Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull

#15

Post by chc »

mattwad wrote: post #8

It seems mean to give her a transparent skull, if that's the final product! I mean, it's pretty cool but not if you want to feel "normal" :)

Neither she nor anybody else is going to routinely see her skull, so I don't understand why you think it would make her feel abnormal any more than an opaque one would.

Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull

#16

Post by 542458 »

sjtrny wrote: post #14
azinman2 wrote: post #2

I'm curious to know how they then attach that skull to the rest of her body. Is there a skin transplant that somehow lives on top of plastic? Do they just screw it into other bones to hold it into place? But what about the juncture, and how can you ensure nothing gets in at that juncture?

They probably use some type of bone cement to help close up gaps between the implant and the skull. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_cement

> Bone cement chemically is nothing more than Plexiglas (i.e. polymethyl methacrylate or PMMA).

Wow! I wonder if it's a special formulation - acrylic glass is really bad at chemical resistance (pretty much any organic solvent will damage it) and shatters pretty easily.

Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull

#18

Post by sjtrny »

542458 wrote: post #16
sjtrny wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They probably use some type of bone cement to help close up gaps between the implant and the skull. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_cement

> Bone cement chemically is nothing more than Plexiglas (i.e. polymethyl methacrylate or PMMA). Wow! I wonder if it's a special formulation - acrylic glass is really bad at chemical resistance (pretty much any organic solvent will damage it) and shatters pretty easily.

In one of the linked articles in the discussion it says the printed skull is made of PMMA. They must do something to it to make it last.

Edit: found it http://www.anatomics.com/products/cranial-implants/acrylic/

Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull

#19

Post by XorNot »

saalweachter wrote: post #11
sho_hn wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd like to think they preserved her scalp / kept it in circulation and returned it to its position, but I have no idea if skin can be kept alive across this surface. Maybe that's what those holes in the printed piece are about, though? Or are you concerned that even with skin on top it'd alter the appearance due to different subsurface scattering? Edit: Some additional info (note the English captions): https://www.y…

Yeah, I'd be incredibly shocked if they didn't preserve the scalp. On the other hand, if she did have an exposed skull, I think there's like half a century or more of media which says you pretty much have to leave it transparent. You can always wear a wig or a baseball cap, but how else will people know you as an incredible (evil) super-genius without the exposed brain?

The obvious counter-argument is you couldn't walk in bright sunlight. Beam of light at the wrong angle...

Then again that's probably why supervillains have dark lairs.

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