Hopefully it's tough enough that she doesn't get killed by something dumb like a dictionary falling on her head.
I do wonder its relative strength to a human skull
Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull
21–30 of 33 posts
Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull
#22> "The operation was performed by a team of neurosurgeons at the University Medical Centre Utrecht and the university claims this is this first instance of a successful 3D printed cranium that has not been rejected by the patient."
Oh man... having a skull implant rejected is horrifying. Having an arm or something rejected is one thing (you probably just go back to how you were going to be otherwise, more or less), but are there any backup plans if your body rejects a skull implant?
Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull
#23Is 3D printing really enabling this? If they can make the measurements, I have a hard time believing that an experienced machinist couldn't fabricate the parts necessary. This seems more like a victory of measurement technologies that allow the requirements for a replacement skull to be precisely mapped, than a triumph of 3d printing. (Though I do admit that 3d printing would probably be a lot cheaper than machining.)
Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull
#24Is 3D printing really enabling this? If they can make the measurements, I have a hard time believing that an experienced machinist couldn't fabricate the parts necessary. This seems more like a victory of measurement technologies that allow the requirements for a replacement skull to be precisely mapped, than a triumph of 3d printing. (Though I do admit that 3d printing would probably be a lot cheaper than machining.…
Somewhere in the middle: "Typically, they use a special type of cement, but those replacements often don't have a good fit because they had to be created by hand."
Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull
#25I'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"
so they've got it all stashed, and they just flop it back on???
Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull
#26> "The operation was performed by a team of neurosurgeons at the University Medical Centre Utrecht and the university claims this is this first instance of a successful 3D printed cranium that has not been rejected by the patient." Oh man... having a skull implant rejected is horrifying. Having an arm or something rejected is one thing (you probably just go back to how you were going to be otherwise, more or less), b…
Only donor tissue/bone is rejected. Non organic matter is not.
Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull
#27I wonder what are all the holes for.
Obviously, she’s the new seneschal:
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071005
☺
Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull
#28Is 3D printing really enabling this? If they can make the measurements, I have a hard time believing that an experienced machinist couldn't fabricate the parts necessary. This seems more like a victory of measurement technologies that allow the requirements for a replacement skull to be precisely mapped, than a triumph of 3d printing. (Though I do admit that 3d printing would probably be a lot cheaper than machining.…
Absolutely. No "experienced machinist" can reasonably make this part within spec. The time and cost for a CNC / operator / programming is exorbitant and simply beyond the reach of most people.
3D printing in this context allows for the fabrication of complex geometries that would be incredibly resource intensive otherwise.
You're correct in proposing that measurement techniques have enabled for this. But what good are the measurements if your tools do not allow for you to produce anything meaningful from the data?
Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull
#29Is 3D printing really enabling this? If they can make the measurements, I have a hard time believing that an experienced machinist couldn't fabricate the parts necessary. This seems more like a victory of measurement technologies that allow the requirements for a replacement skull to be precisely mapped, than a triumph of 3d printing. (Though I do admit that 3d printing would probably be a lot cheaper than machining.…
With traditional manufacturing methods, you would need to make a mold. Molds are very expensive unless you can reuse them for thousands of units.
Re: Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull
#30Related story about construction worker in China having half his skull replaced with 3D printed titanium. http://shanghaiist.com/2014/09/16/man_recovers_after_3d-prin...
There have been several patients who had had custom implants designed using CT scans of their skull, then 3D printed and surgically attached to replace part of their skull: one nice report is http://thescipub.com/PDF/ajeassp.2011.169.174.pdf