HSS and LimaCorporate 3D Printing Facility

LimaCorporate and HSS are founding the first design and additive manufacturing (AM) 3D printing facility for custom complex implants on a hospital campus. This collaboration will set the stage to substantially increase the availability and speed of personalized orthopedic care for patients with complex orthopedic conditions in the United States.

3D printed implants have done wonders for many people with orthopedic conditions. In the past, “one size fits all” type implants often caused complications that required patients to have revision surgeries after their original operations. These patients could suffer a great deal of pain and discomfort because their implants didn’t precisely fit their anatomy. Implants could be cut and shaped to better fit the patients, but this took valuable time during the operation and didn’t always result in a perfect fit. 3D printed implants, on the other hand, can be matched perfectly to an individual patient’s anatomy, and can be digitally shaped well before the operation ever takes place, saving time and allowing for much quicker, more efficient surgeries.

Having a design and 3D printing facility on the hospital campus will dramatically increase and speed up accessibility to these custom implants for patients with complex orthopedic conditions. The two organizations have been working together since 2016, when HSS began using Lima’s proprietary 3D printed Trabecular Titanium implants.

“The close integration between surgeons and engineers is invaluable for designing and refining joint replacements and identifying new solutions for the most complex patient cases,” commented Leonard Achan, RN, MA, ANP, Chief Innovation Officer at HSS.