Recently, it was learned from the Wujin Food and Drug Administration that Changzhou Huasen Institute for 3D Printing Technology (hereinafter referred to as Changzhou Huasen) has successfully applied the technology to the design, manufacture and customization of orthopedic implants.Changzhou Huasen started research on applying 3D printing technology to orthopedic implants in 2009, and jointly developed and launched a 3D printer for orthopedic implants and the supporting surgical planning software with Shanghai Jiaotong University in 2013.

According to Wu Yifeng, deputy general manager of Changzhou Huasen, the orthopedic surgical planning software generates an image from the data of patient’s high-resolution CT and then reconstructs a 3D image of human body. The software also provides qualitative and quantitative analysis on human organ.

The 3D printer for orthopedic implants provides customized service for patients so as to avoid any mismatch in surgery, which also greatly shortens the operation time and reduces pain.