The project, underway since July 2022, investigates the applicability and advantages of the use of metal additive manufacturing (SLM technology) in the medical sector through the personalized manufacturing of grade 5 titanium lumbar implants (Ti6Al4v) applying Lattice design techniques. and porous structures. The project is carried out through a consortium made up of four companies (Cubicoff, Grupo Sevilla Control, Arsoft and Element) and an innovative business group, Andalucía Aerospace Cluster.
The IMPULSO project in this second phase (the first focused on the aeronautical field and developed in this same call last year) proposes a novel development in the value chain of titanium components manufactured by 3D printing, with the ultimate goal of establishing a efficient and simple methodology that allows the implantation of additive technology, assisted by Virtual Reality, and reticular design in the production chain of future medical implants.
The objective of the project is to achieve an improvement of the current traditional implant solutions that exist in the market, by allowing, through the application of 3D printing technologies, a complete customization of the product. In this way, both the quality of life of the patient and the time and cost required for preparation, operation and recovery are exponentially improved, allowing the total adaptation of the implant to the patient’s bone structure.
The main activities that have been carried out in the IMPULSO 2 project, described sequentially, correspond to:
- Custom design of a titanium prosthesis from an actual spinal bone structure.n Application of reticular design techniques (Lattice), with the aim of reducing the weight of the implant and improving its mechanical resistance.
- Manufacture of titanium implants by 3D printing and subsequent post-processing (heat treatment, machining and surface treatment) to guarantee the optimal properties of the implant according to the requirements defined by the medical experts who have collaborated on the project.
- Carrying out static, fatigue and surface tests, as well as the application of virtual reality techniques in operations in laboratory environments.
- Validation of the results and conclusions of the advantages that this disruptive technology can provide with respect to the traditional implants currently used.
This innovative project has the support of a subsidy from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism within the program for Innovative Business Groups (AEI) and is part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan through the Next Generation EU funds of the European Union.
About the Consortium:
Andalucía Aerospace Cluster is a private association created to represent all the aerospace companies in Andalusia. Today, it has more than 80 associated companies.
Sevilla Control (GSC) is a Tier2 aeronautical company with more than 30 years of experience in the international aerospace sector specializing in the machining of metal parts and assembly of aeronautical aerostructures through its 36 machining centers and auxiliary machinery.
Cubicoff Ingeniería Abierta, an engineering company focused on providing technical solutions to the industry. Experts in Integral Management of Industrial Projects (PMP-PMI) for the vast majority of Productive Sectors. High specialization Piping and Digital Twins. With offices in Seville and Madrid, its activity is carried out at a National and International level.
ARSoft is a company dedicated to the development of software based on Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality technologies whose mission is to democratize their use, achieving great success in industry and medicine.
Element Sevilla is a company that focuses on providing technical support to the industry in the behavior of materials, through mechanical, physicochemical and structural tests, both on materials and components.