Go-ahead for Swiss m4m Center Federal Laboratory for Materials Testing and Research Dübendorf, St. Gallen und Thun, 20.04.2021 - Since 15 April, it is official: The Technology Transfer Center for 3D Printing in Medical Technology – Swiss m4m Center, in short – meets the requirements of ISO standard 13485:2016; it is thus allowed to produce implants and instruments for human patients. The starting signal for promising projects with Swiss SMEs: The partner network already comprises 45 companies and research institutions.
The idea is as appealing as it is obvious: After a diagnosis of painful hip osteoarthritis, medical imaging creates a high-resolution 3D image of the defunct hip joint – and thus the basis for a customized implant. The data is processed further and ultimately ends up as a digital blueprint in a 3D printer, which produces the individual piece with a precise fit and at optimized cost.