What are the biggest hurdles for the use of additive manufacturing?
Day: We have high costs in manufacturing, automation plays an important role here and the question of how AI or machine learning can support this development.
For certification processes, it would be beneficial if application areas were grouped into classes, for example for joint implants or spinal implants.
Which additive manufacturing applications could play an important role in the future?
Day: For me, the next topic is biological implants. They are created from our own cell cultures and are reused by the donor. By automating repetitive tasks, you can grow a muscle or a piece of bone, for example a finger bone.
If we combine production technologies such as biotechnology and classical production techniques, we can use 3D printed cores to form a basic structure along which muscle cells grow on a nutrient-loaded surface.
With the free-form possibility of 3D printing, we can recreate a finger in its original shape. The current method, on the other hand, is to take a rib, for example, and remove material until the shape is right.