Product Proposal/Calendar

Introduction and Statement of Purpose:

With the changing face of medicine and the rising costs of healthcare, surgical tools that

can adapt to societys changing needs are in high demand. Orthopedic Surgery is defined as any

interventional method used to alleviate ailments in the bones, joints, or ligaments. Fortunately,

there have been many procedural and technological advances in this field, however, this may

mean that the cost of the surgery rises. With the fragile state of healthcare and the aging

population in the United States, the cost of surgery becomes too much of a burden for many

Americans. My product for ISM this year is a 3D printed scaffolding that can be used in fusion

surgeries. By creating this product, I will be able to gain further knowledge into the anatomy of

the spine and the procedure for fusion surgeries. I will also be able to explore various types of 3D

printing software and computer animated design.

Review of Skills and Research

The vertebrae of the spine are separated and cushioned by cartilage discs. These discs can

wear down due to stress or as a result of age over time. Unfortunately, the patient can acquire

severe nerve/mechanical pain in the arms, back, neck, and legs if this disc wears down. To

alleviate this problem, fusion surgeries are performed in an attempt to fuse the two vertebrae that

are too close together and create more space within the spinal canal. This disc is typically made

of titanium and is a small, hollow cage that needs to be attached to the rest of the spine with

screws. This cage may be filled with the patients own bone or cadaver bone. This will jumpstart

the healing process and allow the bone to fuse more naturally. The cage is then secured to the

spine using another titanium plate. This surgery is fairly common and is mainly used for cervical
fusions. I have personally seen a few of these cages used when observing my mentor. I have also

been able to see the aftermath of a few of these surgeries. The results are phenomenal. Patients

that were once bedridden due to immense pain are now able to start physical therapy and make

attempts at walking again. I would like to 3D print this scaffolding and plate. This would be 3D

printed in titanium. The benefit of 3D printing this plate is that it is a much cheaper option and

can be mass produced at a much faster rate. Although this would not completely alleviate the

cost of the hospital bill, it would at least lessen the burden and would be a more appealing option

to insurance companies. Ideally, these 3D printed plates would be printed in a lab and then sent

to hospitals throughout the nation. At these hospitals, they would be sterilized, sealed, and

packaged according to hospital procedure.

Materials

Luckily, this product does not involve a lot of materials. A 3D printing/CAD (computer

animated design) software is required. As of right now, I would not like to spend too much

money on the software itself. There are free options that I could attempt to utilize, however, if the

free options are too basic, then I will invest in a student license for SolidWorks. This is the

software that most professionals use and it features a dynamic interface. Unfortunately, Ive

heard that this software is not easy to learn. I will be printing this plate out of titanium. This will

be done at the UT Southwestern Chopra Lab. According to previous students that have printed

with this lab, there is a charge per gram of material used. I will eventually need to size the plate

in a fashion that might be a reasonable size for an actual patient to use, but is also cost effective

on my end. Plates that are initially thought to fit patients in surgery, but are not used, are taken

out and sterilized. Dr. Ramnath, my mentor, mentioned that he has a few different size of these
plates in his office at Baylor Uptown. He offered to let me use one of these plates as a guide for

how to design my product and how to make my 3D printed scaffold as accurate as possible.

Methodology

First, I will have to create the design of the plate and scaffold on a 3D printing software.

Here are a few free options that I have been looking at:

BEGINNER

Cura
CraftWare
Slicer
123D Catch
3D Slash
TinkerCAD
Sculptris
Netfabb

INTERMEDIATE

Repetier
SketchUp
3D-Tool Free
Meshfix

PROFESSIONAL

Blender
MeshLab
Meshmixer
OctoPrint
Obviously, with the limited time I have, I will not be able to test out each and every one of these

softwares. I am starting my journey with Blender and then will attempt to use OctoPrint. Again,

all of these softwares are free and are easily accessible.

I will then need to acquire the template scaffold from Dr. Ramnath. Unfortunately, it is

hard to determine how much time it will take me to figure out how to use the software and how

exactly to design the scaffold. Every single aspect, from the length, width, and height, to the

circumference of the spaces where the screws are supposed to be inserted. This will be where a

majority of my time will be spent.

At the Frisco Public Library, there is a 3D printer that prints in plastic. I hope to create a

few tester scaffolds here, making changes and fixing dimensions accordingly after each one.

After this, I plan to reach out to the Chopra Lab at UT Southwestern and get it printed in titanium

there. Titanium is the best material to use as it is both lightweight and extremely durable.

Research has shown that it does not decay or cause rejection within the body. In addition, regular

scaffolds are created with this material, so in order to keep my model true to the actual

technology, titanium is the best option.

 Proposed Calendar

Week of 3/20

Download Blender and Octoprint

Begin figuring out basics of these software
Attempt to design a very basic 3D model

Week of 3/27

Acquire scaffolding from Dr. Ramnath

Measure and record all required measurements
Begin outline of scaffolding
Contact Chopra Lab at UT Southwestern and attempt to schedule a date in May for

printing

Week of 4/3

Continue to design scaffolding

Week of 4/10

Continue to design scaffolding

Week of 4/17

Create first plastic template of scaffolding

Make necessary adjustments
Create second template of scaffolding

Week of 4/24

Create final template of scaffolding

Print at Chopra Lab