3D-printed bone implants: Metallic bones that integrate into the body

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• June 28, 2023

Insight highlights

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is making significant strides in the medical field, particularly with bone implants. Early successes include a 3D-printed titanium jawbone implant and 3D-printed implants for osteonecrosis patients, effectively offering an alternative to amputation. Medical professionals are optimistic about the future of 3D-printed bones, which could correct genetic malformations, save limbs from trauma or disease, and support the growth of new, natural bone tissue with the help of 3D-printed "hyperelastic" bones.

3D-printed bone implants context

Three-dimensional printing utilizes software to create objects through a layering method. This type of printing software is sometimes known as additive manufacturing and includes various materials, such as plastics, composites, or biomedical. 

There are a few components used for the 3D printing of bones and bone scaffolds, such as:

• Metal materials (such as titanium alloy and magnesium alloy), 


• Inorganic non-metal materials (such as biological glass), 


• Biological ceramic and biological cement, and 


• High-molecular materials (such as polycaprolactone and polylactic acid).

One of the earliest successes in 3D-printed bone implants was in 2012 when Netherlands-based medical design company Xilloc Medical printed a titanium implant to replace the jaws of an oral cancer patient. The team used complicated algorithms to change the digital jawbone so that blood vessels, nerves, and muscles could attach to the titanium implant once printed.

Disruptive impact

Osteonecrosis, or bone death, of the talus in the ankle, can lead to a lifetime of pain and limited movement. In some cases, patients may require amputation. However, for some patients with osteonecrosis, a 3D-printed implant can be used as an alternative to amputation. In 2020, Texas-based UT Southwestern Medical Center used a 3D printer to replace ankle bones with a metal version. To create the 3D-printed bone, doctors needed CT scans of the talus on the good foot for reference. With those images, they worked with a third party to produce three plastic implants in various sizes for trial use. The doctors pick the best fit before printing a final implant ahead of surgery. The metal used was titanium; and once the dead talus was removed, the new one was put into place. The 3D replica allows for movement in the ankle and subtalar joints, making it possible to move the foot up and down and from side to side.

Doctors are optimistic about the future of 3D-printed bones. This technology opens the door to correcting genetic malformations or saving limbs that have been damaged by trauma or disease. Similar procedures are being trialed for other parts of the body, including patients who lose limbs and organs to cancer. In addition to being able to 3D print solid bones, researchers also developed a 3D-printed “hyperelastic” bone in 2022. This synthetic bone implant resembles a scaffold or lattice and is designed to support the growth and regeneration of new, natural bone tissue.

Implications of 3D-printed bone implants

Wider implications of 3D-printed bone implants may include: 

• Insurance companies creating coverage policies regarding 3D implants. This trend may lead to different renuemerations based on the different 3D printed materials used. 


• Implants becoming more cost-effective as medical 3D printing technology develops and becomes more commercialized. These cost reductions will improve healthcare for the poor and in developing countries where cost-effective procedures are most needed.


• Medical students using 3D printers to create bone prototypes for testing and surgery practice.


• More medical device companies investing in biomedical 3D printers to cater to the increasing demand in the healthcare industry.


• More scientists partnering with tech firms to design 3D printers specifically for organ and bone replacements.


• Patients with bone death or defects receiving 3D prints that can restore movement.

Questions to comment on

• How else do you think 3D printing technology can support the medical field?


• What might be the potential challenges of having 3D-printed implants?