YvesVS

smarterplanet:

Elderly Woman Receives First 3-D Printed Titanium Replacement Jaw:

The method was developed by the BIOMED Research Institute at Hasselt University in Belgium and creates the replacement from layer-upon-layer of titanium dust. A computer-controlled laser ensures that the correct molecules are fused together. The technique, the first to replace the entire jaw, takes mere hours to make the substitute choppers, with other options taking several days. While the final product weighs a bit more than its natural predecessor, but that didn’t stop the patient returning close to “normal speaking and swallowing” the day after the operation.

via joshbyard: via 83-year old woman gets replacement 3D printed titanium jaw, makes her the coolest member of the bridge club — Engadget