Italian 3D printing service bureauZAREhas announced that it has acquired a majority stake in the dental additive manufacturing specialistProxera.
The deal, which closely follows ZARE’s own merger with theBEAMITgroup, will see Proxera continue to operate independently as a subsidiary of its new owners. ZARE, meanwhile, now aims to leverage Proxera’s DMLS 3D printing process alongside its established value chain, to better address the emerging medical implant market.
Zare首席执行官Andrea Scanavini说：“有了Proxera，我们希望成为技术突破的非凡领导者，并对社会和人民的生活产生更大的影响。”“通过此次收购，我们立即准备使用最革命性的技术之一；注定要改变患者的治疗方式的一种。”
“Although the world is still struggling due to COVID-19, we are looking at the future with great confidence and an unchanged sense of social responsibility.”
ZARE sets its sights on medical
Although the exact terms of the acquisition haven’t been disclosed, the deal will effectively see Proxera fall under the control of ZARE, which itself与Beamit合并last August. BEAMIT, meanwhile, is 30% owned by global engineering groupSandvik，这意味着Proxera还将能够利用其技术的发展。
Sandvik operates an ISO 13485:2016 certified powder plant, and itsOsprey titanium经常发现医疗应用，可能使其成为制造金属植入物的理想选择。吸收Proxera的DMLS打印技术还使Zare能够建立一个完全集成的价值链，从采购粉末到表面饰面。
As a result, the acquisition deal could make ZARE uniquely well-placed to meet a growing demand for customizable patient-specific medical implants. According to Scanavini, the firm’s newly-reinforced 3D printing capabilities provide it with a “competitive advantage,” as it seeks to expand into the medical sector.
“Certain personalized solutions and designs cannot be obtained with anything other than AM,” said Scanavini. “Our team’s vast wealth of experience, combined with a supply chain driven and managed internally, enables us to maximise the potential of 3D printing to produce lightweight, sturdy, tailor-made components exceptionally quickly.”
Proxera的牙科3D打印产品
Proxera specializes in deploying advanced technologies to fabricate on-demand orthodontic products for clients in the dental sector. Within its production process, the company incorporates 3D scanning, printing and CNC machining, with the aim of improving the cost, speed and error rates of medical manufacturing.
The 3D printing element of Proxera’s workflow is achieved via Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), which allows it to exactly recreate patient-specific parts based on CAD models. However, the firm’s implant’s aren’t fully-fabricated, and when producing screw-retained structures, it still uses both 3-axis and 5-axis CNC milling to ensure optimal accuracy.
Currently, Proxera offers its clients zirconium, cobalt, ceramic and PMMA implants, but following its acquisition, it could soon add Osprey titanium to its portfolio too. Similarly, it’s anticipated that Proxera will imminently expand into the medical market, deploying its proprietary process to create complex customized implants as well as dental abutments.
The additive implant industry
Over the years, researchers have continually experimented with developing optimized additive bone implants, but recently the technology has become increasingly commercialized.
SLM Solutions, for example, has partnered with medical device manufacturerCanwell Medical, todevelop and manufacture surgical implants. As part of the arrangement, SLM has agreed to provide technical assistance to accelerate both the certification and production processes.
Orthopedic 3D printing company4WEB Medical, meanwhile, markets a range of spinal implants, and it added aStand-Alone Anterior Spine Truss Systemto its portfolio last year. The device features an enhanced dual-step locking system, to provide surgeons with greater non-slip assurance during procedures.
Biocompatible materials have also become readily available, and埃文克launched itsVestakeep i4 3DF PEEK filament2020年5月，目的是解决医疗市场。成功满足ASTM F2026要求后，该材料可安全地用于制造基于聚合物的外科植入物。
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以图像显示Proxera北Ita的总部lian town of Boretto. Photo via ZARE.
