Texas-based 4WEB Medical — an implant-device manufacturer founded in 2008 — was the first company cleared by the FDA to make spine implants via additive manufacturing. It developed the 4WEB, a breakthrough high-strength, lightweight web structure combined with ‘3-D printing’ technology to create the implants.
Already established as the 3-D printed implant technology leader in the medical field, the company has announced that over 3,000 orthopaedic truss implants have been implanted into patients.
Jessee Hunt, president of 4WEB Medical, said: “Passing the 3,000-implant milestone is a significant accomplishment for our company. It is a testament to surgeons’ positive clinical experience with truss implant technology and the role it may play in achieving better outcomes for their patients. Moreover, more spine truss designs are scheduled for the first half of 2015.”
The company’s implants do not just sit inside a spine, they actively stimulate the healing process from within. The design of the truss allows three-quarters of the implant to be filled with graft material. The texture of the piece also keeps the implant in place, reducing the opportunities for it to migrate from its initial fixation point.
The architecture of 4WEB Medical’s implant allows the device to truly incorporate itself into the body; the bi-convex surface brings the entire end-plate closer to the adjacent bone, enhancing bone incorporation into the graft material.