After surgeons at Morriston Hospital in Swansea removed part of Peter Maggs’sternum and three ribs to perform a life-saving operation, the 71-year-old cancer patient received a titanium rib prosthesis that had been produced in advance by Renishaw on one if its 3-D printing machines.

Biomedical 3-D technician Heather Goodrum and Peter Llewelyn Evans (the manager of maxillofacial laboratory services at Morriston Hospital) designed the implant, using data from CT scans of Mr Maggs’ chest.

Ed Littlewood, of Renishaw’s medical and dental products division, said: “Additive manufacturing (AM) allowed us to produce an implant that was an excellent fit for the patient, and producing the implant in advance meant that the surgery time was reduced.”

Mr Llewelyn Evans said: “Traditionally, the patient would have been fitted with a polymethyl methacrylate implant, which can only be hand-fashioned during surgery.

“AM allowed us to save around two hours of surgery time, because the implant could be designed and manufactured before the procedure.

“The shorter the operation time, the better it is for the health of the patient.

“Being able to manufacture the implant from titanium also increased its biocompatibility and its closeness to the original bone structure.”

Following Mr Maggs’ recovery, Morriston Hospital plans to carry on using AM implants to treat patients.

To find out more about Renishaw’s health-care products, visit the Web site (www.renishaw.com/healthcare).