How 3D printing pioneer Stryker uses additive to build better prosthetic knees

In the latest from the "The Additive Reporter" video series, I interview the president of Stryker's Digital, Robotics, and Enabling Technologies, Robert Cohen, who explains how 3D printing has freed implant-makers from the constraints of conventional manufacturing processes.

As someone who had total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery last fall, I learned firsthand just how vastly improved the prostheses, surgical techniques, and patient outcomes have become with advanced technologies.

Cohen describes additive manufacturing as a “tool” that aids engineers in discovering solutions to problems that can’t be solved by conventional manufacturing methods. “3D printing by itself is nothing but fancy printing—another way to manufacture,” he said. What drives innovation are the “skillsets of people who want to solve problems in new ways and come up with, in our case, new implants. 3D printing is the enabler that [makes their] designs reality,” he said.

From the patient’s perspective, the biggest benefit of robot-assisted surgery is a shorter recovery time. This is largely a result of minimizing damage to healthy tissue and proper placement of the prosthetic.

“The purpose of the robot is to get your knee exactly on your joint line … and to make surfaces that last your lifetime,” said Cohen. “When you wake up [after surgery], you’re flexing in the right spot. You don’t have to relearn to walk, like in 1979 when implants were put in the wrong spot. Now you have less physical therapy sessions. You return to flexion earlier. You get relief from pain sooner because you didn’t have as much soft-tissue trauma.”

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