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PlanEasyMill™ produces
patient-specific
implants for cranial
and maxillofacial surgeries

The new PlanEasyMill™ service offered
by Planmeca produces patient-specific
implants for facial trauma reconstruction
and tumour removal. This brings
a valuable addition to the Planmeca
ProModel service, which offers physical
16 3D skull models and surgical guides for
realising incisions and cuts in the operating
room according to a predetermined plan.

The 3D design is created in an online meeting between surgeon and designer.

Planmeca's patient-specific implant “Sometimes we also have several surgeons Virtual tooling paths generated in CAM software.
process begins by acquiring a Planmeca participating simultaneously in an online Virtually simulated milling with 3D model.
ProMax® 3D CBCT or medical CT image meeting.”
of the patient. After careful diagnostics, the
image is sent to Planmeca via the online After the design of the implant is ready
service in Planmeca Romexis® software or, and approved by the surgeon, the next step
alternatively, on a CD. Planmeca’s professional is to finalise the design for the manufacturing
implant designer then creates a 3D virtual process. The implant is machined out of
model of the CBCT/CT image and if needed, a titanium block according to the virtual
uses a 3D printer to produce an actual physical drill patches generated by computer-aided
model based on the patient’s data. manufacturing software (CAM). This phase
is very critical as a wrong manufacturing
The design phase of the patient-specific strategy can cause poor surface quality of the
implant is conducted via an online meeting final implant or even a crash on the milling unit.
session between the surgeon and Planmeca’s
designer using state-of-the-art 3D CAD Before placing the CAM designed model in
software. “Usually the online meeting lasts the milling machine, a virtual manufacturing
from half an hour to an hour depending on the simulation is conducted to verify that the
design of the implant”, says Mr Jukka Kanerva, implant will be manufactured as designed.
Division Director at Planmeca. The large 5-axis milling machine equipped
with an automation robot carefully machines
During the online design phase, the surgeon the implant with diamond drill bites and high
can comment and propose ideas freely and speed cutting. The ready implant is packed and
the designer adjusts the 3D model accordingly. delivered to the customer with a certificate