Of course there is bone-simulation filament on the market. What’s fun about this Reddit thread is all of the semi-macabre concerns of surgeons who are worried about its properties matching the real thing to make practice rigs for difficult surgeries. We were initially creeped out by the idea, but now that we think about it, it’s entirely reassuring that surgeons have the best tools available for them to prepare, so why not 3D prints of the actual patient’s bones?
[PectusSurgeon] says that the important characteristics were that it doesn’t melt under the bone saw and is mechanically similar, but also that it looks right under x-ray, for fluorscopic surgery training. But at $100 per spool, you would be forgiven for looking around for substitutes. [ghostofwinter88] chimes in saying that their lab used a high-wood-content PLA, but couldn’t say much more, and then got into a discussion of how different bones feel under the saw, before concluding that they eventually chose resin.
Of course, Reddit being Reddit, the best part of the thread is the bad jokes. “Plastic surgery” and “my insurance wouldn’t cover gyroid infill” and so on. We won’t spoil it all for you, so enjoy.
When we first read “printing bones”, we didn’t know if they were discussing making replacement bones, or printing using actual bones in the mix. (Of course we’ve covered both before. This is Hackaday.)
Thanks [JohnU] for the tip!
I can picture people into Cryptozoology burying some interesting 3D prints to be discover by future archaeologists! The Pterosaurs (extinct flying reptiles) Hyrax (related to elephants and sirenians) would be fun for confusion.
Burying a bigfoot or maybe an alien skeleton might also keep a few people busy for a while :)
So does it contain matrix minerals (mostly calcium hydroxy-apatite)? Too bad they decided to include colloid silver, that will probably exclude any diy implants…
Back to mixing bonemeal and PLA/PCL and extruding it to 1.75 mm then. (You’ll need some stemcells to go with that too)
“But at $100 per spool, you would be forgiven for looking around for substitutes.”
Given it’s purpose, I consider that very very cheap. The more rolls they can sell, the cheaper the product can become. This is a very niche product and 100 dollars per spool is nothing.
I’m personally surprised by the quality of fake ivory I’ve seen. Ivory in itself was used a lot for guitars, violins and other instruments (for sound reasons) and has been used for hundreds of years. It’s also beautiful looking if done right. I’ve seen swords and knives with real ivory in musea and it’s amazing to look at. I refuse to even buy the old stuff for very obvious reasons. I don’t wish to participate with that even if it’s old. I haven’t personally used it but I’ve held knives with fake ivory handles and it’s amazing. It’s beautiful and that it can be created in a factory, removing any reason to harm animals, is for me a huge bonus. Still not going to buy it as I don’t wish to encourage the use, but I’m glad there are quality alternatives.
The same thing goes for this material. I’m not a fan of using real bone as a material, but this could be great for knife makers that wish to include bone into handles. Just print it and have it look the same. Might make it even easier with fabrication.
Ivory isn’t used for sound reasons. It is used for tactile reasons. Wood wears faster than ivory on key tops and fret boards. It doesn’t get sweaty-squeaky under fingers in high performance action.The hardest woods are dark and high contrast is desirable. It’s the original plastic, natural of course.
I am tempted to overlay real keytop ivory saved from pianos going to the dump to glue on to a flat topped computer keyboard. Scrimshaw legends that won’t wear off unlike most keyboards. It’s illegal under current US law. The ivory is a century old but cannot be reused in any way, just thrown away. Dumb laws may get trumped?
Does this new stuff compare to ivory in this context? I’ve seen and touched some new keys lately and there is something out there better than plain white polystyrene plastic.
Would deer antlers do ? Deer antlers fall off annually in late winter (January to March typically). If you spend enough time in the woods (e.g. scout leaders) they are a free resource.
Stag, that’s used extensively in knife handles. Case knives is famous for it. So yes, that would do. I’m in the Netherlands so even if I could find it, I could be arrested for picking up deer antler from the forest floor and taking it home. You could get into trouble for having your dog run off with a stick. It’s the same law that bans illegal hunting. So be careful with that.
But actual bone has been used a lot too, especially in the past. Cow bones etc, were used in historic knives. It can also be done for art reasons.
I’m pretty sure it’s for sound reasons. I’m not talking about the frets, those are usually made from stainless steel. I’m talking about the “nut”, between where the tensioners are and the frets. That’s not a piece that usually wears and a good hardwood would do just fine for many many years. You aren’t supposed to touch it. Talking about classical spanish guitars and high end violins.
If you can save it from going to the dump, why not. MLK Jr said that you have a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. If you can reuse something that’s that old, why not. I personally don’t wish to advertise things I made with materials from such a source, but if it’s just for personal use, then go ahead. It’s better than having it ending up in a dump. The royal family in my country has destroyed a lot of (more than a century old) ivory art pieces, because it was ivory. That’s a shame. I hope the law changes indeed. No animal is hurt when using the old stuff and as long as it’s for personal use, who cares. Now selling it, that’s a bit much in my opinion.
The new stuff I’ve held looked exactly like ivory. It even had the lines in it like the real stuff. I haven’t personally used it but I was told the smell when drilling and sanding (belt grinder) wasn’t pleasant. It’s supposed to be even better against yellowing than real ivory. There are different manufacturers though and some are better than others. I haven’t seen it used in keycaps, that could be an interesting choice. Most ivory is polished though and I don’t know if that’s a great choice in keycaps. I prefer a slight texture myself. Could be cool to use it when restoring a typewriter.
lol $100 per spool. One (one!) titanium screw is $1000. A major orthopedic surgery is like $100-$200k all up. Such as a scoliosis repair surgery.
3-d printed bones and even implantable 3-d printed cranial grafts are already in wide use.
In addition to a dry run for a complex surgery (CT scan used to create high fidelity bone that is exactly like patient’s) these are probably already used for routine training for common procedures like total knee replacements and if not already will certainly be used at training centers for residents.