A Peruvian doctor created a method to reconstruct a face with 3D printing

The reconstruction of the face of a person victim of an accident, a conbad problem or a cancer allows their social reintegration, as it is an essential part of the treatment. identity, said today Telam Rodrigo Salazar Gamarra, the Peruvian doctor who has created a low cost prosthetic manufacturing method. with 3D printing.

Salazar Gamarra, who will be among the central figures of the 3D Printing Week, organized from Wednesday 22 to Thursday 23 May and organized by the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires (ITBA), said The aim of the work is to "make the most of technology at the lowest cost and with the utmost speed".

"What we have developed is a working methodology, we have used existing technologies and combined them in order to be able to generate accessible prostheses," said Telam, a dental surgeon distinguished by the publication MIT Technology Review in the document "Humanitarian Innovator". for Latin America 2018 ".

During a telephone conversation in Peru, Salazar Gamarra said that the research that led to the creation of these accessible prostheses began in 2014 with a team from the Paulista State University (Unesp), in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Technology Center. Renato Archer of Brazil.

"Prostheses existed, but they were very expensive, which we did little by little and after many tests, we replaced for example a $ 60,000 scanner for taking pictures with a mobile phone, software $ 25,000 a year for free and open source software – a printer that can reach $ 400,000 for about $ 700 to $ 3,000, "he explained.

Specifically, the method involves taking 180-degree photos of factions to reconstruct, images used to create a three-dimensional model of the face, and to this design, the prototype of the prosthesis to be used is digitally designed.

Subsequently, the drawing is materialized in a 3D printer and from this printed model, another is manufactured, the wax, with more details, which will be used to manufacture the final medical grade silicone prosthesis.

With this method, dubbed "More Identity", of the same name as the NGO that he created to continue his research and development, the specialist stated that the goal was to "rehabilitate the person in society".

"It is very difficult to look in the mirror and not to have a full face, people who are experiencing this situation are suffering a lot because their faces are an identity," he said, explaining that "although the cancer of the face and the neck has a better survival than that of For example, in the pancreas, the rate of suicide among the survivors for this cause is very high. "

Salazar Gamarra will be one of the star guests of the conference, which will be held between tomorrow and 13:00 to 18 April at the headquarters of ITBA (Eduardo Madero Avenue 399), in which will be announced the latest projects and companies. use of 3D printing in industry and health.

In addition to the presentation of facial prostheses, among the main novelties of this edition, stand out the creation of knee braces with scanner, as well as demonstrations of the application of this technology through a seamless wound closure system.

The organizers indicated that conferences and workshops led by renowned professionals and leading institutions from the health and health sector will be presented during the conference, as well as counseling spaces for those starting their own business. projects.