Reconfigurable machine for the new additive ans subtractive manufacturing of next generation fully personalized bionics and smart prosthetics

• Forschungsstelle: SBFI
• Projektnummer: 15.0247-1

Abstract (Englisch)

Medtech products belongs to a huge expanding market, in which Europe hosts some of the biggest global player, accounting for 30% of the world market and for more than 575,000 people employed by nearly 25,000 medical technology companies – 95% of which are SMEs.\nSymbionica project focuses on the manufacturing of personalized bionics, smart endoprosthetics and exo-prosthetics that require geometric and functional customization. The Symbionica concept integrates an innovative machine performing deposition of advanced materials and subtractive processes along with a supply chain distributed co-engineering platform for advanced design and full personalization involving all relevant stakeholders, design and engineering of the products and through-life services.\nSymbionica manufacturing solution is conceived as a multi-material AM machine for material deposition and ablation, flexible and reconfigurable in the working cube, the material processing, the technology and the manufacturing strategy, with an advanced closed loop control methodology for product and process quality monitoring. This way Symbionica products are manufactured in one processing step, complex in shape, 3D structured and joint free.\nThe Cooperative Design Platform will guarantee seamless data integration, reverse engineering from patient and parametric design to couple patient specific parts to standard ones.\nAt the end, a Bionic Through-life Sensing System will support the patient to approach and gradually become comfortable with the prosthesis by assisting him with an exercise plan, a physiology monitoring platform and an on-line prosthesis data collection. \nThe Symbionica consortium involves 3 LE, 6 SME and 2 RTD partners from 5 EU countries embracing the Medtech value chain from the patient and prosthetist to the technology providers of the mechatronics modules, IT solutions and control platforms.