Irish medical device manufacturer Croom Medical has revealed TALOS, a new laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) platform for 3D printing tantalum (Ta). The company’s press release hails TALOS as a breakthrough for medical implants and industrial applications.
Tantalum’s unique properties, including corrosion resistance and biocompatibility, mean it is well-suited for use in healthcare and engineering industries. However, the rare metal’s high melting point and reactive nature have long made it difficult to process. Croom claims its new platform, which integrates into its Colibrium Additive M2 Series LPBF 3D printers, addresses these challenges, potentially paving the way for broader commercial adoption.
Developed in collaboration with US-based tantalum products supplier Global Advanced Metals (GAM), TALOS is available via Croom Medical’s contract manufacturing service. This is designed to support customer projects ranging from prototyping to high-volume production.
According to the Limerick-based company, its new tantalum 3D printing offering can fabricate complex, lightweight, strong, and highly porous structures with densities up to 99.99%. This makes the technology ideal for medical devices such as implants. 3D printing parameters and cellular lattice structures can be tweaked to customize ductility and strength to match the patient’s native bone. What’s more, 3D printed tantalum powder can achieve over 40% elongation, unlocking complex, flexible designs with reduced fracture risks.
“Tantalum has long been valued for its outstanding biointegration, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties,” commented Dr. Shane Keaveney, R&D Manager at Croom Medical. “With TALOS, we unlock these intrinsic qualities, allowing precise control over implant ductility and strength to closely match native bone.”
Croom Medical introduces TALOS
The introduction of TALOS follows news earlier this year that Croom and GAM developed a closed-loop supply chain to expand the adoption of tantalum in 3D printing. This agreement sought to establish a reliable source of recyclable tantalum powder for medical applications.
Croom’s manufacturing service already leverages Colibrium’s M2 LPBF technology to 3D print metal implants. TALOS adds to these capabilities to enhance Croom’s tantalum 3D printing output.
According to the Irish medical device manufacturer, TALOS can deposit tantalum directly onto a titanium substrate, combining titanium’s low density with tantalum’s osteoconductive properties. The hybrid approach produces implants with improved bone integration, potentially reducing the rate of revision surgeries.
Croom Medical CEO Patrick Byrnes noted that medical devices 3D printed with the TALOS system exhibit superior biointegations, improved fatigue resistance, and minimized stress shielding compared to traditional options. He added that these benefits contribute to better patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs by reducing discomfort and post-surgical complications.
The new TALOS platform is also positioned with sustainability in mind. It reportedly uses GAM-supplied tantalum powder that is ethically sourced and supports closed-loop recyclability. Following 3D printing, waste powder is returned to GAM, where it is refined and reprocessed before being reintroduced into the production cycle. According to Dr Gordon C. Smith, GAM’s CTO, “This approach maximises material efficiency and ensures a secure, consistent supply of tantalum.”
Away from medical 3D printing, TALOS also targets applications in the industrial and energy sectors. The metal LPBF additive manufacturing technology can fabricate complex, near-net shapes with features such as controlled porosity, cellular lattices, textured surfaces, and internal channels for cooling or mixing. These design elements boost efficiency in components used for power generation, chemical processing, and high-temperature operations.
Metal 3D printing enhances medical implants
Hospitals worldwide are rapidly adopting medical 3D printing, with personalized metal implants becoming a standard of care for many patients. Last year, it was revealed that Belgium-based Amnovis had delivered over 50,000 3D printed medical implants since 2021. The company’s titanium 3D printing process has reportedly shortened time to market for spinal, orthopedic, and craniomaxillofacial (CMF) implants.
One customer to benefit from Amnovis’ metal additive manufacturing capabilities is German medical implant provider Privelop-spine. The firm claims to have “reaped the rewards” of this process, highlighting the detailed resolution and structural quality of the 3D printed devices.
More recently, researchers at RWTH Aachen University’s Chair of Digital Additive Production (DAP) and reACT alliance announced they are developing metal bioresorbable implants. Fabricated using metal LPBF 3D printing, the implants are designed using patient medical imaging data, ensuring each implant is personalized to the patient’s requirements.
Internal lattice structures help guide bone regrowth and provide structural support as the implant degrades evenly over time. A zinc-magnesium blend, containing up to 1% magnesium, has been selected by the research team as offering the best material performance for their osseointegration-optimized implants.
Take the 3DPI Reader Survey — shape the future of AM reporting in under 5 minutes.
Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards?
Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.
You can also follow us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.
Featured image shows Tantalum components, manufactured using Croom Medical’s TALOS additive manufacturing platform. Photo via Croom Medical.
