3D printing in orthopaedic surgery
7th October 2026, 19:00 to 20:00 BST
Overview
This webinar, 3D Printing in Orthopaedics, provides a concise introduction to biomedical 3D printing and biofabrication. Participants will explore key technologies such as extrusion, inkjet, stereolithography, DLP, volumetric printing, and the use of external fields. The webinar will also highlight clinical applications, including patient-specific cutting guides and 3D-printed PEEK implants for craniomaxillofacial (CMF) surgery. Finally, selected case studies from research at the AO Research Institute (ARI) will illustrate how advanced biofabrication approaches are shaping the future of orthopaedic innovation.
Aims
This webinar aims to provide a clear and practical overview of biomedical 3D printing and biofabrication within orthopaedics. Participants will gain an understanding of key technologies and their respective advantages, as well as how these approaches translate into clinical applications such as patient-specific cutting guides and PEEK implants for CMF surgery. The webinar also aims to showcase how advanced biofabrication strategies are being developed in research settings, highlighting their potential to improve surgical precision, personalization, and future treatment strategies.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this webinar, attendees should be able to:
- Describe the fundamental principles of biomedical 3D printing and biofabrication.
- Differentiate between key technologies (e.g. extrusion, inkjet, stereolithography, DLP, volumetric approaches, and extrinsic field-assisted methods) and identify their advantages and limitations.
- Explain the role and benefits of 3D-printed PEEK implants in craniomaxillofacial (CMF) surgery.
- Appreciate how advanced biofabrication strategies are applied in research settings, including examples from the AO Research Institute (ARI).
- Evaluate the potential of these technologies to improve surgical precision, personalization, and future orthopaedic treatments.
Panellists
Our panellists include:
Tiziano Serra - PhD, Focus Area Leader in Field-Assisted Biofabrication
Tiziano Serra is Focus Area Leader for Field-Assisted Biofabrication at the AO Research Institute Davos and Assistant Professor at the MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine, Maastricht University. He holds an MSc in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Salento, a cum laude PhD in 3D printing for bone tissue engineering from the Technical University of Catalonia, and completed postdoctoral training at University College London. His research develops clinically oriented biofabrication technologies to engineer organized living systems that better mimic musculoskeletal tissues. By using fields-based approaches such as hydrodynamic waves, magnetic fields, light, and stimuli-responsive materials, his work develop nozzle-free 3d printing approaches for orthopaedic regeneration, disease modelling, and the creation of more predictive platforms for therapy testing.
Dr Serra is the inventor of Sound Induced Morphogenesis (SIM), a sound-based biofabrication technology licensed in 2020 to mimiX Biotherapeutics, the Swiss start-up built on this foundational technology, where he served as Chief Scientific Officer until 2022. SIM was selected for the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences’ Technology Outlook 2023 and contributed to the development of mimiX’s FastSkin® Patch, which received FDA clearance in 2025 as a point-of-care solution for the management of complex wound healing.
Professor Neil Ashwood (Chair)
Upper limb surgeon with an interest in bioengineering and implant design.
CPD
1 Hour
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Recording
A recording of the webinar will be made available on this page in the days following the live broadcast.
