NOTE: These are not medical devices, not intended for clinical use, and are not intended for implantation.  

 

“Additively Manufactured Mock Spine Cage Designs for Mechanical Performance Test Assessments: STL Set 1” provides 16 mock intervertebral body fusion device (i.e., spinal cage) designs with three lattice structure implementations. Designs are provided in STL format so they may be fabricated using AM technologies.

 

The mock cages are designed to be dimensionally representative of common Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (PLIF) devices.  These open-source designs are intended to assist in AM system validation and benchtop mechanical performance assessments.  Examples of use include initial evaluations of new test methods, trainings on performance test methods (e.g., ASTM F2077), and AM system calibration pieces.

 

It is recommended that the user verifies the dimensional fidelity of the final component to that of the provided STL.  This may be accomplished via optical microscopy, 3D structured light scanning, µCT scanning, etc.

 

Below is a general description of the provided models:

 

-Regular Body Center Cubic (BCC): With and without surrounding frame.  Relative densities of 0.2 and 0.3.

-Stochastic Voronoi Tessellation Method (VTM): With and without surrounding frame.  Relative densities of 0.2 and 0.3.

-The above cages come in a flush (lattice is parallel to solid frame) or with a slight lattice inset design (lattice is offset from the solid frame).

-Regular Body Center Cubic (BCC): Relative densities of 0.15, 0.25, 0.35, and 0.45.

-The rear of the cage has an M4 inserter design to accommodate M4 x 0.7 or M4 x 0.75 threads per mm.  Inserter threads require machining (3.3 mm diameter, 3.5 mm deep feature).

 

Below is a list of the STLs provided:

 

No Solid Frame, Inset Lattice from Walls (Regular Repeating and Stochastic Designs)

-Regular BCC RD0.20 CL1.000 SD0.216 All Lattice Mock Spine Cage 2019_06_04.stl
-Regular BCC RD0.30 CL1.000 SD0.270 All Lattice Spine Mock Cage 2019_06_04.stl
-Stochastic VTM RD0.20 CL1.000 CD0.750 SD0.216 All Lattice Mock Spine Cage 2019_06_04.stl
-Stochastic VTM RD0.30 CL1.000 CD0.730 SD0.270 All Lattice Mock Spine Cage 2019_06_04.stl

 

With Solid Frame, Inset Lattice from Walls (Regular Repeating and Stochastic Designs)

-Regular BCC RD0.20 CL1.000 SD0.216 Solid Frame Mock Spine Cage 2019_05_17.stl
-Regular BCC RD0.30 CL1.000 SD0.270 Solid Frame Mock Spine Cage 2019_05_17.stl
-Stochastic VTM RD0.20 CL1.000 CD0.725 SD0.216 Solid Frame Mock Spine Cage 2019_06_04.stl
-Stochastic VTM RD0.30 CL1.000 CD0.730 SD0.270 Solid Frame Mock Spine Cage 2019_05_17.stl

 

No Solid Frame, Flush Lattice with Walls (Regular Repeating and Stochastic Designs)

-Regular BCC RD0.20 CL1.000 SD0.216 Flush All Lattice Spine Cage 2019_07_08.stl
-Stochastic VTM RD0.20 CL1.000 SD0.216 Flush All Lattice Spine Cage 2019_07_08.stl

 

With Solid Frame, Flush Lattice with Walls (Regular Repeating and Stochastic Designs)

-Regular BCC RD0.20 CL1.000 SD0.216 Flush Frame Spine Cage 2019_07_08.stl
-Stochastic VTM RD0.20 CL1.000 SD0.216 Flush Frame Spine Cage 2019_07_08.stl

 

Relative Density Change Series, No Solid Frame, Inset Lattice from Walls (Regular Repeating Designs Only)

-Regular BCC RD0.15 CL1.000 SD0.180 All Lattice Mock Spine Cage 2019.21.06.stl
-Regular BCC RD0.25 CL1.000 SD0.245 All Lattice Mock Spine Cage 2019.24.06.stl
-Regular BCC RD0.35 CL1.000 SD0.294 All Lattice Mock Spine Cage 2019.24.06.stl
-Regular BCC RD0.45 CL1.000 SD0.345 All Lattice Mock Spine Cage 2019.21.06.stl

 

This is an open/non-proprietary design.

 

“Additively Manufactured Mock Spine Cage Designs for Mechanical Performance Test Assessments: STL Set 1” Described/used in peer reviewed publications:

Snodderly, K. L., et al. (2022). "Dimensional variability characterization of additively manufactured lattice coupons." 3D Print Med 8(1): 14.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s41205-022-00141-z  

The mock devices in Snodderly et al. were fabricated in Ti-6Al-4V on Laser and Electron Beam Melting Powder Bed Fusion Systems.