3D printing facilitates innovate surgery in veterinary medicine for blue macaw..

A prosthetic titanium beak has been manufactured using 3D metal printing and implanted on Gigi, a blue macaw (a genus of the parrot family). This unusual prosthetic saved Gigi’s life, as macaws are unable to eat solid foods without a beak. A team of veterinarians, together with 3D printing experts from the Renato Archer Technology and Information Center (CTI) in Campinas, Brazil, developed an implant solution. The successful operation took place at the Animal Care Center in Ipiranga near Sao Paulo. The artificial beak was created thanks to the cooperation of three specialists. The team, dubbed the “Avengers,” was comprised of veterinarian Roberto Fecchio, 3D designer and facial-reconstruction specialist Cicero Moraes, and veterinary dentist Paul Miamoto. The “Avengers” are pioneers in the use of 3D printing technology for saving the lives of wild animals, and previously made a new shell for Freddy the turtle and a beak for an injured toucan. These prosthetics were made of plastic. In Gigi’s case, however, plastic wasn’t suitable. Macaws use their beaks to open seeds and break other hard shells, so their beaks need to be extremely long-lasting and strong. See more