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Text: James Woodcock
Twelve years after KLS Martin and Lithoz began a research collaboration, 3D printed bioceramic implants are now a standard option surgeons can order. The Tuttlingen-based craniomaxillofacial surgery specialist now offers patient-specific implants in Lithoz's LithaBone TCP, a resorbable beta-tricalcium phosphate, as a widely available product on IPS Gate, its web platform for planning, ordering and delivering Individual Patient Solutions. KLS Martin expects to deliver its 500th implant by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
KLS Martin produces the implants on its own Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM) printers, relying on a Lithoz ecosystem that operates under an ISO 13485 certified quality management system. LCM allows geometries tailored to each patient and case, as well as tailored porosity, which influences how the scaffold degrades and is replaced by new, vital bone. Implants can be fixed with conventional titanium screws or with KLS Martin's SonicWeld Rx system and resorbable polymer pins, creating a fully resorbable implant unit that avoids a second operation.
Frank Reinauer, Senior Director Division Implant at KLS Martin, said surgeons can now order the implants "through the same digital workflow they already use for our other IPS solutions." Lithoz CEO Johannes Homa called the launch on IPS Gate "a true milestone for bioceramic 3D Printing in surgery."
Further information
Lithoz at Formnext 2026: Hall 11.0, Booth B50
