Case Study: University of Zagreb achieves faster, cheaper, more predictable cranioplasties with Stratasys 3D printing

A Better Mold for Cranioplasties 3D Printing Enables Faster, Cheaper, More Predictable Outcomes

The University of Zagreb’s Centre for Additive Technologies (CATeh) faced a clinical and cosmetic challenge: cranioplasties at the University Hospital Osijek required surgeons to hand-shape PMMA bone cement implants from silicone molds, producing inconsistent aesthetics, long operations, slow and costly production, and uncertain outcomes. To address this, the team turned to Stratasys and its Objet350 Connex3 multi-material 3D printing technology to explore patient-specific, 3D-printed molds.

Using Stratasys 3D printing, CATeh converted patient CT scans into precise, test-fit prototypes and printed molds that produce custom PMMA implants, enabling faster development, easier patient communication, and safer sterilization. The Stratasys-enabled workflow has delivered better aesthetic and more predictable surgical results—13 surgeries to date including a successful case of a 23-year-old patient—and yielded faster, cheaper production and improved clinical outcomes.

University of Zagreb

Miodrag Katalenic

Chair of Polymer Processing