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Advanced Additive
Manufacturing of
User-Focused
Facial Prostheses
with Real-Life
Colour Appearance

Advanced Additive Manufacturing of User-Focused Facial Prostheses with Real-Life Colour Appearance

The goal of this five-year research programme, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, is to enable the delivery of bespoke ultra-realistic facial prostheses to patients in a timely and cost-effective manner using modern digital imaging and manufacturing methods.
Facial prostheses are needed when patients are treated for certain cancers or injuries affecting the nose, lips, eyes, ears, or skin. The quality of these prostheses is important to protect the affected area and give patients confidence, self-esteem, and an improved quality of life.
The demand for prostheses is growing as the population ages and cancer rates increase. In the UK, about 2,500 new patients need facial prostheses each year, and the prostheses then need to be replaced every 12-18 months as they degrade and discolour.
New ways of imaging and computer modelling 3D skin appearance are needed, new combinations of medical grade silicones and pigments, and new digital methods of manufacture that can produce prostheses with the required softness, colour, texture, and fidelity. AMFaces will address these challenges.
Producing facial prostheses is currently slow and technically difficult, depending on a few highly experienced maxillofacial prosthetists, many of whom will be retiring in the near future. Yet developing a new way of delivering high-quality prostheses is difficult.
Facial prostheses are needed when patients are treated for certain cancers or injuries affecting the nose, lips, eyes, ears, or skin. The quality of these prostheses is important to protect the affected area and give patients confidence, self-esteem, and an improved quality of life.
The demand for prostheses is growing as the population ages and cancer rates increase. In the UK, about 2,500 new patients need facial prostheses each year, and the prostheses then need to be replaced every 12-18 months as they degrade and discolour.
Producing facial prostheses is currently slow and technically difficult, depending on a few highly experienced maxillofacial prosthetists, many of whom will be retiring in the near future. Yet developing a new way of delivering high-quality prostheses is difficult.
New ways of imaging and computer modelling 3D skin appearance are needed, new combinations of medical grade silicones and pigments, and new digital methods of manufacture that can produce prostheses with the required softness, colour, texture, and fidelity. AMFaces will address these challenges.
Approach to research
We have brought together from four UK universities a multidisciplinary team of experts and early career researchers whose expertise is essential for a successful outcome. They comprise clinicians in maxillofacial and oral surgery and scientists and engineers in additive manufacturing (3D printing), reconstructive science, biomaterials, colour science, and imaging. Our approach throughout is patient-centred.

Research vision

This project will enable bespoke ultra-realistic facial prostheses to be developed for individuals affected by cancer, trauma, and congenital defects. It will deliver a new approach to manufacture and improve the quality of life for thousands of patients in the UK and beyond. And it will aid the prompt delivery of bespoke ultra-realistic facial prostheses on demand.
Project outcomes
The results of the research will be delivered mainly through two NHS Foundation Trusts (Manchester University FT and Guy’s and St Thomas’ FT, London) and will support regional NHS networks for prosthetic services and charities. We will work with local SMEs to facilitate sustainable research development and further investment. We will share our technological innovations with the clinical, scientific, and engineering communities, and especially with developing countries with limited resources.

Research themes