“Lobster spacers” is an innovation from Tsunami Medical Srl, based in Modena, Italy, in product development in spinal implants. They are self-spreading spacers that can be used between intervertebral discs in surgical spinal column reconstruction.
The spreading mechanism developed by Tsunami is something of a miracle of manufacturing: it consists of a gearbox with a central screw and side gears that spreads apart two wings. Creating lobster spacers with perfectly aligned surfaces is possible thanks to the LaserCUSING process, using an Mlab cusing R system from Concept Laser. Its highly smooth – nearly polished – surface ensures significantly less excrescence in the tissue. A remarkable aspect of the manufacturing technology, according to Caselli, is the ability to produce multiple copies of this complex, movable part at the same time. “LaserCUSING gives us time advantages, advantages in cost structure and is also much easier, under cleanroom conditions, than conventional manufacturing strategies. In addition, machine solutions from Concept Laser provide excellent performance and a high level of safety when working with reactive materials such as titanium or titanium alloys” said Stefano Caselli, CEO of Tsunami Medical Srl.
