Red-crowned Crane Gets 3D-printed Titanium Beak

2016/07/21

Chen Xiaoli

A red-crowned crane named Lili got a 3D-printed titanium beak after a surgery at an animal hospital in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, on July 10, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Lili, the six-year-old bird, broke its upper beak in a fight at the zoo and was unable to eat by itself. Nurses had to feed it two to three hours every day to keep it alive .

The red-crowned crane is listed as a first-grade protected species in China, and can live up to 50-60 years.

To help Lili survive, doctors decided to replace its broken beak with an artificial one.

Seven testing versions of plastic beak models were made before the final design was confirmed.

The final artificial beak was printed out in titanium, a material chosen for its strength, light weight and anti-corrosive characteristics.

The surgery finished within 30 minutes, which made Lili the first red-crowned crane in the world to have a 3D-printed beak.

Thanks to the modern technology, Lili can now catch small fish with its new beak.

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Red-crowned Crane Gets 3D-printed Titanium Beak

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