Medical Additive Manufacturing
The medical additive manufacturing sector (including dental AM) is today one of the largest adopters of 3D printing technologies for the production of consumer-targeted items, including prosthetics, implants, dental replacements and physical models.
The use of 3D printing technologies extends well beyond 3D printed implants. Surgical guides and presurgical models can in a way be compared to the widespread use of AM for prototyping and tooling in the industrial manufacturing arena. Leading AM hardware manufacturers, such as 3D Systems, EnvisionTEC, EOS and SLM Solutions – along with service providers like Materialise – are investing heavily to develop both medical and dental AM applications.
While the benefits of AM technologies for personalized medicine and more efficient surgical practices is well documented, several hurdles still exist that are limiting a widespread adoption of these key technologies in hospitals and medical practices. Several of these hurdles are inherent to the AM technologies and related material availability, however, the biggest challenges remain in a general lack of awareness and skepticism, resulting in a slow pace of adoption.
Today very significant strides have been made – mainly in the private segment – toward the development of advanced polymers, metals, and ceramics fit for implantation in humans. The private dental segment is going through a full-size boom in the adoption of AM technologies and processes. With this month’s Industry Focus we zoom in on the latest advancements and take a look at the upcoming opportunities for medical and dental AM.
Latest Medical and Dental AM news:
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Treating cancer can be a challenging process that is often highly taxing on the patient being undergoing therapies. Because there is no way to know what types of therapy will be most effective for a given patient’s case, there is still an element of trial and error that comes into…
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Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have created a novel 3D printing workflow that allows cardiologists to evaluate how different heart valve sizes will interact with each patient’s unique anatomy before the medical procedure is actually performed. The possibility of using material jetting 3D…
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Researchers from Washington State University have developed a 3D printed biosensor for monitoring glucose. The innovative research could offer diabetes patients a more accessible and effective means on keeping track of their glucose levels. Glucose monitoring is a frequent task for people diagnosed with diabetes, and it plays an important…
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Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films (IST) have developed a process for 3D printing plastic bone implants that are patient-specific and stable. The print process, developed in collaboration with seven other EU-based partners, uses a novel cold plasma treatment at every print layer to enhance…
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GE Healthcare has announced a partnership with VA Puget Sound Health Care System to accelerate the use of 3D imaging and 3D printed anatomical models for medical applications. VA Puget Sound Health Care System is a government-run healthcare program for veterans serving states in the Pacific Northwest of the United…
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UNYQ, a company specializing in custom 3D printed medical devices and wearables, announced that it has appointed the former Head of Design at IKEA, Marcus Engman, as its new Vice President of Design. Engman served as IKEA’s Head of Design for six years; he left in September 2018 to found…
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3D printing giants are working together for the common goal of advancing AM for the production of medical models. Materialise—through its FDA-approved Materialise Mimics inPrint software—has validated Stratasys 3D printers and materials for the manufacturing of anatomical models. The validation marks the establishment of what the companies call the “most…
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We often talk about the potential of additive manufacturing to revolutionize the medical industry through implants, but there is one healthcare area where 3D printed implants are already having very real impacts: in the veterinary field. UK-based vets Dr. Kevin Parsons and Tom Shaw, for instance, have been using the…
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3D Systems revealed this week that it has been working closely with nonprofit organization OpHeart over the past four years to provide 3D printed tools and devices to pediatric heart surgeons to help with surgical preparation. OpHeart is a U.S.-based organization dedicated to improving treatments for children born with life-threatening…
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Belgian chemical company Solvay introduced three new medical grade additive manufacturing materials for the healthcare industry at Formnext last week. The new materials, KetaSpire PEEK (NT1 HC), KetaSpire PEEK (CF10 HC) and Radel PPSU (NT1 HC), are Solvay’s first high-performance filaments for medical use. The three filaments, which are designed…
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