Medical Additive Manufacturing
The medical sector, which encompasses dental, 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.
Though the focus of much media coverage, the use of 3D printing technologies extends well beyond 3D printed implants. Surgical guides and pre-surgical models are widespread, so much so that they can, in a way, be compared to the broad adoption 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 are well documented, several hurdles still exist that are limiting a more widespread adoption of these key technologies in hospitals and medical practices. Several of these hurdles are inherent to AM technologies and related material availability, however, the biggest challenges result from a general lack of awareness and skepticism, resulting in a slow pace of adoption.
Today, significant strides are being taken—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 hone 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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A small team of researchers from the Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences (COPPS) is eyeing a future in which human corneas can be 3D printed with ease. Recently, the team accomplished a first in the United States by 3D printing a cornea using a high…
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Stryker today announced that it is to invest over €200 million in Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) projects at three of its five Cork facilities as it continues its vigorous innovation journey to deliver next generation products and services across its Medical Surgical, Orthopaedics and Neurotechnology and Spine offerings. The…
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Materialise has made a further inroad into the medical market with recent FDA clearance for its Mimics Enlight cardiovascular planning software suite. The software tools are designed to support clinicians in the planning of complex transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) procedures. Belgium-based Materialise has played an important role in the…
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PrinterPrezz, Inc., a California-based medical manufacturing company that specializes in metal 3D printing and nanotechnologies, is partnering with UCSF Surgical Innovations, an incubator-accelerator for medtech startups at the University of California, San Francisco. Through the partnership, PrinterPrezz and UCSF Surgical Innovations will establish a co-located innovation facility aimed at driving…
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Zenith Tecnica, a New Zealand-based titanium additive manufacturing company, has had quite the journey since its founding in 2014, becoming one of the country’s leading forces in the metal AM sector. Today, Zenith Tecnica continues to scale its business and expand its 3D printing capabilities with the installation of its…
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HP Inc. is surely smiling a little brighter today, as it has deployed a number of Jet Fusion 3D printing systems to teledentistry pioneer SmileDirectClub, for a total of 49 operating systems. SmileDirectClub, which specializes in doctor-directed, remote clear aligner therapy, now has the capacity to produce over 50,000 unique…
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Israeli additive manufacturing XJet Ltd. has announced the sale of an XJet Carmel 1400 3D printer to Marvel Medtech, a North American startup specializing in preventative breast cancer treatments. The NanoParticle Jetting 3D printer will be used by the startup to print a ceramic cryotherapy probe for Marvel Medtech’s innovative…
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Inovus Medical has installed a new production level SLS 3D printer from 3D Systems in its manufacturing facility in St Helens, Merseyside. The laser sintering 3D printer enables the company to produce plastic parts with a finish level that rivals that of injection molding, without the expensive upfront cost of tooling…
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In March 2019, a team of Polish researchers achieved a bioprinting breakthrough with the creation of the first 3D printed prototype of a vascularized bionic pancreas. The achievement, enabled by cutting-edge technologies such as CELLINK’s Bio X 3D printer, marked an important step in the three-year project undertaken by Poland’s Fundacja…
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Nexxt Spine, an Indiana-based medical device manufacturer, aims to scale up its spinal implant production with the adoption of its fourth and fifth Concept Laser Mlab 100R 3D printers from GE Additive. The company, which began using 3D printing just two years ago, sees the technology as the way forward…
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