Medical Plastic Data Service Magazine

 
 

A TECHNO-ECONOMIC NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MEDICAL PLASTICS AND PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

Our 30th Year of Publication
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Technology

THE FUTURE OF 3D PRINTING IN MEDICAL SECTOR

Mr Jay Parekh
Shlok Solutions, Ahmedabad

For recent past years, scientists and professionals have predicted that 3-D printing—which has been used it to make toys, homes, scientific tools could one day be harnessed to print live, human body parts to mitigate a shortage of donor organs. So far, researchers also used 3-D printing in medicine and dentistry to create dental implants, prosthetics, and models for surgeons to practice on before they make cuts on a patient. But many researchers have moved beyond printing with plastics and metals—printing with cells that then form living human tissues and body implants.

No one has printed fully functional, transplantable human organs just yet, but scientists are getting closer, making pieces of tissue that can be used to test drugs and designing methods to overcome the challenges of recreating the body’s complex biology.

 

How much healthcare will contribute to this growth remains to be seen. In 2020, healthcare represented only 10% of online printing demand. In contrast, the industrial and electrical sectors represented approximately 50%.

 

But changing trends may see a necessity for more 3D printing in hospitals and places of care. As a new Research on 3D printing in healthcare finds, the growing old-age population has driven the demand for donor organs, while regenerative medicine using bioprinted, patient-derived stem cells allows for personalized treatment of certain diseases.

 

Application of 3D Printing in Healthcare

 

1. Medical Devises On-Demand

 

One of the frequent uses of 3D printing in healthcare is the production of cost-effective and accurate medical devices on demand. Every type of customized medical equipment can be manufactured with 3D printing.

 

The equipment is incredibly versatile and cost-effective and can be used as a quick replacement for vital supplies. For example, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, we see the true potential of 3D printing. When hospitals all around the world are struggling with the lack of respirators, 3D printing technology is used to create vital parts of the respirator.

 

2. Prosthetics

 

Another usage of 3D printing in the healthcare industry is in creating prosthetics.

 

One of the main features of 3D printed prosthetics are these can be custom fitted to the patient. With traditional manufacturing, a custom-fitted prosthetic would take weeks if not months to manufacture. But with the help of additive manufacturing, it can be produced in days.

 

 

3D printed prosthetics are not simple like traditional prosthetics. 3D printed prosthetics can be made with intricate designs, even bionic structure. It gives the user high functionality with a full range of motion like natural limbs. Further developed with IoT technologies will create smart prosthetics, helping those in need throughout the world.

 

3. 3D Printing Organs

 

3D printing in the medical field has started to show incredible improvement in organ printing. Recently the world’s first 3D printed lungs were developed by the bioengineers of Rice’s Brown School of Engineering. The structure is created with a 3D printing process called stereolithography process for tissue engineering. These 3D printed organs are surely in the initial stages, but with the advancement of technology, these organs will be improved in the coming years and will be good alternatives for a patient in need.

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