3D printing technology has advanced, making it an optimal solution in various industries. In the past, the concept was mainly used by manufacturers that could afford expensive materials and printers. Today, three-dimensional printing has become affordable and medical professionals are beginning to use it to improve their practices.
Imagine a world where customization is no longer a luxury but a norm, and intricate creations are quickly done. 3D printing is a tool that bridges the gap between imagination and reality. As you venture into this addictive manufacturing, it’s recommended to seek professional services. This helps you know if the 3D printing will be cost-effective and design-flexible.
Applications of 3D Printing in the Healthcare Field
3D printing, otherwise known as additive manufacturing, can speed up surgical procedures, improve patient lives, and replace human organ transplants. Other applications include:
1. Prostheses Customized for Patients
The design innovation associated with 3D printing offers endless opportunities for patients who need prosthetic devices. These devices provide customization, cost-efficiency, and superior comfort. With AM (additive manufacturing), you can create lighter designs that patients wear comfortably.
Besides, 3D printing offers high durability and unique aesthetics. Thanks to the precise and rapid scan-to-print process, you can implement any design adjustments for added comfort. This is beneficial, especially for children requiring multiple prostheses as they grow.
For healthcare device manufacturers, creating well-fitting, comfortable prostheses requires high-skilled labor. With the increasing demand for sophisticated products, medical professionals always try to ensure that production is more efficient. With digital fabrication, healthcare providers can minimize manual steps.
Digitalization creates opportunities for creating new geometries that are easily adapted to meet patient’s personal wishes. Medical professionals can also use patient-specific data to create prostheses tuned to the patient’s physiology.
2. Bone and Joint Reconstructions
Three-dimensional printing has gained momentum in orthopedic surgery, where implants such as plates, pins, and rods are used. Procedures like fracture repairs, hip replacements, and knee replacements often need implants. Each body is different, and your bones and joints have unique shapes and sizes.
Traditionally, you could get a choice of sizes and choose the closest one. However, with three-dimensional printing, you can create something that fits the patient snuggly. You can scan the relevant part of the patient’s body before the operation.
Traditional orthoses can cause issues with stemming due to poor design fit. Traditional ankle-foot joints can cause discomfort. But, with 3D printing custom orthoses, patients who need reconstruction may experience improved recovery time and reduced trauma.
3. Bioprinting Functional Organoids and Tissues
The sophisticated tissue structures from 3D bioprinter allow researchers to gain more insight into human organs. Medical researchers can bioprint skin that mimics inflammatory skin diseases. With this model, researchers can understand disease progression and test treatments. The emerging technology is also used to manufacture human organs and tissues.
Three-dimensional technology is also used in developing implants for the trachea or larynx. These implants can replace diseased or damaged portions of the patient’s organ while maintaining the functional tissues. 3D printing can construct complex tissues with soft tissue regions and stiff cartilage. As a result, experts in the healthcare industry can print vocal folds and soft tissues for vocalization.
3D bioprinters utilize digital blueprints from medical imaging like CT scans or MRIs. The high-tech tool places bioinks comprising hydrogels, growth factors, and living cells in a layer-by-layer design. The final product mimics human organs’ structure, physiology, and mechanics.
4. Training for Complex Procedures
Medical experts can look at scans or charts to plan for complicated procedures. However, it’s always hard to get handy, real-world practice. With 3D printing, they can now perform intricate procedures like kidney transplants. For example, doctors can create 3D-printed models of a patient’s torso to develop the surgery strategy ahead of time.
The 3D-printed models and organs give surgeons the experience and knowledge to undertake complicated surgeries. With such training, medical experts become more confident, leading to greater chances of success.
5. Dental Applications
The advances in 3D printing technologies are becoming a staple technology in dentistry. Dental laboratories and practices can use 3D printers in various applications, from making thermoset dental aligners to printing full dentures. Tailored dental solutions are now accessible, affordable, and more effective than ever.
Some of the crucial 3D printing applications in the medical field include:
- Dental aligners
Dental healthcare professionals are using 3D-printed models to create patient-specific aligners. Models like Invisalign use 3D printers to design accurate models for patients’ teeth. For dental aligners, professionals first obtain a scan of the patient’s mouth using an intraoral or desktop scanner. The obtained data is then turned into a CAD model, and the design is 3D printed.
The three-dimensional printed model is placed in a thermoforming machine with a clear aligner wrapped around the model to create the final product. Aligners are then cleaned and thoroughly polished before being delivered to the end user.
- Casting Patterns
Printing casting patterns is another 3D printing application in the dental field. The patterns are used to cast copings, crowns, and bridges. The 3D-printed patterns are then utilized in the investment casting process.
- Dentures
3D printing can be used directly to fabricate the final product. A good example is printing full dentures suitable for patients with no teeth on their gum. Dentures are created in two crucial phases: the base that touches the gums and the teeth, which need to be strong and rigid.
The introduction of 3D printing technologies goes hand in hand with 3D scanners and CAD solutions to capture the dental structure. The systems are used together to design the end product that perfectly fits the patient’s anatomy.
Wrapping Up
As time goes on, 3D printing continues offering solutions in the medical field. By adopting this additive manufacturing, medical professionals will find innovative applications to deliver customized remedies for patients. With the incredible 3D printing creations like prosthetics, customized tools, and bone reconstruction, it’s undoubtedly that the future of healthcare lies here.
