Empowering Advances in Medical Devices with 3D-Printing Technology

Abstract

The need for individualized personal care has well-positioned three-dimensional (3D) printing in the health-care industry and the medical applications are expanding rapidly. It is one of the emerging technological frontiers, revolutionizing the medical devices industry by fast-tracking the designing phase, enabling new devices to reach the market faster. Current and potential medical applications of 3D printing include customized implants and prostheses, tissue and organ fabrication, surgical instrumentation, drug delivery and testing systems, and tumor models to understand cancer growth. The benefits include lowering cost for customized applications and easier access for low-income communities and low-resource settings. It is improving patient outcome and quality of life. However, there are also limitations such as regulatory concerns. The promising 3D-printing technology is still in the emerging stage and with improving resolutions of the printed features, its potential is boundless. Here an overview of the advantages of 3D printing is presented for medical devices compared to traditional manufacturing techniques. The future potential and direction for medical applications is discussed along with key challenges.