Additive manufacturing, popularly known to us today as 3D printing, came into the full blast of use in many industries during the 1980s. The 3D printing Brisbane process usually begins with having a blueprint or a digital model of the subject.
The digital representation of the material is printed out layers using appropriate material. Successive printing of these layers makes it possible to create a 3-dimensional version of the subject.
Many different industries, even to this day, are taking advantage of 3D printing and this includes the medical technology space. Experts are projecting that additive manufacturing will become a $3.5bn industry by 2025, which is $713.3m in 2016. From 2017 up until 2025, the industry is believed by insiders as going to have a compound yearly growth rate of 17.7%.
Here are some of the core applications of 3D printing in the medical industry.
- creating artificial tissues
- surgical tools
- patient-specific surgical models
- Tailor-built prosthetics
Bioprinting Tissues and Organoids
Bioprinting is one of the practical applications of 3D printing in the medical device field. Instead of printing, say a medical device using metal or plastic material, bioprinter machines make use of a computer-guided pipette in layering live cells on top of one another. This process will help in creating artificial but live tissue inside a medical laboratory.
3D printed organoids or tissue constructs are indispensable for medical research because they can perfectly mimic human organs on a miniature scale. Besides, they are also looked into as a cheaper alternative for transplanting human organs like the heart and the kidneys.
Dubai is one of those countries where hospitals were given a full mandate on the liberal use of 3D printing for medical tools they use. There is one case here that made headlines in the medical community when a team of professional doctors successfully operated on a patient with a cerebral aneurysm in 4 veins.
3D printing technology was crucial to their success because it allowed the surgeons to map out her arteries, allowing them to navigate through her blood vessels, safely.
3D Printing of Custom-made Prosthetics
Additive manufacturing, or 3-dimensional printing, can be used in producing prosthetic limbs that are tailor-made to the user, for a perfectly snug fit. Normally, amputees need to wait in for a couple of weeks to several months just to have their prosthetic done.
But 3D printing Brisbane helps hasten up the process, not to mention also that it is a cheaper alternative as opposed to manufactured prosthetics that are made the traditional way.
The lower price point for these 3D printed products makes them a better and more practical alternative for children’s use for the simple reason that they naturally quickly outgrow the prosthetic limbs they use.
3-Dimensional Printing of Surgical Devices and Instruments
Medical forceps, scalpel handles and clamps, and hemostats are a few of the most important sterile surgical instruments that can be easily produced with the use of 3D printer machines. Besides producing sterile tools, 3D printing allows you to produce extremely small versions of them.
Miniature versions of commonly used surgical devices make it possible for medical professionals to operate on tiny areas without the risk of inducing unnecessary damage or injury to nearby or surrounding healthy cells.
Perhaps what can be considered as a major advantage of using 3-dimensional printing of medical devices is that costs are significantly lower when compared to the use of traditional printing or manufacturing methods.
Conclusion
The practical application of 3D printing technology is not at all restricted to the medical field alone. It is a dynamic industry, which means to say that there are many avenues for further growth and development. Hence, multiple sectors are likely to take advantage of this technology in the years to come.