The Major Milestones Of 3D Printing In The Medical Industry

Hard to believe, yet as true as the universal truths. 3D Printing technology has brought a major revolution across the world and one of the most beneficiary industries in this is the healthcare sector.

Putting it more evenly, 3D printing has come up with various blooming and extremely incredible inventions for the medical and healthcare sector, which prove highly beneficial for the human beings and are now in use almost across the world.

And what’s more amazing is, these 3D printed medical products have life-saving attributes for the human beings.

Sounds more of a dreamy element no? Well, the scientists have already joined hands with the technical experts, and these have employed the best industrial 3D printers to develop various medical boons. Some of the best medical products that are credited to the use of 3D printing technology are as follows:

3D Printed Prosthetic Parts:

Prosthetics are a great assistance to the disabled people and now the 3D printing technology is fast replacing the traditional methods of developing these products. Why?

Well, the traditional method took much more time and yet it was a destructive method. Plus, any sort of modifications in the designs etc. led to the demolition of original molds and creation of new ones. And not to forget the costs, which are one of the greatest factors, making the products unreachable to many.

But with 3D printing, all such hurdles have been successfully eliminated. Now you could get the best 3D printing kits to your home and customize the prosthetics according to your needs. These are printed rather quickly and do not need any significant expenses.

3D Printed Organs:

Have you heard of the successfully printed 3D kidney cells, cardiac tissue sheets and the basis of human liver? No surprises, all these 3D printed organs are the evidences of how advanced the technology has turned to, and all these would very soon assist the human body in its functioning.

Though, an entirely 3D printed organ for the human body is still a far-off future, the speed with which the industry strides forward, this is turning a reality very, very soon.

3D Printed Skin:

Marvel at its very best! James Yoo, a researcher from Wake Forest Institute in the USA has used the bio-printing method to print human skin. His formulated 3D printer is capable of printing appropriate layers of skin straight to the wounds of burned or other wounded victims.

What’s more interesting is that this 3D printer could scan the wound and follow it by fabricating the required skin layers to fill the wound. And therefore, this 3D printed skin is more than a boon to the burnt, wounded or skin cancer patients.

3D Printed Surgical Tools:

3D Printing technology has already made it possible to print better and more secure 3D printed surgical tools such as hemostats, forceps, clamps and scalpel handle etc.

These 3D printed equipments are much more convenient, but cost way less than the traditional stainless steel equipment.

3D Printed Cranium Replacement:

As already mentioned, 3D printing technology has life-saving attributes and here is one more evidence. In Utrecht, a team of Dutch surgeons operated a 22-year old lady and replaced the entire top portion of her skull with a 3D printed implant made up of plastic.

Following this, a Chinese man with a crushed skull too obtained such a treatment, where his skull was replaced by a 3D printed titanium portion. Also, the 3D printed portion helped a Slovakian man in his damaged brain.

Through this, we could conclude that 3D printed cranium replacement is a futuristic approach to help save a victim with an injured skull.

3D Printed Drugs:

While this is still an approach for the future, the researchers are on their way to develop 3D printers, which could print prescription drugs by assembling the chemical compounds at the molecular level.

And how will this work? Suppose you are a patient who needs some medicine. You just need to visit an online drugstore, show your digital prescription, and buy the blueprint or the chemical ink required.

Following this, you could very easily use some good 3D printing equipment such Tevo Tarantula 3D printer to print the drug at your home.

Conclusion:

3D Printing is no less than a revolution that has stormed the medical industry with its highly effective inventions (prints). No wonder, the use of efficient 3D printers such as Prusa 3D printer could be a life-saving prospect for the future, with medical facilities turning more convenient, cost-effective, secure and easy to obtain.