At this stage, the key applications of 3D printing in the medical industry are: 3D printed medical models for surgery and planning or teaching, surgical guides, surgical/oral implants, rehabilitation equipment, and bio-3D printed human tissues and organs. A new report on dental 3D printing was recently released and is expected to generate $7.9 billion in revenue by 2027, an increase of 20.2% year over year from this year.
1. 3D printing medical models and hand surgery
Three-dimensional modeling is performed based on the patient's CT data before surgery, and then the model is printed using a 3D printer to obtain a medical model. The key role of the model is to allow doctors to directly see the three-dimensional structure of the surgical site before surgery, which is helpful for doctors to plan surgical plans. Especially for complex surgery, it is beneficial to reduce the risk of surgery and improve the success rate of surgery.
2. 3D printing rehabilitation aids
The real value of 3D printing for rehabilitation devices such as orthopedic insoles, bionic hands, and hearing aids is not only in the completion of precise customization but also in the replacement of manual production methods with accurate and efficient digital manufacturing technology, reducing the production cycle. Taking hearing aids as an example, in traditional production, the technician must make an injection mold based on the patient's ear canal model, and then perform post-processing such as drilling sound holes on the mold. Using a 3D printer to make a hearing aid only needs to convert the scanned CAD file into a design file readable by the 3D printer, and then print it out. In addition to industrial applications, large-scale industrial 3D printers on the market can also be used for medical model printing.
3. 3D printed implants
Bone defects, maxillofacial injuries, skull repairs, etc. caused by bone tumors, car accidents, etc. cannot be treated with general repair products, but 3D printing products provide a reasonable and effective solution. The printed prosthesis can be tailored to the patient's own characteristics.
And the digital oral technology that is widely used today is the use of 3D printing technology for dental treatment. According to the use of digital guides and other places, dental medical treatment is more accurate, and the problem of shortage of dental medical resources is effectively alleviated.
4. 3D printed organs
A well-known example is that in April 2019, Tel Aviv University in Israel successfully 3D printed the world's first "complete" heart with cells, blood vessels, ventricles, and atria using the patient's own tissue as the raw material.
