3D Printing Trends to Look Out For

Additive manufacturing has become a revolutionary tool in many industries, including healthcare. 3D printing in healthcare provides innovative solutions at lower costs. Here are some of the 3D printing trends to watch out for in the healthcare industry.  

Fighting the Covid-19 Pandemic with 3D Printing

The rapid acceleration of Covid-19 left healthcare systems all around the world in a state of emergency. Medical supplies and personal protective equipment such as ventilators and face masks were desperately in high demand. Many manufacturers in the additive manufacturing industry shifted their production to provide help for the healthcare industry. Supplies such as face shields and ventilator splitters were produced quickly through 3D printing.

The CAD MicroSolutions team was able to donate 200 face shields to SickKids hospital in Toronto and has teamed up with Durham College, Peter Johnson, University of Waterloo, DND, and BOS Innovation to donate an additional 1000 face shields to Canadian frontline workers.

3D Bioprinting

As the population lifespan increases so do the demand for donor organs. The healthcare industry has turned to regenerative medicine to create organs for transplants through 3D printing instead of having to rely on traditional donors. This has been successful with simple organs such as the bladder. Regenerative medicine uses scaffolds, biomaterials, cells, or a combination of biomaterials and cells.

Manufacturing Medical Devices

3D printing has come in handy when producing medical devices such as orthopedics, dental implants, and prosthetics. Prosthetics have always been very costly however, creating final product prosthetics using 3D printers has provided a lower-cost solution. Victoria Hand Project, a research project that began at the University of Victoria and has since turned into a non-profit organization, provides low-cost, highly functional 3D printed prosthetic arms in areas where prosthetic care can be difficult.

No Need for Animal Testing

3D bioprinting has allowed the healthcare industry to create functional 3D human tissues of organs to provide more accurate results when it comes to testing new innovations. This eliminates the need to test new drugs, vaccines, and cosmetics on animals. 3D printing has allowed the healthcare industry to choose a less harmful route when it comes to testing.