Medical
Microfluids
3D printing has been increasingly employed for the fabrication of microfluidics in the development of 3D-printed sensors and actuators. A microfluidic device (valve, pump, mixer) is a small chip that allows liquid to flow through it, which is useful in many applications including medical diagnostics. The small size makes it attractive for use in a laboratory environment, but also in point-of-care (POC) settings. 3D printing a microfluidic chip reduces cost and improves customizability.
Surgical Instruments
Advantages of 3D printed surgical instruments expressed also in recent years with the customization and ease of modification with rapid prototyping tools. 3D printing technology is suited to the production of single use or reusable surgical tools and accessories, as well as patient-specific surgical cutting guides and other devices designed to be in contact with the patient.
Implants and Organs
The medical sector has experienced a boom in 3D printing applications within the last few years. Currently, successfully shoulder, hip, cranio and jaw impants have been developed and integrated to patients. Also, using 3D bio-printing technology organs such as the heart, kidneys, bladder and liver have been demonstrated successfully.
Anthropomorphic Phantoms
Current 3D printing technology products may be usable in various biomedical applications. Such an application is the creation of X-ray quality control phantoms. 3D printing technology provides a low cost, readily available technology that allows medical physicists to rapidly prototype and produce 3D Anthropomorphic phantoms to meet specific testing needs in Radiology. Testing of the 3D Anthropomorphic phantoms for radiology applications requires positioning of test 3D objects in the x‐ray beam in a precise and re-peatable fashion.
Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
Printed scaffolds can serve as cellular systems or as delivery vehicles for cells and drug in cell and tissue regeneration.
Dental Applications
Additive Manufacturing technologies enable the fabrication of numerous products, especially for dental restoration and treatment, such as preoperative implants, medical devices, dental tools, surgical guides and bridges.