Viktorija Samarinaite of CGTrader has published a detailed overview of the current state of 3D printing as applied to the medical and biological fields. The long post covers a wide spectrum of recent 3D printing medical miracles, including 3D printed hearing aids, dental work, prosthetics, casts, bioprinting and more.
We’ve covered most of this material previously, but in this post you can see it all at once.
Our opinion? The medical field of 3D printing is embryonic at this time, although it likely will grow into a massive industry over time. Today the work being done with cells is largely experimental and not truly ready for production or commercialization, but such experiments must be done to learn what works and what doesn’t.
Meanwhile, we feel there’s a lot more success in the non-biological medical fields, where the 3D printed items are made of plastic or metal instead of living cells. Simpler, yes, but more useful and feasible with today’s 3D print tech. Personalized dental work and hearing aids are already a massive success and comprise a big chunk of revenue for large 3D printing companies. Other inventions, such as the 3D printing casts and personalized prosthetics may join them soon as major industries.
Via CGTrader
