Many people have heard the story of Mr. Stubbs, the tailless alligator that got a new tail (and a new lease on life) through the wonders of 3D printing.
medical
Does Carbon’s New Material Suggest a Change in Direction?
Carbon announced a new material this week, as they often do, but this one is a bit different.
Bioprinting Breakthrough with 3D Printed Lung Component
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are developing a 3D printed lung, with some interesting implications.
Has Rize Found Their Market?
I’m reading a white paper from Rize about using their equipment for medical uses, and perhaps they are on to something here.
Book of the Week: 3D Bioprinting and Nanotechnology in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
This week’s selection is “3D Bioprinting and Nanotechnology in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine” by Lijie Grace Zhang, John P Fisher, and Kam Leong.
3D Printed Placenta Poised to Help Explain Organ Development
European researchers have 3D printed a simplified, organic model of the human placenta, and hope to use it for studying the organ’s development.
Book of the Week: 3D Printing in Medicine
This week’s selection is the detailed “3D Printing In Medicine” by author Deepak M Kalaskar.
Could a “Medically Clean” 3D Printer Be Coming Soon?
I’m looking at a new German startup company that hopes to develop a kind of medically-focused 3D printer.
3D Systems’ Medical Journey Deepens
3D Systems seems to be building a bit of an ecosystem surrounding their medical venture.
Newcastle Scientists Just Created the World’s First 3D-Printed Cornea
Sufferers of corneal blindness due to burns, diseases, and other misfortunes can see the light once again
3D Printed Tourniquets: A Signal of Future 3D Print Use?
An incredible story with a 3D printing angle took place last week.
nScrypt Demonstrates Ability to 3D Print Embedded Sensors for Medical Devices
nScrypt, a manufacturer of industrial 3D printers and bioprinting tools, has announced the ability to 3D print medical implants with embedded circuits and sensors.
Biodegradable 3D Printed Bone Implants
Bioprinters are typically used to 3D print soft tissue, but what about bones?
They Are 3D Printing Embyros Now, Apparently
I’m reading a puzzling story on UK’s Daily Mirror that describes a company 3D printing embryo replicas.
A Case of Using 3D Printers for a Completely Different Purpose
Sintratec published an interesting story of how one of their clients has been using their 3D printer in a very different manner.
3D Printed Healthcare Applications with Stratasys, Part 2
We spoke at length with Stratasys’ Director of Marketing for Healthcare Solutions, Michael Gaisford.
3D Printed Healthcare Applications with Stratasys, Part 1
We spoke at length with Stratasys’s Director of Marketing for Heathcare Solutions, Michael Gaisford.
Stratasys’ Prosthetic Venture
Stratasys announced a new partnership to help develop a fantastic 3D printed prosthetic, and it’s quite different from other ventures.
The Rise of Specialized 3D Print Exhibitions
I’m fascinated with the evolution of how 3D printing technology is presented to the public.
3D-Printed Meds: Better Living Through Chemistry or 3D Printing Novelty?
Leroy Cronin brought media attention to the concept of 3D-printed medications with a 2013 TED Talk discussing the topic.
6 Latest 3D Printing Advancements in the Healthcare Domain
Technology has always been an inseparable part of the healthcare sector.
3D Bioprinters Are the Latest in a Line of Medical 3D Printers
3D printers have quickly changed from new technology to manufacturing miracle to household toy — you don’t need much more than a printer and a computer to create amazing 3D items from plastic, metal or even glass.
Stratasys Accelerates Multi-material Strategy
An interesting announcement today reveals more about Stratasys’ strategies.
A New 3D Printing Application – With A New Material: Fish Scales
I’ve seen a lot of very weird materials used for 3D printing, but never fish scales.
3D Printed Body Piercing Project Suggests Future Human Augmentation
A bioprinting project hopes to enable a new world of biodegradable human implants.
3D Systems Provides Certification Program for Medical Clients
Healthcare has been a huge focus for 3D Systems recently, and they’ve boosted it with the announcement of a new certification program.
Something Interesting Happening for 3D Print in India
A very large medical device development center is being set up in India, with 3D printing taking a big place in the venture.
What is a 510(k) Clearance and Why do 3D Print Companies Need it?
Occasionally I will see companies announce they’ve received a “501(k) clearance”. What is that and why is it important?
Industry Insider Jenny Chen on Healthcare 3D Printing
Jenny Chen is the founder of 3DHEALS, an organization focusing on building collaborations in Healthcare 3D Printing and bioprinting through events, educational programs, and online media.
Johnson & Johnson Develops 3D-Printed Patient-Specific Surgical Tools
Last year, ENGINEERING.com had the opportunity to speak with Johnson & Johnson
3D Printed Baby Model with Functional Organs May Help Doctors Save Infant Lives
Performing surgery isn’t a perfect science, and even doctors need to practice their skills, especially when it comes to children.
Crazy 3D Idea of the Week: 3D Quality Control System
I’m reading a piece describing a 3D tracking system that’s being used for assisting delicate medical procedures and had an idea of how to apply something similar to 3D printing.
Precision Health Care Driven by 3D Systems’ Medical 3D Printing
In a world of exploding smartphones, fictional augmented reality (AR) glasses and government spying, one might wonder whether or not new technology really advances the human predicament or if it just allows a few executives to score some extra dough here and there.
Diabetes Effects Resolved with 3D Printing – And More?
Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute have developed a 3D printing technique to assist diabetes patients, but could this be a new category of application?
NASA’s Medical 3D Printing Challenge
NASA has announced another 3D printing challenge, this time for K-12 students to develop medical technology for use on a potential Mars voyage.
3D Printer to Cure Baldness? Wut?
What? You can 3D print hair to cure baldness? Can this possibly be real?
Johnson & Johnson Adopts Cutting Edge 3D Printing for the Future of Medical Devices
Healthcare is one of the industries to most dramatically see changes occur due to the use of 3D printing technology.
BioPrinting Breakthrough in Ireland
Researchers at Trinity College in Dublin have worked out a new process for 3D printing live, complex bone structures.
Jenny Chen – “We Believe That People, And Not Technology, Are The Driving Force Behind Technological Revolution”
Jenny Chen is the mind behind 3DHeals. One of the goals of 3DHeals is to educate the community about applications and innovations using 3D Printing in the healthcare industry.
Two Interesting 3D Print Technologies Under Development
I recently encountered a couple of fascinating research projects that are both attempting to develop powerful new 3D printing technologies.
See, 3D Printing is Definitely Not Dead
In spite of the stream of ridiculous mainstream media posts on the “death of 3D printing”, there are plenty of good news stories, too. Here’s two.
Questions Raised Over Home-3D Printed Wrist Brace
Two questions came to mind when I saw reports of a home-3D printed brace to support a broken wrist.
WASP’s Diverse 3D Printing Ventures
Italy-based WASP’s medical arm has developed an orthopedic corset, demonstrating the company’s shift towards 3D print applications.
New 3D Printing Application Developed: Ankle Foot Orthosis
A project using 3D Platform equipment has successfully developed an interesting new 3D printing application: custom fit ankle foot orthosis, or “AFO”s.
MEDICREA’s Real Time Spinal Support Team
A lab service assists physicians in real-time to prepare implantable spinal rods, demonstrating how 3D printing must get much closer to application areas.
Prosthetic Limbs: 3D Printing for Athletes with Disabilities
3D printing is helping many individuals to lead fulfilling lives through their use of prosthetics.
3D Systems’ Latest Announcement Confirms Shift To Medical Applications
3D Systems announced the opening of a new center of excellence dedicated to 3D healthcare.
Materialise Hopes To Open Path To Increased 3D Printing In Hospitals
Belgium-based Materialise announced new software that should enable medical professionals to make significantly greater use of 3D printing technologies.
Unique Method of 3D Printing Bone Joints
Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada have developed a method of 3D printing custom, bio-absorbable bone joints.
Stratasys’s 3D Technology Helps Perform Medical Miracle on 5-Year-Old
The most impactful use of 3D technology in the real world comes from the medical field.
China Set for 3D Printed Hip Joint Mass Production, and The West May Suffer For It
China’s State Food and Drug Administration recently approved use of 3D printed artificial hip joints, opening up the possibility of mass production. And some other effects, too.
YouBionic’s Fascinating 3D Printed Bionic Hand
An Italian company is developing a highly capable 3D printing replacement prosthetic hand.
3D Printed Skull Transplant?
A report from China News Service describes how a three-year old received a new 3D printed skull.
Man 3D Prints His Own Brain Tumor To Demonstrate Possibilities
Steven Keating can say something few others can say: he’s 3D printed a model of his own brain tumor.
Magic Arms Liberates Children With 3D Printed Limbs
A company has developed a solution for children with chronically weak arms and shoulders using 3D printed components.
DJ Needs Your Help To 3D Print a New Foot
It’s a headline that would not have made any sense a few decades ago, but it’s true: a DJ needs a new 3D printed foot.
3D Printing Gives Derby the Dog a New Lease on Life
3D Systems has announced that it has successfully outfitted Derby the dog with 3D printed prosthetics, allowing him to run down the street for the first time ever.
Oganovo Announces World’s First Commercially Available 3D Printed Liver Tissue
Organovo has announced the full commercial release of the exVive3DTM Human Liver Tissue for preclinical drug discovery testing.
New Technique Could Enable 3D Printed Contact Lenses
Researchers at Princeton University have developed a technique for 3D printing multiple materials that could prove quite interesting.
UCF, Stratasys Create Life-Changing Prosthetic Arm
University of Central Florida (UCF) engineering students have developed a robotic arm for 6-year-old Alex Pring, using a Dimension Elite 3D Printer by Stratasys.
MIT Engineer Prints Houses and Nanoscale Medical Devices
When an aspiring mechanical engineer on a budget wants a top-of-the-line guitar, what does he do? He makes it himself, of course.
Medical 3D Printing Set to Explode
We’re reading two different reports on use of 3D printing for medical uses.
3D Print Your Brain
It’s now possible to obtain a 3D printed model of your own brain.
Uformia’s Dynamic Corset
Uformia’s shape-changing 3D service has a new capability: body matching.
3D Printing Creates the World’s First Replacement Knee Joint in a Cat
It’s the kind of diagnosis you dread. When Cyrano developed bone cancer in his left hind leg, his owners wanted to get him the best treatment possible to bring him back to full health.
Cerebral Aneurysms Analyzed with 3D Printing
Industrial 3D printer manufacturer Solidscape’s equipment is being used to simulate the blood flow of cerebral aneurysms.
Desirable Facial Prosthetics
A New Zealand designer has created a way to develop highly personalized 3D printed prosthetic noses.
3D Printing Replaces Cadavers
Medical students have learned anatomy and practiced surgery using cadavers for centuries. Now that doesn’t always have to be the case.
Unyq’s Unique 3D Printed Fairings
We’re checking out a new business that supplies prosthetic fairings using 3D printing tech: Unyq.
Windform Used to Build Generative Orthotics
In conjunction with MHOX Design, CRP Group has created bespoke orthosis to correct misaligned limbs.
Cheap 3D Printed Lens Could Help Detect Disease
Researchers at the Australian National University have created an inexpensive 3D printed lens that can attach to a smartphone and detect some skin diseases.
There’s a Lot More to Natasha’s 3D Printed Leg
We have obtained more details of the sequence of events that led to Natasha Hope-Simpson gaining a custom-designed 3D printed prosthetic leg.
3D Printing and Nanosensor Technology for Early Stage Disease Detection
Detection strategies based on nanowire offer a promising new route towards rapidly detecting diseases such as cancer. I recently reported on the successfully integration of 3D printed components with nanosensor technology in the medical journal, Point-of-Care.
3D Systems Acquires Medical Modeling
3D printing giant 3D Systems announced it’s acquired Medical Modeling, Inc., a provider of custom medical products.
Woman Receives 3D Printed Cranial Implant
For the past few years 3D printing has been making news in the world of medicine. From bioprinting sample organs for drug testing to creating custom prosthetics, additive manufacturing and 3D scanning are revolutionizing medicine.
Woman Helps Design Own 3D Printed Leg
A Nova Scotia woman involved in a terrible car accident has done something few could imagine years ago: designing a replacement limb.
Harvard Researchers Print Functional Heart Tissue
In a report delivered to the American Chemical Society, Harvard researchers state they’ve created a printed tissue that mimics natural heart muscle – working in a petri dish and when implanted in animals.
3D Printed Heart Membrane
Researchers have developed a way to use 3D printing to create an implantable custom-fit heart membrane.
Rehabilitating Lame Horses With 3D Printing
Readers may recall a story we did late last year in which custom titanium horseshoes were 3D printed for race horses in Australia. It turns out that this development was noted by Australian veterinarians treating horses afflicted with Laminitis, an inflammation in the area between the horse’s hoof and bone. The idea was to… Continue reading Rehabilitating Lame Horses With 3D Printing
3D Printed Skulls Help Teach Future Brain Surgeons
Brain surgery is notoriously difficult with surgeons spending years honing their craft. Given the need for more hands-on practice performing surgical operations, researchers at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur have created a 3D printed skull that can provide just that. Using scans of each layer of the human skull, Vicknes Waran, professor… Continue reading 3D Printed Skulls Help Teach Future Brain Surgeons
The 3D Printed Robot Heart Powered by Urine
Researchers in the UK have created a 3D printed robotic heart that uses urine as its fuel source. While many might be repulsed by the idea of a heart that pumps urine, have no fear – the robotic heart is designed for use in robots, not humans. In a paper published in the… Continue reading The 3D Printed Robot Heart Powered by Urine
3D Printed Bacterial Cages
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a new technique for studying bacterial growth through an ingenious use of 3D print technology. The issue being solved is the study of bacterial growth. Present techniques involve petri dishes and similar vessels that, compared to a bacteria, are utterly massive. It is difficult… Continue reading 3D Printed Bacterial Cages
3D Systems Launches 3D Anatomical Service
3D printing giant 3D Systems announced the launch of their new Bespoke Modeling service. It’s a 3D model repository and sharing service, much like others that have emerged in recent years, but there’s a big difference here: this repository is focused on the medical industry. Why the medical industry? Because there’s an increasing amount… Continue reading 3D Systems Launches 3D Anatomical Service
3D Printing Helps the Blind See
3D Print UK reports they’ve been working on a special project that has been able to provide limited sight to the vision impaired. The concept is to simplify the visual field by displaying a coarse set of pixels on the inside lenses of a pair of prototyped glasses, done, of course, with 3D printing.… Continue reading 3D Printing Helps the Blind See
The State of Medical 3D Printing
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… Continue reading The State of Medical 3D Printing
3D Printing Spinal Implants
A new era of orthopedic surgery is taking shape at Peking University. Armed with an Electron Beam Melting (EBM) 3D printer, doctors are able to create titanium implants that fit perfectly with a patient’s body. Over the course of the last four years, Dr. Liu Zhongjun has been using EBM 3D printing to develop new… Continue reading 3D Printing Spinal Implants
The Perfect Cast is 3D Printed
Designer Jake Evill has done something good. Something truly amazing that could change the future. He’s produced a custom-fit 3D printed exoskeleton piece that can be used as a cast for broken limbs. The “Cortex” cast is a sparse model that perfectly fits the exterior shape of the limb, while providing adequate support for… Continue reading The Perfect Cast is 3D Printed
Organovo 3D Prints a Human Liver
In a video report on CBC, Organovo CEO Keith Murphy describes his company’s latest achievement: 3D bioprinting portions of a human liver. Even more amazing is that the liver cells actually exhibit partial function. Murphy says: “Today we can print tiny parts of these organs… About half a millimeter to a millimeter thick”.… Continue reading Organovo 3D Prints a Human Liver
Princeton Scientists Create Bionic Ear
One of the most difficult parts of integrating electronics with biological tissue is getting the numerous tissues and materials to meld. At a lab in Princeton, New Jersey scientists are making progress on this effort using 3D printing. According to Michael McAlpine, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton, “In general,… Continue reading Princeton Scientists Create Bionic Ear
Midas Touch Helps Blind “See”
A group at Harvard is hoping their Midas Touch project will enable blind people to appreciate art. The project will convert 2D artwork, such as a painting, into a 3D shape. The 3D shape can then be explored with touch by the blind to gain an understanding of that piece. At this point the… Continue reading Midas Touch Helps Blind “See”
How 3D Printing Saved His Face
Eric Moger of the UK recovered from surgery to remove a tennis ball-sized tumor from under this skin of the left side of his face. Unfortunately, a large portion of his face had to be removed during the surgery, rendering him significantly disfigured. All was not lost for Moger, as technicians were able to… Continue reading How 3D Printing Saved His Face
Real 3D Printed Ears. No, Really!
It’s always a thrill to see an object emerge from a 3D printer. The object, previously visible only as an intangible digital model displayed poorly on a 2D screen is suddenly in your hand. But imagine the thrill if that object being printed was intended to literally be part of you. That’s precisely… Continue reading Real 3D Printed Ears. No, Really!
3D Printed Human Replacement Parts Approved
Oxford Performance Materials announced that it’s finally received US Food and Drug Administration clearance for their OsteoFab™ Patient Specific Cranial Device. This is a 3D printed medical implant designed to replace missing bone structures. The advantage of this approach, is of course that the replacement parts can precisely match the missing elements. Extreme personalization,… Continue reading 3D Printed Human Replacement Parts Approved
3D Printing For the Hearing Impaired
One of 3D printings greatest strengths is its ability to make customized, one-off products on the fly. In a traditional manufacturing paradigm, creating customizable products is an expensive if not impossible affair. So it should come as no surprise that the medical industry has been dramatically impacted by 3D printing. While not technically a… Continue reading 3D Printing For the Hearing Impaired
Would You 3D Print Your Foetus?
We all know what happens to 3D data: a 3D print emerges soon afterwards. Now a Japanese company has taken 3D information from a medical scanner to enable the production of 3D prints of an unborn foetus. The process involves a 3D scan of the pregnant customer to capture the required 3D information, including… Continue reading Would You 3D Print Your Foetus?