Ryan Tse '23
Whenever you hear the word “technology,” what are some of the things that come to mind? Perhaps a phrase that manifests itself is “3D printing.” 3D printing is something that almost everyone has heard about: the seemingly magical machine that can make anything out of nothing. One of the most iconic technologies of our time, 3D printing has rapidly developed, and has become far more ubiquitous in contemporary society; from industrial factories to our EFX lab at Hotchkiss. Whenever there is a need for engineering, 3D printing has presented itself as an integral component. The medical industry is no exception. This industry has not only been able to incorporate the simplest 3D printing applications into a medical context but has even developed completely new techniques and ways that the versatile technology can be used. From simple to exceedingly complex, there are various ways in which 3D printing is revolutionizing the medical field.
Starting with the most simple yet powerful elements of 3D printing is its ease in designing and modifying, accessibility in prototyping, and efficiency in producing detailed objects. One medical application of 3D printing that takes full advantage of this aspect of the technology is in the production of surgical tools, such as forceps or scalpel handles. Something that 3D printing is very good at is printing accurate and sturdy objects, which are perfect for these non-invasive tools. Furthermore, by being able to rapidly produce new surgical tools almost on-demand, institutions can make sure that their tools will always be sterilized, as they basically will always be brand-new. This idea of print-on-demand models also minimizes the amount of waste produced, as surgeons can efficiently print the exact amount of tools that they need for a specific procedure, rather than buying pre-made tools in bulk. Finally, aside from efficiency, 3D printing allows models to continuously and quickly evolve in design (through digital computer-aided design) based on surgeon-specific feedback. Thus, surgeons will be able to create and use tools tailored specifically to their characteristics/preferences (eg. right or left-handedness), and tools can be further optimized for specific operation techniques, streamlining the tools innovation process as a whole. A potential optimization opportunity for surgical tools is to utilize the precision of 3D printing technology to create even smaller tools for working in cramped areas that are incompatible with larger, traditional tools.
Apart from creating simple tools, many medical institutions have taken advantage of the detail and accuracy that 3D printing provides to print more complicated objects, such as medical phantoms. A medical phantom is essentially a printed substitution of tissues or organs that allows medical professionals to practice various surgical procedures without having to work on a living human. Furthermore, the accuracy of medical phantoms extends beyond just looks; when it comes to creating medical phantoms, 3D printing techniques can utilize materials that are resemblant to actual human tissue to further mimic actual tissues and organs. Professionals can not only create anatomically accurate models, but in conjunction with current medical imaging systems (such as MRIs or CT scans) they can also print out models of specific patients, allowing them to repeatedly practice in scenarios completely identical to the actual surgery. Using 3D printing as a pre-operational practice tool allows surgeons to familiarize themselves with each case, and maximize success.
Even though 3D printing has benefitted the professional side of the medical field, it has also been able to aid the patients themselves. Enter 3D printed prosthetics. Since the first 3D printed prosthetic hand was created by the e-NABLE movement, 3D printed prosthetic limbs have proven to be much more cost-effective than the traditional casting method. This has allowed for prosthetics to be introduced to a wider audience, such as those in developing countries who previously were not able to afford traditional prosthetics. Furthermore, because 3D printed prosthetics are cheap, quick to manufacture, and are tailored to the individual, growing children can especially benefit from these prosthetics. In addition to external prosthetics, orthopedic and dental implants have also been able to benefit from 3D printing. Once again by using 3D printing technology with current medical imaging techniques, professionals can create patient-specific implants thanks to the added level of precision and complexity that 3D printing provides.
Even though all of the aforementioned applications of 3D printing have been proven to be useful and effective in helping to lower the costs and increase the efficiency of medical procedures, there is still another field that 3D printing may help revolutionize: regenerative medicine/tissue engineering. Regenerative medicine is the medical field that works with state-of-the-art techniques such as stem cells and tissue engineering to create artificial organs. Another one of these technologies is bioprinting, which is 3D printing with a special material known as bioink. There are many different types of bioprints, but they are all just variations of two simple factors: actual living cells and a “carrier material,” which envelopes the cells and gives the bioink its structure. The carrier material is usually a biopolymer gel, which gives a structured environment for the cells to attach and thrive on.
Due to the fundamental versatility of bioprinting, there is minimal restriction as to what kind of cells are contained in the bioink. As a result, cells of almost any part of the body can be “printed” and cultivated, such as stem cells from cartilage, bone, the heart, or even the brain. When the cells are printed out, they work together to form what is known as an organoid—a miniature version of an organ. The tissues and organelles created through bioprinting can then be used to perform medical trials and research for drugs, treatments, or diseases that would normally require human subjects, which saves a lot of time and resources. In addition to simple research, further innovations in bioprinting could potentially realize the creation of functional human organs, which could alleviate the current demand for organ donors. Furthermore, using 3D-printed organs for transplantation is much more effective and safe than traditional donor transplants because organs can be engineered to perfectly fit into the patient's system, with minimal complications.
Though 3D printing has shown promise in various aspects of the medical field, it is continuing to develop, and there are currently a few drawbacks. Firstly, there is a major limitation in the materials that can be used for 3D printing. Though there are a few materials that have proven useful in medical applications, not all plastic or other materials are compatible with 3D printing (as their physical properties may not allow the machine to effectively control them). Furthermore, the process in which a material has to go through to be certified for use by the FDA is lengthy, and so the development of new materials is rather slow. In addition to a small material pool, 3D technology is not currently capable of multi-material printing, which is crucial in composite products such as some prosthetics. Moreover, 3D printing, in many cases, is still slightly inconsistent in quality. Even though conceptually, the technology itself is capable of creating structures with unparalleled detail, the printers themselves still suffer from mechanical inconsistencies, lowering the quality of the products. Furthermore, even if products are printed out following the specifications perfectly, the post-production processing is very time-consuming, as the products will need to have their support materials removed and their forms smoothed. This can slow down the 3D printing process, weakening one of its greatest strengths. Despite all of these disadvantages, it is important to remember that 3D printing is still in its very early stages, and should the current trend of rapid development continue, these drawbacks can be easily overcome. There is little doubt that 3D printing will help guide the future of the medical field.