The medical sector is one of the largest spaces where 3D printing operates, with continuing developments for implant customization, educational models, and drug manufacturing.
The topic has recently featured in an IDTechEx’s report titled: “3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing 2024-2034: Technology and Market Outlook”. The report explores the materials and processes best suited to specific applications of 3D printing.
3D printed implants
Surgical tools and instruments, intraoperative guides, preprocedural models, and educational models can all be created using 3D printing, alongside medical devices like hearing aids, braces, and prosthetics. 3D printing of implants, such as heart stents and heart valves, is one of the main medical applications for this technology.
This approach to creating implants enables customization of size, shape, and structure for an optimal fit.
High temperature thermoplastics, such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), are the main polymer types used across implant applications. The report also covers multiple case studies of 3D printing in medical settings. These include a hip replacement revision surgery, a canine cranial plate in titanium, hearing aids, and ventilator parts.
Biodegradable polymers like polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyglycolide (PGA) are also being explored for their potential success for temporary implants, around which tissue can regenerate. However, gaining U.S. FDA approval for these implants can prove difficult.
The report notes there is still quite a way to go before companies can expect widespread adoption.
3D printed educational models for higher surgical standards
Training medical students with educational models of humans, alongside preoperative models used for mimicking a patient’s anatomy, are two examples of how 3D printing plays a large role in surgical environments.
The benefits of using these models includes the elevation of both surgical standards and efficiency as a result of more care being taken in preparing for operations. Less post-operative complications could be seen as a result, while surgical precision may be improved with additional training possibilities.
The report lists vat polymerization and material jetting as being most beneficial for such applications, as they can achieve a higher resolution and smoother surfaces than with thermoplastic filament extrusion.
Pharmaceuticals and rapid drug manufacturing
The pharmaceutical industry could also benefit from developments in 3D printing, as pills could be manufactured using this technology. Polypills, excipients, nanosuspensions, and hydrogels have been manufactured using 3D printing technologies, potentially paving the way for further 3D printing of pharmaceuticals. The 3D printing process enables simplified and automated manufacturing, accompanied by the fast turnaround that is necessary in early research and developments stages.
Aging populations and the need for new drug delivery formats, rapid testing and prototyping, and personalized medicines are all drivers for 3D printing in pharmaceuticals. However, overcoming the regulation and investment hurdles required for this approach to become mainstream may prove tricky, with uncertainty present throughout the value chain and a lack of coordination between companies in this sector.
