3D Printing in Medicine Technology today has come so far and is progressively advancing for tremendous changes in the healthcare fields. These changes will not only save lives, but will give patients quicker, cheaper, and more precise care in many aspects. A new cutting edge technology available today in medicine is 3D printers with computer aided drafting software to create designs that can actually mold medical devices and parts for patient care. Even though 3D printing was invented in the 1980s, new software and technology had emerged from this mechanism and is allowing breakthroughs in many areas in the health field industry. "Medical devices produced by 3D printing include orthopedic and cranial implants, surgical instruments, dental
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They have the capacity to print medical devices with complex geometry or features that match a patient’s unique anatomy" (fda).The way these printers work is mesmerizing. There are currently seven different types of 3D printers, but all of them work along the same guidelines and have close to the same abilities. Once the blueprint is created and the printer is programmed, materials such as metal or a plastic substance is poured onto a platform. Lasers or electronic beams melt the material and fuse the layer to the previous one. This allows for the object being printed to have the layers needed to make such distinct anatomical parts. The material being used depends on the medical necessity for the piece being made. This technology had already been producing devices to guide physicians in surgical encounters, but when a part was produced that saved a baby it took 3D printing to a whole new …show more content…
Without the wait time for certain medical requirements, successful implants and surgeries, and patient recovery time will be drastically reduced by made to-order implants, surgical tools, and fixtures. Medical devices, specialized instruments, splints, casts, and many other items needed for patient care will no longer need to be ordered, instead they can be created instantaneously. Most products can be customized and printed within minutes to just a few hours. On top of time efficiency, the decrease in cost is another major advantage of 3D
They have the capacity to print medical devices with complex geometry or features that match a patient’s unique anatomy" (fda).The way these printers work is mesmerizing. There are currently seven different types of 3D printers, but all of them work along the same guidelines and have close to the same abilities. Once the blueprint is created and the printer is programmed, materials such as metal or a plastic substance is poured onto a platform. Lasers or electronic beams melt the material and fuse the layer to the previous one. This allows for the object being printed to have the layers needed to make such distinct anatomical parts. The material being used depends on the medical necessity for the piece being made. This technology had already been producing devices to guide physicians in surgical encounters, but when a part was produced that saved a baby it took 3D printing to a whole new …show more content…
Without the wait time for certain medical requirements, successful implants and surgeries, and patient recovery time will be drastically reduced by made to-order implants, surgical tools, and fixtures. Medical devices, specialized instruments, splints, casts, and many other items needed for patient care will no longer need to be ordered, instead they can be created instantaneously. Most products can be customized and printed within minutes to just a few hours. On top of time efficiency, the decrease in cost is another major advantage of 3D