- 3D printed wheelchair Hand Drive is an affordable replacement to expensive lever-powered wheelchairs (3ders.org)
August 26, 2015
Time and time again, one of the most exciting developments that we’ve been seeing with 3D printing has been in disrupting traditionally manufactured products with products that users are capable of manufacturing on their own for much cheaper than what they would otherwise retail for. Among other reasons, this dramatically brings the cost of goods down since there is little overhead in terms of marketing, shipping and the cost of manufacturing the parts through traditional processes.
- 5-Year-Old Throws Orioles Opening Pitch with 3D Printed Prosthetic Hand (3dprintingindustry.com)
August 19, 2015
Printed prosthetics are getting more and more mainstream attention. And how could they not? They usually involve young kids finally obtaining much-desired, custom prosthetics, manufactured for a fraction of the price of one-size-fits-all models produced by the medical industry. And, because they’re custom-made, more and more kids are getting prosthetics that fit their personalities, as well as their bodies. The most recent story to catch the world’s attention is that of five-year-old Hailey Dawson, who threw the opening pitch at the Baltimore Orioles game this week.
- e-NABLE & 3DPrinterOS Set Out to 3D Print 1,000 Prosthetics Worldwide (3dprintingindustry.com)
August 14, 2015
e-NABLE, the organization behind the original 3D printed prosthetic hand, is reaching out to the 3D printing community to crowdsource the largest donation of 3D printed hands ever in order to meet requests for over 1,000 hands from all over the world. e-NABLE is, thus, teaming up with 3DPrinterOS and Universities and organizations, such as Florida State, Purdue, Duke, Mind-to-Matter and Fargo 3D, to 3D print as many hands as possible.
- Russian Pres. Medvedev Praises International Collaborations on 3D Bioprinting (3dprintingindustry.com)
August 7, 2015
Skolkovo-based 3D Bioprinting Solutions has made headlines lately in the 3D bioprinting arena for its FABION bioprinter and the stated objective of creating implantable, bioficial human organs. I had a chance to interview the laboratory’s founder, Alexander Ostrovsky, and he confirmed that their work is based on an international collaboration involving several top researchers worldwide.
- Massachusetts hen Cicely to receive $2500 3D printed prosthetic leg this week (3ders.org)
August 4, 2015
We’ve already known for a while that 3D printing is a perfect technology for making arm and hand prostheses in all shapes and sizes. But who says only humans should benefit from this exciting technology? Fortunately, more and more animals who have lost limbs are also benefitting from 3D printing, like Hobbes the three-legged dog. However, one chicken from Massachusetts called Cicely is about to get a treatment much more luxurious than something 3D printed on a desktop 3D printer: a $2,500 prosthetic limb.
- Selective laser melting used to create 3D printed medical implants (3ders.org)
July 30, 2015
As we continue to see both the emergence of new additive manufacturing processes as well as an increased adoption rate of additive manufacturing in various industries, we’re also starting to see cases of where these two movements converge to create unique solutions for industry-specific applications.
- Fred the tortoise in Brazil receives a 3D printed replacement shell after original is destroyed in fire (3ders.org)
July 27, 2015
Modern technologies have opened the door for a new era of veterinary medicine, according to a dedicated team of animal-lovers in Santos, São Paulo, who recently used 3D printing technology to save a tortoise’s life. The team, consisting of a veterinary surgeon, a dentist, and a graphic designer, spent three months designing and printing an entirely 3D printed prosthetic as a complete replacement for the original.
- Oxford Performance Materials receives FDA clearance for 3D printed spinal implant system (3ders.org)
July 23, 2015
While we’ve seen just how much of an impact additive manufacturing has had on the medical industry - such as creating 1:1 model replicas of anatomical features for medical professionals in advance of a surgical procedure - a new generation of 3D printing materials and technologies are increasingly being approved for implanting into the human body.
- 3DNA Printing: Researchers Program DNA to Automatically Fold into 3D Objects (3dprintingindustry.com)
July 22, 2015
If physics is a printer management software and the Universe is the printer, you might say that creation itself is the act of 3D printing. Would that make DNA the gCode with which organisms are created? Perhaps the analogy is a messy one, but the ability to configure DNA into 3D structures could yield fantastic results in the fields of medicine, bioengineering, electronics and more. In a study published in Nature, Björn Högberg and his team outline significant progress in the technique of DNA origami that has sees them able to automatically create 3D structures from DNA.
- Design engineers 3D printing world's first public domain medical grade myoelectric prosthesis (3ders.org)
July 21, 2015
Although we’ve previously seen just how much of an impact 3D printing can have in the design, development and ultimately, production of low-cost prosthetic devices, a new generation of designers, makers and engineers are committed to raising the bar and have been actively developing highly-advanced robotic prosthetics that are capable of intelligently assisting a wearer with common limb movements.
- Doctors use 3D printing to save boy with severely deformed legs & Porcelain Doll condition (3ders.org)
August 26, 2015
Although we’ve previously seen hundreds of examples of how 3D printing has dramatically revolutionized some surgical processes, doctors are still finding new ways of using additive manufacturing technologies to find solutions with a myriad of surgical procedures.
- Naked Prosthetics Encourages Amputees to Regain Function with 3D Printed Finger Prosthetics (3dprint.com)
August 17, 2015
Most of us know someone who has lost a finger, usually in some sort of workshop or work-related accident. With the advent of modern medical devices, and especially by way of new startups like Naked Prosthetics, today a lost finger can almost become an excuse for a new statement of personal style–and is certainly no longer any reason for stigma or embarrassment, signified by the Naked name, which encourages amputees to own their disabilities and enjoy the style and incredible function afforded by their 3D printed prosthetics.
- 11 Companies Leading the 3D Bioprinting Space (3dprint.com)
August 13, 2015
Undoubtedly one of the most exciting areas within the 3D printing space is that of bioprinting. Using layer-by-layer fabrication methods, a number of companies are in the process of pushing forward a new paradigm shift within the medical implant, transplantation, and surgical spaces. While the media has mainly focused on Organovo, the company behind the world’s first 3D printable liver tissue, there are actually several other companies involved in this incredible space. Here are 3DPrint.com we thought it would be helpful to underline just a handful of those companies that may be about to change medicine as we know it.
- 9-year-old Chinese girl gets new ear with aid of a 3D printer (3ders.org)
August 6, 2015
While we’ve seen just how powerful 3D printing can be in aiding doctors during a surgical process, we’re still yet to see the full spectrum of what’s possible. When considering how many different parts there are in the human body, it’s clear that nearly anything is possible and there’s still a lot of unknown territory left to explore. More recently, doctors in China used 3D printing to aid in the surgery of a young 9-year-old girl who underwent surgery to repair a deformed ear.
- FDA approves first 3D printed prescription drug, a dissolvable tablet that treats seizures (3ders.org)
August 4, 2015
While we’ve seen a lot of interesting 3D printed medical applications appear in surgery rooms already – think about 3D printed titanium implants or plastic replicas of organs – most 3D bioprinted innovations will easily take years before reaching patients. However, one New Jersey-based Farmaceutical company called Aprecia is hard at work pioneering another 3D printed medical application: 3D printed pills that can be taken orally. What’s more, Aprecia have just been awarded FDA approval for the first of 3D printed drug of its kind, the epilepsy drug Spritam.
- Using the Power of Makers and 3D Printing to Help Veterans (3dprint.com)
July 29, 2015
The Prosthetics and Assistive Technology Challenge series event will take place July 28-29 in Richmond, Virginia, and the two-day event gives designers from the general public the opportunity to transform lives by improving the quality of life for veterans through the creation of personalized, tailored 3D printed devices.
- Osteo3D Opens Marketplace for 3D Printable Medical Models from Real Patient Data (3dprintingindustry.com)
July 24, 2015
There are many companies dedicated to improving the use of 3D printing in the medical sector, and one of them Osteo3D, just released an amazing online repository of medical 3D models. Of course, patient information is private, so some of the “live models” have been made anonymous. But there are now over 100 3D models available to doctors and other registered medical professionals online, which allows them t0 compare their own patient’s 3D files with Osteo3D models. In fact, they can 3D print these models at home or wherever they have access to a 3D printer
- 3D printed model aids in precision spinal canal stenosis surgery on 81-year-old Chinese man (3ders.org)
July 23, 2015
While 3D printed medical applications are slowly invading hospitals all over the globe, a remarkable number of Chinese surgeons are quickly adopting this fantastic technology. Just last week, we saw how a young Chinese child received a titanium skull implant. But now doctors from the Affiliated Union Hospital of Fujian Medical University remind us that 3D printing isn’t applicable to the young. For earlier this week, they relied on 3D printed surgical models to ensure that an eighty-year-old man successfully underwent a precision spinal canal stenosis surgery in that hospital in Fuzhou.
- Australian cardiologists turn to 3D printing to fine-tune heart surgery procedure (3ders.org)
July 21, 2015
It’s no secret that 3D printing has helped revolutionize the medical and healthcare industry thanks to the ability to create customized manufacturable solutions for a wide variety of ailments - yet it seems like each week we’re presented with entirely new ways of harnessing the technology - which leads us to believe that we’re only barely scratching the surface of what’s possible.
- Colorado doctors begin using 3D printing for treating unborn babies with abnormalities (3ders.org)
July 16, 2015
Not very long along ago, we could go days - weeks even - without hearing about the use of additive manufacturing in the medical industry. These days however, we are learning new ways of how medical professionals are learning how to leverage the technology to their benefit multiple times per day. Thankfully, these developments not only translate to more effective surgical procedures, but also lower costs and faster recover times.
- A 3D Printed Beak Saves This Toucan’s Life (3dprint.com)
August 20, 2015
It was just a couple of days ago that we reported on an amazing story in which a white pelican recieved a 3D printed beak. This wasn’t the first case of an animal given a second chance on life, thanks to 3D printing, and it certainly won’t be the last.
- Top 10 Bioprinters (3dprintingindustry.com)
August 17, 2015
Here we are again with our Top 10 lists of 3D printers. This time we ventured into the exceedingly complex world of 3D bioprinting. Most commercially available 3D bioprinters are based on proprietary version of basic syringe/pressure-based extrusion of both paste-like polymeric substances and hydrogels (also known as bioinks in certain cases) which are basically gel-like substances which contain high quantities of water and living cells. There are several variations and alternatives but not always these are made public by the companies behind them (so much for open source).
- 2nd RoboTurtle Emerges: Boris the Tortoise Revived with 3D Printing (3dprintingindustry.com)
August 11, 2015
Animals are no strangers to the medical advancements of 3D printing. More and more creatures, from wild eagles to pet dogs, are receiving custom 3D printed medical devices, while similar stories occur with humans around the world. And, as these stories continue to sprout up, they spread the knowledge of just what’s possible with 3D printing. Most recently, when a Greek tortoise belonging to a Colorado couple faced a life-threatening injury, the couple knew just where to turn. Inspired by the RoboTurtle story that 3D Printing Industry broke back in May, Amanda and Cody sought out the help of local 3D printing chain The 3D Printer Store.
- UK Baby:Boo lets expectant parents hold 3D printed figures of children before birth (3ders.org)
August 5, 2015
Between the ability to create a replica of an infant’s heart in order to better understand and assess a condition before a surgical procedure, to the ability to recreate a hip that has deteriorated due to bone disease, it’s clear that within the past few years, 3D printing has helped surgeons in ways that have never before been possible. Now, a company from the UK wants to use a similar 3D scanning and printing process to allow expectant mothers and fathers the opportunity to hold their baby - before it’s even born.
- High School Student 3D Prints Voice-Controlled Robotic Arm (3dprint.com)
August 3, 2015
Irvine High School student Nilay Mehta knew that he wanted to work with prosthetics when he started his science fair project. When he began researching the field, he was struck by how costly prosthetic limbs are, so he set out to create a high-functioning limb for as little cost as possible.
- Materialise’s Personalized Surgery Tools Expand Even Further into EU & Switzerland (3dprintingindustry.com)
July 29, 2015
Lima Corporate, the Italian company that pioneered the development of 3D printed titanium trabecular implants, is partnering with Materialise, one of the leading providers of medical (and non-medical) 3D software and 3D printing services, to offer patient-specific, 3D printed surgical guides for partial knee implants.
- OpHeart Works to Mainstream the Use of 3D Printed Heart Models for Pediatric Surgeons (3dprint.com)
July 24, 2015
When Ariana Garcia was six weeks old, she suddenly stopped breathing. When she went limp in her father’s arms, her parents rushed her to the emergency room. They sat in the waiting room for hour after agonizing hour until finally a doctor could finally explain what was happening. Her mother, Anne Garcia, recalls that experience in great detail:
- German engineers develop 3D printed bionic hand with muscles made from smart wires (3ders.org)
July 23, 2015
While 3D printing has already proved itself in the field of mechanical hand prostheses with very basic or no functions, the field of bionics has proven more challenging. To be sure, there are a number of very promising ongoing projects out there (such as the British Open Bionics), but all reach the same obstacle: how do you make a bionic cheap, functional and lightweight at the same time? Well, it looks like a team of German engineers from Saarland University have come up with an ingenious solution: a bionic hand that relies on a bundle of smart wires and an electric charge instead of bulky motors and electronics.
- MEDPRIN 3D prints world first biological meningioma ReDura for use in brain surgery (3ders.org)
July 21, 2015
While 3D bioprinting innovations sound life-saving and revolutionary, most are still years away from impacting ordinary people in regular hospitals. However, one Chinese company is already implementing a bioprinted product on a large scale across the world. Called MEDPRIN, they have developed the world’s first 3D printed biological meningioma called ReDura – a replica of tissue covering the brain – and are already applying it in surgical rooms across the world.
- 38-year-old Chinese man receives 3D printed titanium mandible implant after being shot in the face (3ders.org)
July 16, 2015
It’s no secret that within the past year, 3D printing has exploded in the medical industry for a range of applications due to the ability to manufacture custom physical objects on demand at a low cost.