Brent Wright, Licensed Prosthetist and Orthotist at EastPoint Prosthetics & Orthotics, experiences from Additive Manufacturing Methods (AMS) in New York the place the medical monitor delivered tales of 3D printing’s affect on the healthcare sector and emphasised the important function of training in driving higher adoption.
As somebody who makes use of additive manufacturing each day in healthcare, I used to be notably within the AMS medical monitor. The monitor didn’t disappoint. I am going to start with a narrative shared by Amy Alexander, a Biomedical Engineer from Mayo Clinic.
In 1915, the Mayo brothers, Drs. William and Charles Mayo, recognised that expert makers—craftsmen and engineers—performed an important function in advancing medication. On the Mayo Clinic, they collaborated with artisans who designed and constructed {custom} medical gadgets and devices, enhancing affected person care by tailoring options to particular challenges. This partnership set a precedent for integrating technical experience into healthcare, a follow that continues to evolve with trendy manufacturing applied sciences.
Alexander specialises in growing point-of-care options utilizing additive manufacturing. Her work focuses on creating 3D printed medical instruments and gadgets that clinicians can use instantly on the bedside or working room. She has additionally helped combine additive manufacturing into hospital workflows, guaranteeing that customised medical options can be found when wanted. Whether or not a surgeon requires a patient-specific anatomical mannequin for preoperative planning or a doctor wants a custom-fitted splint for a trauma affected person, Alexander’s experience in 3D printing on the level of care has streamlined the method.
Her strategy reduces lead instances for important medical gadgets, eliminates reliance on exterior suppliers, and permits healthcare professionals to design and produce patient-specific options on demand. This shift from centralised manufacturing to localised, on-site manufacturing is reworking medical care, making it sooner, extra personalised, and cost-effective.
A key issue driving the adoption of additive manufacturing in medication is peer strain and worry of lacking out (FOMO). As hospitals and analysis establishments efficiently integrate medical modelling into their workflows, others observe. Seeing opponents and colleagues obtain higher affected person outcomes by means of 3D printed fashions encourages broader adoption.
Alfred Griffin, CEO of LightForce, shared one other compelling story. In 1946, a dentist pioneered the idea of the clear dental aligner. Whereas clinically sound, his thought lacked a viable manufacturing methodology. With out a approach to scale, the innovation remained unrealised—till advances in manufacturing, particularly additive manufacturing, enabled the creation of customised aligners at scale. This instance illustrates a recurring problem in medical innovation: having the proper thought however missing the means to deliver it to life.
As John Barnes, Founding father of Barnes International Advisors, places it, ”Adapt, overcome, and persevere.” This mindset is important for innovators dealing with technological, monetary, and regulatory hurdles. The power to push by means of challenges has led to groundbreaking functions in medication.
Brigitte de Vet-Veithen, CEO of Materialise, emphasised that training and public relations additionally play a important function. Many healthcare professionals stay unaware of the potential of additive manufacturing, viewing it as a distinct segment instrument. Conferences, trade publications, and coaching applications assist dispel misconceptions by showcasing real-world successes. Tactile demonstration can also be a robust driver of adoption—surgeons and oncologists who maintain and study 3D printed anatomical fashions instantly recognise their worth. Not like imaging methods, these fashions present a bodily illustration of a affected person’s anatomy, enhancing surgical planning, enhancing communication with sufferers, and lowering uncertainty in complicated procedures.
Regardless of its promise, the adoption of additive manufacturing in medication is usually hindered by monetary constraints. Dr. Jenny Chen, a radiologist and CEO of 3DHEALS, has emphasised funding methods to beat these obstacles, together with collaborative funding fashions the place hospitals, universities, and personal trade share sources. Open-source medical innovation permits researchers and engineers to contribute collectively to new developments, whereas public and nonprofit grants purpose to speed up adoption in areas with excessive potential for affected person affect. By working round funding limitations, medical innovators can deliver applied sciences to sufferers extra shortly.
One of the crucial promising functions of additive manufacturing in medication is medical modelling for surgical planning. Earlier than a fancy operation, surgeons can use patient-specific 3D printed fashions to follow procedures and develop exact approaches. These fashions, derived from high-resolution imaging, enable for higher visualisation of anatomical buildings, resulting in shorter working instances, fewer problems, and improved affected person outcomes.
One other important software is in most cancers therapy positioning gadgets, notably in radiation oncology. Rajan Patel and his crew at Kallisio have developed custom-fitted, 3D printed positioning mouth guards for sufferers present process radiation remedy for head and neck cancers. These gadgets safe the tongue and jaw in an optimum place, guaranteeing radiation is delivered precisely whereas defending wholesome tissue.
For example, a affected person receiving tongue or throat most cancers radiation could use a 3D printed mouthguard designed to place the tongue away from high-dose radiation zones. By stabilising the tongue and sustaining placement, these gadgets assist cut back unintended radiation publicity, decrease uncomfortable side effects, and enhance therapy outcomes. Not like conventional mouth guards, which regularly require frequent changes, these 3D printed variations are tailor-made to every affected person’s anatomy, guaranteeing a safe and repeatable match all through therapy. This precision enhances each therapy effectiveness and affected person consolation.
Additive manufacturing can also be reworking the world of assistive gadgets, a spotlight of Satish Mistra. His work in growing low-cost, customisable 3D printed assistive instruments has expanded entry for people in underserved communities, the place such gadgets would in any other case stay out of attain.
Mistra has emphasised {that a} prosthesis is not only about mobility—it’s about dignity and alternative. A well-fitted prosthesis permits individuals to regain independence, carry out each day duties, and return to work. One of many challenges in historically fabricated prostheses is value and accessibility. Many sufferers can’t afford prostheses, and the becoming course of could be arduous. With 3D printing, prostheses could be produced shortly, extra affordably, and tailor-made to particular person wants—eliminating logistical hurdles comparable to transport, taxes, and customs, which might account for as much as one-third of the whole value of a tool.
The way forward for medication is being formed by additive manufacturing, because it continues to boost surgical planning, most cancers therapy, and prosthetics. The power to create patient-specific options is enhancing outcomes, lowering prices, and increasing entry to care. With AMS offering a platform for leaders to come back collectively and share concepts, I go away inspired that additive manufacturing is not an rising expertise—it’s a instrument actively reworking affected person take care of the higher.
The query is not whether or not additive manufacturing will change medication, however how shortly it may be absolutely embraced. With the proper champions, collaborations, and investments, the way forward for healthcare is being printed—layer by layer.
