Additive Manufacturing From the Printer: Customized Products for Medicine And Health

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Xometry Europe GmbH

FAULHABER Drive Systems

3D printing established itself early on in medicine and healthcare. Today, personalized, additively manufactured parts, medications, or delivery aids based on individual data improve patient treatment. But which materials and processes are particularly suitable for this?

Additive manufacturing is also widespread, beyond medicine, in related services such as pharmacies, therapists, or developers and manufacturers of medical devices. For these users, the economic advantages of 3D printing also play a role. The production of medical products via on-demand manufacturing eliminates the need for inventory. Patients no longer have to wait as long for aids, and design adjustments can be quickly implemented after an initial test. Compared to conventional manufacturing methods, 3D printing is also more environmentally friendly and reduces material waste.

3D Printing in Healthcare

Traditionally, the production of medical aids involves a lot of manual labor. Raw materials are shaped through grinding, carving, and machining until an end product as individual as possible is created. Additive processes make the process simpler, less labor-intensive, and therefore usually faster and cheaper. Designs for such 3D products are typically created using computer-aided design software (CAD). However, it is also possible to produce models based on 3D scans created in digital magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To implement their ideas, many users utilize a production platform like Xometry, which connects them to the appropriate manufacturer for their desired product from a vast company network. In some cases, medical facilities also have their own printers, allowing them to produce directly on-site.

The success of 3D printing in the medical and healthcare sectors is based on its ability to create individualized and patient-specific designs. The possibilities of additive manufacturing are almost unlimited. It is therefore used for specialized and patient-specific surgical tools, procedural guides, and even facial reconstruction. Based on feedback from surgeons, quick and precise design adjustments can be made to such products.

Personalized Parts Reduce Surgery Times

3D-printed implants can be produced using many different printing methods and a wide variety of materials. Nowadays, items such as spinal and orthopedic implants, prostheses, shafts and parts, dental crowns, bridges, and other orthodontic tools are being printed. Additionally, delivery devices like inhalers, patches and implants, hearing aids, and detailed anatomical models are tailored to the personal needs of patients. Such personalized parts can reduce surgery times and prevent complications that could arise from manually modifying standard-sized implants.

3D-Printed Prosthetics Fit Perfectly to the Patient's Body

Printed prosthetics are among the most impressive solutions 3D printing has brought to healthcare. For amputees, personalization has created new freedoms: additively manufactured parts fit perfectly to the patient's body and offer greater comfort and functionality. Traditional prosthetics and their components are expensive and require frequent, labor-intensive manual adjustments. A 3D-printed prosthesis, on the other hand, is often more cost-effective. It is also quickly deliverable and requires fewer adjustments because it is custom-made. This is especially beneficial for children, as they quickly outgrow their prosthetics.

Anatomical Replicas Increase the Success Rate of Procedures

In addition to prosthetics, anatomical replicas can be created for education, training, and surgical planning. Such 3D prints closely resemble real organs, as they are based on actual imaging data from the patient. This allows doctors to practice major surgeries in advance. Complex procedures are simulated on the models, enabling medical staff to train in a realistic setting. The result is fewer complications and a higher success rate for procedures. Xometry, for instance, facilitates full-color printing using PolyJet 3D printing technology to create lifelike replicas with realistic textures and colors.

Printing of Organs And Tissue

Bioprinting is used to create scaffolds that resemble human tissue. This is a first step toward the production of printed organs and tissues. Such machine-manufactured organs have the potential to save millions of lives. Sick individuals would no longer need to wait on long lists for a donor organ. Research in this area is progressing intensively, but for now, it remains a vision of the future.

Medical devices and tools tailored specifically to a patient are already being printed. The method is also used for individualized medication dosages and formulations, reducing the risk of side effects. For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the epilepsy drug Spritam, which is manufactured using 3D printing. The technology allows for a porous surface on the tablets, making the improved preparation more easily dissolvable than other pills.

The Right 3D Technologies

So far, different technologies are used in healthcare—each with its advantages and disadvantages. The most commonly used 3D techniques in the healthcare industry are:

Stereolithography (SLA)

Printers cure liquid resin with lasers here. On Xometry, the process is used for manufacturing high-resolution and precise products with smooth surfaces. It is suitable for producing prototypes and anatomical models but requires some post-processing.

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

The technology is primarily used for complex mechanical and custom parts. High-performance lasers fuse powdered material into a finished product. Nylon and other polyamides (PA) are commonly used in this process. SLS nylon prints can be sterilized because the material is highly heat-resistant. The large and complex printers are mainly used in industry. However, through a production platform, the technology can also be accessed by smaller users who do not have their own printer.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

An FDM printer melts a thermoplastic filament and extrudes it strategically onto a build platform. It builds layer by layer until the final product is completed. This process is cost-efficient and ideal for simple prototypes and parts. However, the lower resolution means it is not the first choice for complex products and likely requires post-processing.

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)/Selective Laser Melting (SLM)

Both printer types use lasers to melt metal powder to create strong and biocompatible parts, such as custom implants. They are very expensive to purchase and operate, making them almost exclusively intended for industrial environments.

Disadvantages of 3D printing in healthcare

Despite all its undeniable advantages, there are also weaknesses. For example, the selection of materials suitable for 3D printing in the medical field is still narrower compared to traditional manufacturing methods. Additionally, there are sometimes issues in achieving consistent quality of the printed parts.

There are various materials for 3D printing in the healthcare sector, all of which must meet strict safety, quality, and efficiency standards. They need to be stable, durable, sterilizable, corrosion-resistant, and lightweight. Not all 3D printer-compatible materials are safe for medical use. Below is a list of the most commonly used 3D printing materials in medicine and healthcare that can meet the necessary requirements:

• Nylon PA-12
• PC-ISO
• ABS M30i
• Titanium
• Cobalt-chrome
• Stainless steel
• Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)
• Polylactic acid (PLA)
• Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
• Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK)
• Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)
• Bio-ceramic
• Polyethylene glycol (PEG)

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