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Credit: Oliver Quinlan, CC BY-NC
The advancement in the 3D printing industry has moved rapidly and it is presently ready to modify each part of our lives and health. Thousands of Europeans are enjoying 3D-printed metal orthopedic implants to support or replace missing bones and, in the US, thousands more have benefited from 3D printing utilized by dental specialists. Most people that need hearing aids have custom 3D-printed devices comfortably resting in their ears now.
It is hard not to get excited about the most recent 3D-printed wonders in the world’s labs like the 3D-printed “heart jacket”, which was effectively used to monitor a heart of a rabbit. Scientists used a sensor-studded silicone sheath to gauge things like contractions, temperatures and acid levels over the surface of the rabbit’s heart. With somewhat more time and effort, they can see that there is also a potential for a human implant.
The 3D printers utilized for orthopedic implants, hearing aids and heart monitors are all high-end, made by expensive manufacturing tools far expelled from the consumer printers that have caught open creative ability. Low-cost consumer 3D printers are generally also limited to printing in plastic. However, there are a surprising number of uses for such a relatively basic tool.
3D Printing is now associated with the study of animals and human implants. That is a great news, right? It gives hope to those who might need it to preserve or extend their lives.
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