HEALTHCARE 4.0
THE EMERGENCE OF 3D printing as a viable technology which can be used in the medical industry is nothing new , but it has moved forward in leaps and bounds over the past 12 months . Last year in India , a 32-year-old woman with tuberculosis of the spine who had suffered severe damage to her first , second and third cervical vertebrae and who was facing potential paralysis had her damaged vertebrae wteam of specialist surgeons . Surgery of this type had never been performed in India before but the growing confidence of medical professionals in 3D printing technology and their keenness to use it as well as the obvious surgical skill allowed that woman to walk again .
This is one of a number of examples of how 3D printing is fast becoming a viable option in wider medical practice – and with the United States ’ Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) choosing to release the first “ comprehensive technical framework ” to advise manufacturers creating medical products on 3D printers , it seems that the technology is now here to stay .
In producing the guidelines , the
Building Evidence for 3D Printing . Presented by : Lauralyn McDaniel , SME ; James Coburn , FDA ; and Fried Vancraen , Materialise May 2016 at Building Evidence for 3D Printing Applications in Medicine colocated with RAPID 2016 16 February 2018