UFC and GuardLab, a New-York based company, have joined hands announcing a global licensing agreement to create custom mouthguards for fighters and fans using 3D Printing Technology. The product called ‘Mouthguard Revolution’ is 3D Printed on high-resolution 3D printers and the prices starts from $249 for adults or $150 for the under 18.

Professor Kenji Shimada and his research team from Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering have developed "Medical Phantom Model" ”, which uses 3D printing to create a realistic looking and feeling hands-on training model for surgeons and by using a clear ballistic gel, a 10% synthetic non-fouling gel material typically used for testing ammunition and to simulate bullet wounds. Currently it is being used for Clubfoot, or Congenital Talipes Equinovarus (CTEV), a congenital deformity which is distinguished by one or both feet being turned inwards and upwards and results in serious mobility problems if left untreated.

Nick Brookins, media services engineer at Akamai Technologies was left with amputed finger in the hospital after a motorcycle accident in the mountains near San Diego. Inspired by the original Owen Replacement Finger design, he then developed his own 3D Printed Prosthetic called the Knick Finger from scratch using OpenScad code and printing it on his Printrbot Simple. The 3D Printed Knick Finger also protects his very sensitive nerve endings and reduces pain, he stated.

Olympic Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will be wearing 3D Printed Shoe from Adidas at the Rio de Janeiro for the women’s 100m preliminaries on August 12th. The 3D Printed Shoe called Zoom Superfly Elite Shoe has been designed after intensive testing and ditching of traditional screw-in spikes by Adidas. Superfly Elite has been said to provide the right amount of support, withstand the repeated impacts and it has to be lightweight.

DesignworksUSA, the BMW-owned creative consultancy and the Official Mobility Partner of the United States Olympic Committee, used a 3D scan of US Paralympian Athlete Josh George on his chair and created 3D models, including the athlete in the procedure, that could fine tune the aerodynamics. The new redesign will help the athletes be more comfortable and enhance performance since it is lighter than aluminum and also provides greater torsional rigidity and stiffness.

Engagement of Dr. Alaa Elwany of Texas A&M University , Dr. Paul Smith from Glasgow School of Art's Institute of Design Innvovation and Julian Callanan, founder of Sinterex led to development of Metal 3D Printing in middle east. Sinterex will provide consulting services as well as manufacturing services and the organization has announced their first Metal 3D Printer aiming for Biomedical Field.

Five year-old Katelyn Vinick from Texas was born without a fully-formed left hand, and she and her family looking for an alternative to cosmetic hand for which they approached to Clear Lake City-County Freeman Branch Library, home of the Jocelyn H. Lee Innovation Lab, a free community makerspace containing, among other tools, multiple 3D printers. Branch Librarian, Jim Johnson selected the e-NABLE’s popular Team Unlimbited Arm for her which was 3D Printed after scaling the design.

e-NABLE has launched an Android App called Augmented Reality Raptor Reloaded Assembly Manual which available on Google Play Store and has been created specifically for e-NABLE ommunity by Derek Delizo, a junior in electrical engineering at University of Washington Bothell,along with mentors Rafael Silva andIvan Owen. The main goal of this new AR learning app is to teach the volunteers how to assemble prosthetics on their own.

California-based Earlens Corporation have introduced a newer variety of hearing aid that uses light to enhance hearing. Similar to contact lens, the lens attaches to eardrum through surface tension. The device consists of three parts: a light tip, a custom-fitted lens and a photon processor which transmits sound waves to the light tip, which converts the sound into non-visible light.

Brian Jordan lost his parts of index finger and thumb after an accident with saw and started seeking prosthetic for which he reached Robiotech Corp. Working with lab manager Tony Ingelido at the MakerBot Innovation Center at University of Maryland, they together developed 3D Printed Finger Prosthetics. Currently, they are awaiting the plans of registering the device with FDA.

Team of researchers headed by David Scott at MIT Lincoln Laboratory's Technology Office Innovation Laboratory (TOIL) are now working on ways of improving the 3D Printed Prosthetics. Better finger motion, non-electronic temperature, motor technology and tactile feedback are the starts, and they can be added to any e-NABLE prosthetics at a cost around $350.

Anecdotal evidence had suggested that high-impact activities, such as roller coaster riding or bungee jumping, could result in spontaneous passage of kidney stones, however 3D printing has now been used to validate the efficacy of a trip to Magic Mountain next time you suffer from kidney stones.  A study was conducted at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine where Dr. David D. Wartinger performed research on whether roller coaster rides can actually facilitate kidney stone passage. A 3D replica of a patient’s kidney was printed in clear silicone material and then was monitored with ureteroscopy during a roller coaster ride. The results verified that roller coaster rides can assist kidney stone passage.

The Texas-Based company, 4WEB Medical earlier received the FDA clearance for the four implant systems using patented truss technology and now, they have announced the first surgeries performed using Curved Posterior Spine Truss System (PSTS) for TLIF procedures in U.S. The key feature noted by the orthopedics using this implant is the truss structure that that strengthens and reinforces the capabilities of orthopedic implants.

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri is named a “Best Children’s Hospital” by US News and World Report and is now receiving 3D Printing Center of Excellence with brand new Stratasys J750 multi-color multi-material 3D Printers. The center will serve as a space to facilitate innovation in multiple 3D printing-related medical areas, including pre-surgical preparation, medical research and patient treatment.

ActivArmor, a Colorado-based company recently received Advanced Industries Accelerator Grant of $750,000 to develop 3D Printed Waterproof Casts that will prevent water or bacteria from invading the casts. On the other hand, 3D printer comparison website Aniwaa was selected as one of three startups to receive investment funding under the $5 million Smart Axiata Digital Innovation Fund (SADIF). The CEO and Co-founder Martin Lansard believes the funding will help them grow the 3D Printing Industry.

Before 3D Printing Medical Devices can be used for clinical applications, they must first get approval from FDA. On December 4, 2017, the FDA issued a guidance to help speed up the approval process for companies seeking the approval. Additionally, there were Research and Development tax credits that a company can seek to offset 4-7% of the cost associated with testing, process improvement, and production. To receive the research and development benefits, the company must meet the four eligibility criteria set up.

BASF and CTIBiotech came together at the recent NYSCC Cosmetic Congress where they formed a collaboration to work towards 3D Bioprinting. Now, they have announced the technology for the bioprinting of tissue to create sebaceous glands which is expected to be a boon for Skin Care Industry. The research resulted in Ex-vivo production of physiological sebum and Regulation of sebum production with active ingredients.

Migrants trying to cross US-Mexico border are often apprehended and lose their live during the effort, and over 1000 unidentified in Pima Country, Arizona, were recently found. However, using the 3D Printing Technology by FARO, a 3D tech company, a group of students led by Joe Mullins from New York Academy of Art, have been working to reconstruct skulls of 8 such men. Once the reconstructions are complete, they are photographed and entered into National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS).

Researchers with Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging at New York are working to develop 3D printed, personalized soft LAA occluding devices that are customized to a specific patient’s anatomy. The team used CT images of a person’s heart and a CAD program to isolate the surface of the LAA with a 0.5 mm thick shell, adding a valve for inflation and mechanical stabilization to the design. The molds for occluder are then printed for casting and filling.

Emerging Implant Technologies (EIT), a German company, famous for its Cellular Titanium technology, has received FDA clearance again, to expand their EIT Cellular Titanium Cervical Cage to be used in multiple contiguous cervical levels (C2 to T1) and this is the first multi-level 3D printed cervical cage to enter the US market. It is designed to be used with autogenous and/or allogenic bone grafts to facilitate fusion, and should be used with supplemental fixation.

3D biotechnology company regenHU with Wako Automation combined to exploits the potential of cell-based therapies and 3D bioprinting to develop biomedical products for drug discovery and regenerative medicine. They will use their specialization of bioprinting solutions, laboratory automation and high content imaging for the same. They demonstrated their technologies at SLAS Conference in San Diego.

Luke Massella was born with Spina Bifida, a medical condition that causes gap in spine, which required multiple surgeries to be able to walk. However, he faced bladder malfunction and kidney failure, for which Dr. Anthony Atala of Boston Children’s Hospital developed 3D Printed Bladder using Massella’s bladder tissue and modified 3D inkjet machines. The 14 hour surgery of transplantation of 3D Bioprinted Urinary Bladder was successful saving the now 27 year old Massella.

Dr. Christina Salas, PhD, a scientist at the University of New Mexico, is working on 3D Printed Ligaments which can allow for less-invasive surgery, and could be a more permanent solution as the synthetic 3D printed ligament would not wear out or weaken. Using the CT or MRI scan of patient’s damaged joint, an exact replica using 3D Bioprinting can be produced for replacement, and Dr. Salas has received a two-year, $150,000 grant for the research.

Tawfig Khoury, MD, an otolaryngology (ear and throat) resident at Duke University makes 3D printed medical models of the ear’s delicate temporal bones used for the purposes of medical training while Dr.Khoury works on his 3D printed models at the university’s Innovation Co-Lab Studio, previously described as a “creativity incubator,” also includes 3D scanning equipment, CNC machines and laser cutters, digital modeling workstations, and a number of other electronics. In order to receive and handle requests for 3D prints from around the world, the studio uses 3DPrinterOS, which gives users access to an online, live-streaming video of the project while it’s being 3D printed.

A team of engineers and medical researchers from the University of Minnesota (UMN) are working on creating Neural Scaffold that can help patients with spinal cord injury alleviate pain and gain control over functions like bladder, bowel, and muscle control again. The prototype contains 3D Printed Silicone Guide acts as a scaffold, over which neuronal stem cells are 3D Printed, which then later differentiate into neurons, and then it is implanted into the injured part of spinal cord.

Additive Manufacturing Strategies event will be going live on 29^th-31^st January, 2018 in Boston, which will revolve around the trends and future of 3D Printing in Medicine and Dentistry. With workshops, startup competitions and exhibitions, SmarTech analysts giving overviews of developments; the event will aim consultants, business development people, leaders in manufacturing and operations people who have a significant role in future of 3D Printing in medical field.

3D printed amphibious prosthetic leg called The Fin was developed months back by Northwell Health with help from Long Island design firm Eschen Prosthetic & Orthotic Laboratories and Composites Prototyping Center. The Fin is a carbon fiber 3D printed prosthetic attachment that allows amputee swimmers to move from land into the water, without having to switch up devices in between and it’s also designed to provide them with a more natural sensation as well. The device is expected to roll out soon and will greatly help the veterans swim again and recover part of their lifestyle.

Researchers at New York University developing 3D Printed Ceramic Implants that dissolve slowly within the body, stimulating bone to grow in their place, thereby helping in restoring the bone defects that cannot be filled with allograft or autografts. The ceramic implant contains beta tricalcium phosphate, similar to components in natural bone, making the implants resorbable over time and are coated with dipyridamole, a blood thinning agent that stimulates bone growth and attracts bone cells to the implant.

Atrial Fibrillation or irregular rapid heartbeats affect many people worldwide with major causing death, and surgeons use cardiac catheter devices to map a heart’s electrical activity, which can also be used to detect rhythm disturbances in a patient’s heartbeats and ultimately identifying which part of heart is affected. The one size of these cardiac catheter devices makes it hard to catch these irregular heartbeats due to missed signals and spotty connections. A team of researchers from Stanford University has developed customized 3D Printed Cardiac Catheter Devices that fit each individual’s heart by recording an image file of the heart during an MRI or CT scan.

3D Bioprinting company Allevi, formerly known as BioBots and California-based 3D printing and space technology firm Made In Space, have partnered to develop the Allevi ZeroG – the first 3D bioprinter in space launched at the recent ISS Conference in San Francisco, and also found the first two users of the new 3D bioprinting platform in Astronauts, Mark Vendei Hei and Randy Bresnik. Allevi also developed a compatible extruder, fittingly called the ZeroG bio-extruder, that is able to be outfitted onto Made In Space’s Additive Manufacturing Facility currently on board the ISS.

Paul D’urso, MD, Anatomics Founder and a neurosurgeon at Epworth Healthcare, had reported 700 spinal fusion procedures at the recent 3DHEALS conference in San Francisco. They also developed Atlantoaxial transarticular screw fixation, an effective technique for arthrodesis and discussed how biomodelling and 3D printing are both useful tools for pre-surgical planning, developing titanium implants and patient-specific tools, and intraoperative stereotaxy – a minimally invasive surgical procedure which uses a 3D coordinate system to locate small targets inside the body and then perform an action, like an ablation, biopsy, injection, or implantation.

A group of students from Santa Clara University have developed a partially 3D printed wristband prototype that uses body heat, ambient air and heat sinks to create a temperature difference across thermoelectric modules, which generates extremely low voltage electrical power required to run the device itself. The device consists of four subsystems: power generation, voltage boost, battery charging and wearability and the device was 3D Printed using Formalabs Form 2 3D printer.

Duke University Football Team’s star quarterback, Daniel Jones, fractured his clavicle on September 8^th, when Clark Bulleit and Kevin Gehsmann, seniors of team started working on Custom-Fit 3D Printed Wrist Brace for Jones, finally creating nine prototypes altogether, using a basic 3D printer before turning to a PolyJet printer for the final product. The 3D Printed Brace prevents damage to the initial fracture point and helped Jones return to the field.

Researchers from University of Colorado Boulder have developed a 3D printing technique with SLA that allows for localized control of an object’s firmness, which can potentially pave way for tissue 3D printing technique. The layer-by-layer printing method with fine-grain and programmable control over rigidity allows the researchers to mimic the complex geometry of highly structured yet pliable blood vessels. The 3D printer used by the researchers is capable of printing biomaterials as small as 10 microns, or one-tenth the width of a human hair.

A group of researchers from Alfred State College, one of eight Colleges of Technology within the State University of New York (SUNY) system used 3D printing and SOLIDWORKS modeling to develop a novel, imprinted micro check valve for Intravenous Transfusions. Using a Form 2 3D Printer, they were able to print the parts modeled at SOLIDWORKS, which included Ball, Valve Inlet and Perforated Ring Outlet which was then coated with thin layer of parylene for safety in humans. The tests showed that the check valve design allowed for zero backward flow while also allowing flow through the device in the proper direction at a rate of 98.6 μl/sec

Researchers’ team from Louisiana State University led by Wayne Newhauser, director of the medical physics program at LSU, is working towards creating better Phantoms—models used as patient dummies when figuring out treatments and dosages. Using these dummies, the research team plans to carry out multiple trials of treatment for Cancer using Radiation therapy to kill neoplastic cancer cells in human bodies. These 3D Printed Phantoms are relatively cheaper method and quicker means to accessing information against Cancer.

7-year-old, Isaiah Onassis Goberdhan was diagnosed with an aggressive tumor in his palate and nasal cavity that caused him breathing difficulties. Using Formlabs Technology, Neha A. Patel, MD, a Northwell pediatric otolaryngologist at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, was able to plan the surgery with 3D Printed anatomical model of Goberdhan using CT and MRI scans. Onassis Goberdhan has now successfully recovered without complications after the surgery planned with 3D Printing.

Researchers from MIT and Draper University have developed a 3D Printed Microfluidic Device called Tumor Analysis Platform or TAP that simulates cancer treatments on biopsied cancerous tissue. 3D Printable in about an hour, the Chip device uses the biopsied tumor fragments placement in a chamber connected to a network of deliver fluids to the tissue and contains a new type of biocompatible resin, Pro3dure GR-10 Resin, that can support the long-term survival of biopsied tissue. The TAP is cheap and easy to fabricate and adaptable for clinical use.

Two Maxillofacial Surgeons, Clossman and Houlton from VA Puget Sound Health Care Center, with help from radiologists using CT scans, created exact replicas of three patients’ mandibles, using the hospital’s Stratasys 3D printer. These models allowed the surgeons to compare standard mandibular implants to the 3D printed replicas, adjusting the size and shape as needed. The 3D printed custom mandible models was made in 2hours with OR time estimated at about $80 a minute, avoiding anesthesia workup and surgery planning.

Ramiah Martin, Susquehanna Valley, PA, was born with a rare medical condition called the Tracheal Agenesis, which left her without trachea and improperly formed esophagus. The doctors at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital used 3D Printing Technology to create a 3D Print Model of her esophageal passage and plan the surgeries ahead of time when she was 4 months old. Although she may require further interventions in future, the kid has been discharged with ventilator support at age of 13 months.

3DHEALS is an organization, founded by CEO Jenny Chen, aims at building a global platform for people to learn and collaborate on healthcare 3D printing and bioprinting, and related technologies through events around the globe. The event involved local speakers like Adam Jakus, Co-founder of Dimension Inx, Steven Morris, CEO of BIOLIFE4D, Stephen Anderson from Renishaw and Alejandro Espinoza from Rush; who gave 10 minute summaries of their work for an audience of additive manufacturing professionals in Chicago.

Researchers from the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona studied the five models for use in training with simulation of both Freehand and Percutaneous Pedicle Screw Placement, with all models evaluated and then scored by junior and senior residential spine surgeons. All 3D Printed Barrow Biomimetic Spine model were created with Meshmixer software, imported back into Simplify3D software, and then 3D printed on a FlashForge Creator Pro with an affordable cost of $50-$70.

Joseph Michael was attacked in his home in 2013 leaving him with damage to eye socket and causing double vision. The Surgeons from UC Davis Medical Center, California, used CT scans of his left eye and converted the data into 3D Data, which was then used to 3D Print the exact replica for his right eye using Desktop Printer Ultimaker 3 Extended. The mirroring of left eye for re-building the right one, along with reconstructing the orbit and cheekbone was one of the finest process they UC Davis Doctors achieved.

A team from Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) has successfully developed Mobile Skin Bioprinting System that provides rapid on-site management of full-thickness wounds using 3D Printing, however waiting human trials. It consists of a hand-held 3D scanner and a printing head with an XYZ movement system containing eight 260 µm diameter nozzles, each driven by an independent dispensing motor with a ZScanner Z700 scanner. It 3D prints directly on the wound a double layered skin substitute consisting dermal fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes cells that exactly match the patient’s wound.

US Researchers recently used 3D Printing to create Phantoms for training Radiologists to diagnose Breast cancer using Core Needle Biopy, the major diagnostic method available. While the usual phantoms for training cost around 350-450 USD, the 3D Printed Phantoms cost less and were much efficient in terms of acceptable US beam penetration and material hardness for simulation of human breast tissue integrity. The three breast phantom models were printed in multiple resins available through Stratasys, including VeroClear, TangoPlus and Tissue Matrix.

Molybdenum or Mo-99 decays into technetium-99m, which is then used to detect bone decay, heart disease, and rare cancers,but costs roughly $1,000 per gram. A team of Researchers from DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory have successfully developed the recylcing process of Molybdenum using 3D printed acrylic contactors. To counteract the corrosion of contractors by acids used in recycling process, they turned to polyetheretherketone, or PEEK, which is more durable than the original acrylic plastic they were using, and also resists the Argonne recycling method’s organic solvents and mineral acids.

Prodways, a firm developed in partnership with 3Shape, Full Contour, Imes-Icore and Dreve, announced its own Ecosystem at LMT Lab Day 2020 held in Chicago. The Ecosystem aims at manufacturing upto 1200 Dental Aligners per day. The company also owns MOVINGLight DLP, ideal for batch production of products like dental molds for aligners and also acquired SolidScape recently. It will, however, face a competition against companies like HP, which claim to produce 50,000 Aligners per day via Smile Direct Club.

3D Systems, headquartered in Rock Hill, South Carolina, is a company that engineers, manufactures and sells 3D printers and is one of the leaders in field of 3D Printing. Recently at LMT Lab Day at Chicago, they announced a software workflow for 3D printing up to 30 orthodontic models in a single print using its NexDent 5100 3D printer, NextDent Model 2.0 Software, and 3D Sprint software. The new auto-stacking feature will be available in NextDent 5200 users and will make it possible to automatically prepare and place dental models on the build plate with a single click.

3D printing start-up Copper3D, based in Chile and the US, worked towards using Nano-Copper additives, and adding antimicrobial properties to polymers like PLA and TPU to create antibacterial 3D printed objects. Now, their team of researchers have come up with “Viral Inactivation System for a Breast milk Shield to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV”, a 3D Printed Device that can effectively inactivate the HIV virus under the right conditions on certain objects. The Split-Sample Study on 20 Samples revealed reduction in transmission, close to 100%.

A 3D Printing Course Additive was released by Researchers from US and Canada, further strengthening the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2018 Hands-On 3D printing course, which aims at creating 3D Printed cranio-maxillofacial (CMF), orthopaedic, and renal cancer models using 3D Printing, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). The image processing was provided by Mimics inPrint, allowing the researchers to fabricate anatomic regions of interest from the DICOM data. Three cases were followed: Pelvic fracture, Mandible tumour and Kidney tumour where 3D printed models were used to plan the pre-operative as well as reduce time and increase efficacy of the surgeries.

Christen Boyer, a Bioprinting engineer and recent Postdoctoral Fellow at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, along with vascular cell biologist, tissue engineer, and professor at LSU Health Sciences Center, Steven Alexander; have developed a new technology to 3D Print Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) Medical Devices. The method generates biologically compatible 3D printing scaffolds that support cell engraftment because of the high level of protein binding, which is a result of the stabilization process. Working along with Hrishikesh Samant, a transplant surgeon at LSU Health, Boyer and Alexander came up with a novel crosslinked PVA (XL-PVA) 3D printed stent infused with collagen, human placental mesenchymal stem cells (PMSCs), and cholangiocytes. The customized living biliary stents have clinical applications in the setting of malignant and benign bile duct obstructions.

Researchers at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System in Michigan, announced their pioneering project of creating a Portable Artificial Lung using 3D Printing. The wearable CO2 removal device for Veteran rehabilitation from lung disease is part of a two-year grant project, whose parts will be printed on a Stratasys J750 and Stereolithography 3D printers for other smaller parts. The project is expected to unfold by five to six years, where they will test the lung into a cohort of sheep using the cannulation technique, after which the sheep will be under anaesthesia for six hours, followed by chronic implantation where the sheep will be taken out of anaesthesia and monitored for 30 days.

L.E.Murr, a researcher from the University of Texas at El Paso, wrote an overview of how 3D printing of Metal and Alloy Implants using powder bed fusion technologies, especially with commercial laser and electron beam systems, has rapidly emerged worldwide. He emphasized on key points: Applications of solidification fundamentals to powder bed fusion fabrication; Fundamentals of powder bed fusion AM of complex and porous biomedical implants; Design strategies for fabricating porous, optimized metal and alloy biomedical implants by powder bed fusion technologies and Examples of porous, powder-bed fabricated implants which included: Custom-built cranial/maxillofacial/implants and surgical, pre-operative models; 3D printed, open-cellular structure spinal implants; 3D implant designs for total hip arthroplasty; Total knee arthroplasty and open-cellular implant components and Complex skeletal reconstruction implants: personalization of implant fabrication through hospital point-of-care, 3D printing centers.

Scientists from US and China collaborated on a study to integrate Virtual and 3D Printing Applications into postoperative treatment of cancer. They shared 5 Cases of: Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma; 3 × 3 cm Right neck mass discovered during examination for a stroke; 5.0 × 4.5 cm Mass in left cheek- Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma; 2.5 × 3.5 cm left Gingival Squamous Cell Carcinoma and 5 cm left Sub-Mucosal Oral Cavity Lesion. They explained how 3D Printing assisted with CAD/CAM and Virtual Reality assisted them in creating medical models prior to surgery and planning better outcomes.