A group of researchers developed an inexpensive, 3D Printable Neuraxial Anesthesia Phantom through the use of free/libre/open-source (FLOS) software and data from CT scans to create a 3D model of the lumbar spine, which was then modified, put inside a digitally designed housing unit, and 3D printed out of PLA on a desktop system. The so 3d Printed Neuraxial Anesthesia Training Model cost only $13 and 25 hours of non-supervised 3D printing and two hours to assemble it, much less than creating a Simulab phantom.

Italian Startup Youbionic was founded by Federico Ciccarese, and they have come up with a newer version of their Youbionic arm that is a Robotic Arm made of 3d printing and designed to perform all movements that a human Arm can accomplish. The arm is 3D printed out of PLA and uses Actuonix Linear Actuators. The company has rolled out the 3D Print Files of the arm for $149 and files for hand for $99 with hopes to fund his team’s further development.

A group of researchers from the Netherlands finished a validation study to test the accuracy of 3D printed anatomical models for surgical planning purposes which included dissecting nine human cadavers to acquire three specimens each of a pelvis, hand, and foot, and inserting Titanium Kirschner (K-) wires in them to mark important anatomical landmarks. Using a Siemens Somatom Definition AS 64-slice CT to scan the specimens, and then using Phillips Intellispace Portal software for 3D reconstructions, the models were 3D Printed using an Ultimaker 3 and a Makerbot Replicator Z18 using PLA material.

To meet the requirements of a perfect stent like induction of rapid endothelialization to restore the functions of vascular tissue and compliance with medical requirements, particularly the flexibility required to facilitate placement, researchers approached 3D Printing these Stents with PLA and PCL composites. Using Tubular 3D Printer, they 3D Printed the stents which were then seeded with cells and left for three days, and then tests were performed to assess the morphological features, cell proliferation, cell adhesion, degradation rate and radial behavior. Both PCL and PLA showed themselves to be biocompatible, and the composite stents showed the most promise, with medium levels of degradation rates and mechanical modulus.

A research conducted at The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in Zhejiang, China, provides insights to the use of 3D Printing in medical field. 48 patients suffering from distal radius fractures (one of the most common type of upper body injuries) participated in the study, with a 3D model made of each break using CT scans and Mimics software before being 3D Printed in PLA. The research concluded the advantage with more accurate diagnosis and surgery, faster procedure time, less blood loss in patients, and frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy.

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 team of Researchers recently tried to evaluate the 3D Printed Prosthetics and Their End-Users Usage by creating a Prosthetic that had four features: Body powered control, Cosmetic appearance, Lightweight structure and Water and dirt resistance. The initial samples were printed on an Ultimaker 3, using PLA, testing the leaf spring and movement of the hand in five different experiments. The designs were then tested using both the Box and Blocks Test (BBT) and the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) test which included 20 healthy students from the Delft University of Technology. The hand had negligible assembly, involving only removal of supports and one ‘snap-fit step.’

Researchers from Taiwan performed an ANOVA study to determine the effectiveness of 3D Printing in helping people with Flat Foot. 18 Foot Orthoses (FO) samples were 3D Printed at orientations of 0°, 45°, and 90°, and subjected to human motion analysis, with 12 flatfooted individuals. 3D scans of the participants’ feet were exported as an STL file, which was edited with Autodesk Meshmixer software and 3D Printed out of PLA filament on an Infinity X1 FDM 3D printer. The build parameters of the FOs were defined using Ultimaker Cura 3.3 software. The results indicated that the 45° build orientation produced the strongest FOs. In addition, the maximum ankle evertor and external rotator moments under the Shoe+FO condition were significantly reduced by 35% and 16%, respectively, but the maximum ankle plantar flexor moments increased by 3%, compared with the Shoe condition.