3D Printing for Implants

     3D printing technology converges low volume and high complexity is becoming more and more conventionally used in both the manufacturing and healthcare industry. One new application of this technology is the creation of artificial body parts. 3D Printing has been used to make jawbones, functioning ears, and even a skull.

     In particular, titanium jaw implants are an interesting example of 3D Printing at work. Titanium jaw implants are a revolutionary biomedical invention for bone replacements. Made of titanium powder, titanium implants use laser beams to print layers, working from virtual models scanned and built using computer software. Last summer, an implant was used on an 83-year-old woman whose lower jawbone was destroyed by an infection. After the operation, she was able to eat and speak again. (Source: dvice.com)
     Another team of scientists from Cornell University has engineered 3D-printed ears for individuals who have lost theirs due to an accident or disease like cancer. Specifically, 3D Printed ears have been printed to fit children born with a congenital deformity. The artificial body tissue is made by combining additive gels from living cells with cartilage taken from cow ears as well as collagen derived from rat-tails. In the future, engineers will find new ways to develop human ear cartilage cells from actual patients instead of using cow cartilage, which will reduce the possibility of the body rejecting the ear.

     Other examples of 3D Printed implants include skull and face replacement Check out more using the links here: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-03/get-brand-new-skull-3-d-printing ; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2304637/Surgeon-uses-3D-printing-technology-make-cancer-patient-new-face.html 
     Legal questions have been raised due to rapid advancement of 3D Printing technology for medical implants. For example, issues surrounding who owns IP of codes, models, and products a 3D printer produces have been debated back-and-forth amongst stakeholders. What will happen to patients with implants that fail to perform well? Who is liable? There will also be serious consequences for implant producers and other stakeholders. For example, how will cutting-edge 3D-Printing medical device companies turn a profit if someone with access to 3D-Printing can counterfeit their design? How do they maintain autonomy while diversifying their product enough to stave competition? The answers to these questions remain to be seen by early adopters of 3D Printing implant technology.
     Other issues at stake include security and safety. In the healthcare industry, 3D printing technology can be used to create artificial body parts. Creation of new body parts, while artificial, causes great concern amongst lawyers, doctors, and other scientific and medical safety officials. In the future, the potential for enhancing human abilities through 3D-printed implants will exist. .

     The use for 3D printing in the bio-healthcare business is still a new and niche market; however, it has important impacts for this industry. Related technologies and medical products have the ability to save millions of lives. It is an effective platform for developing bioengineering and life-sustaining products, especially custom-tailored devices for patients.