how 3d printers can advance medical technology
DESCRIPTION
Printing in 3D can advance medical technology. In the future we will be able to print our own organs and tissues ending the organ donation shortage and hospitals will be able to print customised drugs that are more effective and easier to consume. The dental industry will be revolutionised once 3D printers become common for the usage of reproducing teeth, crowns and replacement jaws. Prosthetics will also become inexpensive, more comfortable and lighter with the 3D printer. The medical industry will have to adapt to the modern day.TRANSCRIPT
How 3D Printers Can Advance
Medical Technology
By Annie Lloyd
How 3D Printers Can Advance Medical Technology
Introduction
Printing in 3D can advance medical technology. In the future we will be able to print our
own organs and tissues ending the organ donation shortage and hospitals will be able to
print customised drugs that are more effective and easier to consume. The dental industry
will be revolutionised once 3D printers become common for the usage of reproducing
teeth, crowns and replacement jaws. Prosthetics will also become inexpensive, more
comfortable and lighter with the 3D printer. The medical industry will have to adapt to the
modern day.
What is 3D printing?
Also known as Additive Manufacturing, a 3D printer is a machine that creates solid
objects. It can create everyday objects, such as keys, toys and even houses in a shorter
period of time. This new invention may stop all traditional manufacturing techniques in the
future and will thus revolutionise how basic items are created. Printing in 3D is now being
considered for use by medical technologists. It was first invented by Charles Hull, during
the late 1980s for rapid prototyping. It was the first type
of stereolithographic apparatus printing process. It
proved that complex objects could easily be created.
There are many different forms of materials that can be
used to create 3D objects for different medical
purposes.
Dentists have a wide range of materials that can be
used to produce jaw and teeth replacements as well as
wax patterns for fixed prosthodontics. Firstly VeroDent
(MED670) and VeroDentPlus (MED690) provide a thickness layer of 16 millionths of a
meter. Using these materials dentists are able to do smaller features in greater detail as
well as having excellent strength and it being very durable. Finally, Bio- compatible
(MED610) is a clear substance that will only last for a short period of time as a mouth
replacement.
The printing of metals such as titanium and stainless steel are used to create limbs and
jaw replacements. There are two main metal materials that are used in printing medical
objects. Firstly, Stainless Steel; it is turned into a powder form and is naturally silver. The
strongest possible metal material is Titanium which has a light grey colour.
There is a wide range of drugs that can be 3D printed. Any medicine in powder form can
be 3D printed into a pill. Using new materials and liquids it is easier to consume the pills
and is more effective.
There is currently a large quantity of research being done on the use of biomaterial for 3D
printing. Materials are classified as biomaterials if they are a substance that can be
introduced to tissues as a living organ or another bodily function.
Bio fabrication is the production of tissues and organs to cope with health difficulties.
Scientists can regrow many types of human tissues using a 3D printer. In the future we
will be able to remove human organs and tissues that have been severely damaged
through injury or through an illness and replace those with 3D printed ones. We will no
longer have the difficulty of people not providing organs for transplants. Our lives will be
revolutionised with this new medical technology.
This report will investigate the type of 3D printing that human production needs and thus
focuses on bio fabrication.
How Does a 3D Printer Work?
There are many different ways in which a 3D Printer works. I will only identify the printers
that are used to create medical applications.
A Bioprinter is the device that is used to create 3D organs and tissue. They can cost up to
$300,000. To begin the process a magnetic resonance image (MRI) or computed
tomography scan (CT) is required to
provide the exact dimensions of the
tissue or bodily function. It will require
minimal effort for the surgeon as the
tissue will fit perfectly. The next stage
of the process is to create a blueprint
on the object using computer aided
design software. The software will
create a very detailed file that when
sent to the printer will automatically
give instructions for where each type
of cell should be placed. This step is the most crucial to the process. The patients live
cells are mixed with a beneficial material. All the cells have different purposes. Scientists
also have the capability to encourage the cells to do certain things that will benefit the
patient.
The living cell material is unloaded in layers of half a millimetre or less but they can also
be unloaded through different nozzle sizes depending on what type of tissue you are
manufacturing. The material comes out equivalent to the consistency of toothpaste. The
next stage is to form the outline of the object by solidifying every layer before putting the
next layer over it.
To stable the layer it is important that you use an ultraviolet light as it works almost
immediately. Before the patient receives their 3D printed bodily function the tissue needs
to mature in a bioreactor which is similar to an incubator. This new invention will
revolutionise organ transplants.
The 3D printing technology named
Zip Dose is very similar to a
traditional 3D printer but it has the
capability to print any drug. The
first step of this process is to
spread a thin layer of powdered
medicine onto a base. A specially
developed liquid is then dropped
onto the powder that binds the
particles together into a thin layer.
This process continually repeats
itself until the specific dosage of medicine that is suited to the patient is correct. As soon
as the patient takes a sip of water with the pill it will instantly dissolve. The small pill has
the capability of delivering up to 1000 milligrams of the active ingredient. This new
technology will revolutionise our lives as we will be able to print exact dosages for the
patients and the pills will have a larger effect.
There are five common 3D printers that are used in dental technology which include
Selective Laser Sintering, Digital Light Projection, Jet 3D Printing, Stereolithography and
Direct Laser Metal Sintering. I will only identify Selective Laser Sintering which is the key
process.
To begin the process a Computer-Aided Design file is converted into a .stl format by a
specially developed software. The powder is heated by a high powered laser just below its
melting point. The laser is then directed to the platform to begin tracing sections of the
digitally designed object. Finally the powders sinter together to form a layer. The powder
bed is then lowered and a new layer of material is placed on top. The process then
repeats again until the object is complete.
How will 3D printing open up many more treatment options to the
public?
Patients will soon be able to receive the exact medicine dosages to the average micro-
organism. Patient’s drugs will be customized according to the patient's allergies and
health conditions. Pills will be more effective and will be easily taken as they will dissolve
in a patient's mouth and a gulp of water. The treatment will easily be accessed as
hospitals and pharmacies will no longer have to wait for medication deliveries from large
companies. Our prescription drugs will suddenly have a wider variety and 3D printed
drugs will slowly become more common.
Printing in 3D lets doctors and engineers unite to rebuild limbs that are inexpensive and
limbs especially manufactured for children's usage. With this new technology fake limbs
will no longer be expensive. The traditional limbs cost five thousand to seventy thousand
dollars whereas 3D printed limbs cost an average of two hundred dollars thus a wider
range of people will have access to this treatment option. Printing prosthetics will slowly
become more common and in the future we
may be able to print our own prosthetics at
home. This new treatment option is very
efficient as prosthetics can be printed in a
single day. This technology can now print
prosthetics that are having an impact on the
medical world and patients as they are lighter
and provide more comfort. There are also
many benefits for the children who receive this
3D printed prosthetic treatment. A common
fact is that children grow quickly so they often need a new limb. This treatment can often
be very expensive but with 3D printed limbs we can manufacture them to stretch and
expand as the child grows. This treatment will financially benefit many families with
children who are required to have a fake limb. The second part of 3D printed prosthetics is
the ability to 3D print missing facial parts. An example of this is people with one ear are
able to get their other ear through 3D printing. This will boost the patient's confidence and
they will feel better about themselves and their appearance.
In the past dental treatment has been very restricted but with this new technology a whole
dental world has been unlocked. Dentists now have the capability to use a 3D printer to
print a customised tooth in six and a half minutes to use as a replacement. Crown,
veneers and inlays are can also be manufactured using a 3D printer. This new treatment
is cost effective and can be done in a very short period of time but currently only 10% of
dental practices are using this technology.
Printers that print in 3D also have the capability to print dental crowns. For example,
dentists can print crowns which are a tooth shaped cap that is placed over a tooth.
Patients will no longer require temporary crowns and they are not needed to attend more
than a single dentist appointment. Mandibles that are
designed to help people who have lost part of their jaw
or mouth from cancer can now be 3D printed. A
reconstructed jaw can provide better materials for
implants and it is a solution to missing or broken teeth.
Another part of dental treatment is the usage of six-
second toothbrushes named Blizzident. They will
revolutionise teeth brushing. This 3D printed toothbrush
cleans every tooth in just six seconds. This new
technology looks similar to a mouth guard but it is lined
with hundreds of little bristles. The wearer puts this device into their mouth and as they
bite and chew on it all the bristles clean the teeth.
This new technology should last for approximately one year. Patients will benefit greatly
as they will have healthier teeth and gums as well as a reduced chance of diabetes and
heart diseases.
This new technology will revolutionise the way we live as this treatment will be cost
effective and easier as well as the dental industry adapting and changing its methods to
suit the modern world.
Failure of tissues or organs due to aging, injury, disease, accidents and birth rely very
heavily on organ transplants from other species, as well as both living and dead donors.
The problem is not everyone agrees with this treatment. There are many people who go
against organ transplants due to their ethical beliefs. This problem will disappear in the
future because of the new technology, a 3D printer that now has the capability to print
bodily functions using the patient's own cells.
There are currently 1,600 people on the waiting list for a bodily function in Australia alone.
An average of 21 people die each day because the organs they require are not donated in
time or they do not have the capability to be successful in a different human body. The
number of donors is decreasing worldwide every year. This problem has emerged
because it is difficult to find suitable donors. Usually in a death the person's bodily
functions immediately stop working and they cannot be revived. Some people may also
feel uncomfortable having an organ from a deceased or living person.
Xenotransplantation is also a current treatment to organ transplants. It is the process of
transplanting living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another. This treatment is
seen to be very successful for damaged bodily functions however there are a lot of health
risks and ethical perspectives that
need to be taken into account. One of
the health risks include animal viruses
passing into the human body. If the
virus is harmful we are putting the risk
of every human in society into great
danger. This transplant cannot always
be permanent putting the receiver in
danger. Many people are also
concerned for the welfare of the
animals whose organs are being
removed. Some biotechnology
companies breed different species but
with human genes so the bodily
function would have a reduced chance of rejection. This procedure is not always
beneficial to the animal.
For example pigs are most commonly used for heart valves and pig islets because they
can be bred in a clean environment reducing the risk of infections.
Printing in 3D will solve many problems that occur with the organ transplant treatment that
many people require. It will end the shortage of organs. There will also be a reduced risk
of any rejection of the organ or tissue as you would have the capability to use the patient’s
own cells. Many animals’ lives will also be saved as they will no longer be harmed or used
to our advantage. Organ transplants will be revolutionised using this new technology.
Who should take responsibility for ensuring that this technology is
spread fairly across the world?
There are massive benefits associated with this new technology. I will only introduce the
main points. Patients will receive more exact dosages that are more effective, 3D printers
will end the organ donation shortage and prosthetics will also be more comfortable, lighter
and inexpensive. The dental industry will also adapt to new methods of replacing teeth
and jaws. It will revolutionise our lives but who should take responsibility for ensuring that
this technology is spread fairly across the world?
The major concern with 3D printed medical applications is who will have access to the
objects. Not everyone will be able to afford it. Personalized printed medication is currently
very expensive. Only wealthy patients will have the capability to purchase the medication.
This will lead to poor people not receiving correct treatment or medication that is not as
effective. Functioning organs and tissues are
also very expensive and complex in modern
day. Similar to the printed medication only
wealthy people who are willing to pay the
price will get this treatment. Patients who are
not equipped with the large amount of money
to pay will be left on the organ transplant
waiting list depending on the funding and
coverage that the Affordable Care ACT may
provide. It is unlikely that this new treatment
will be added to the health care coverage
because it is more expensive than the traditional treatment. It will only divide the rich and
poor even more.
Medical 3D printers will have a very large impact on developing countries if they are given
the chance to use this new technology. Some 3D printed medical applications will be
inexpensive making it suitable for funding in developing countries. Some poor countries
have already printed basic implants, plates and other surgical implants.
Printing in 3D will improve healthcare and will increase access to surgery. It will make
supplies available, it will avoid cost and people will no longer have to wait for overseas
shipping. In the future some countries may be able to assemble printers from 3D printed
parts. This is why someone needs to take responsibility for ensuring that this technology is
spread fairly across the world.
Conclusion:
This report has explored and identified the key points associated with medical 3D printing.
The fact that we can now print organs and tissues, prosthetics, drugs and dental treatment
will ensure that the medical world is more efficient and effective. This technological
discovery will revolutionise the way we live. Hospitals will be able to print customised
drugs to suit the patients very needs. Our society will be healthier than what it has been in
the past. People will have cleaner and better quality teeth due to the 3D printer.
Prosthetics will become in inexpensive and will be especially manufactured for children’s’
usage much to the benefit of the child and will be financially better for the family. The
capability to print functioning body parts will solve many problems that we are occurring
with the shortage of organ donors or xenotransplantation. This is our future.
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