Within the past few years, interest in 3D printing and its medical applications has been growing exponentially. 3D printed models have already been used to provide unparalleled pre-surgical planning in complex surgeries such as conjoined twin separation and face transplantation, as well as more common procedures such as fracture fixations and joint replacements. However, the majority of health care providers and recipients are still unaware of this technology and its utility. My hope with this b
Enduring the physical and psychological consequences of having a cancer diagnosis is only the beginning of the battle. Cancer patients then have to deal with grueling treatment cycles and associated side effects. The high doses of radiation used to destroy cancer cells can also damage adjacent healthy tissues. Although major improvements in radiation technology such as intensity modulated radiation therapy have led to reduced toxicity, these methods tend to be complex requiring several planning
Purpose of this blog: To create a forum where members of the 3D medical printing community can share problems, solutions and practical advice pertaining to all aspects of the 3D printing pipeline.
Featured problem: Setting up a new printer
Featured printer: Printrbot Metal Plus
Printing type: Fused deposition modeling
Theme: Don’t put the cart in front of the horse
Translation: don’t try to print before you’ve set up the printer
If you are at all like me, you are im
If you are like me and have no real background in engineering or chemistry, keeping the different 3D printing technologies straight may sound daunting. In this post, I will attempt to give a simplified overview of the seven major types of 3D printing technologies and summarize the key advantages and disadvantages for each. I hope this information helps anyone who is interested in acquiring a 3D printer understand the different processes better and direct you to a specific technology that suits y
An entirely new 3D printing method that prints 25-100x faster than currently available technologies has been introduced. The new process called Continuous Liquid Interface Production Technology (CLIP) works by using light and oxygen to change a photosensitive liquid resin into a three dimensional solid object. The process is similar to Stereolithography (SLA) where liquid photopolymers are cured using ultraviolet light. However instead of depositing material layer by layer, the object is formed
The Coalition for Imaging and Bioengineering Research (CIBR) is a dedicated partnership of academic radiology departments, patient advocacy groups, and industry with the mission of enhancing patient care through advances in Biomedical Imaging. My good friend and colleague Dr. Beth Ripley and I recently participated in the sixth annual Medical Technology Showcase at Capitol Hill organized by CIBR, representing the Department of Radiology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) where we emphasiz
