New product line — Our most advanced Micro printing technology
See It In ActionThe use of 3D printing in the medical industry is rapidly changing healthcare globally. It is constantly evolving the industry, from creating prosthetics and implants to organ model microfludics with the potential to bio-print living tissues in the future. Medical 3D printing is becoming a part of medical practices. It aids with improving patient outcomes, enabling professionals to customise treatments, and shortening patients’ recovery time. This innovative technology is creating unique solutions for multiple medical purposes and saving vital time, leaving the experts to focus on saving lives and helping patients. It is helping in serious and complex applications. For example, 3D printing alters how surgeons prepare for procedures and allows personalised implants that match perfectly to a patient’s anatomy.
As 3D printing for medical purposes grows and is more accessible, it will have a significant impact on healthcare systems around the world. This will strive toward a future where medicine is more accurate, efficient and patient-centred.
The use of medical 3D printing is rising due to numerous factors. It not only makes processes much quicker, but it also creates vital medical products and materials that aid with various applications. Advances in digital imaging methods, such as MRI and CT scans, enable the conversion of intricate and complex anatomical data into 3D models. Advanced hardware, software and materials available for 3D printing have made it simple and cost-effective to create very detailed medical devices and materials. As well as this, the cost of the technology is steadily decreasing. This means that more hospitals, clinics and research centres are investing in their own 3D printing machines.
Industry professionals can rely on this technology rather than the off-the-shelf traditional solutions. This ensures that every patient can receive personalised treatment and solutions which is optimised for them. This streamlines processes, such as surgeries, and minimises the risk of complications. It can also aid with accelerating a patient’s recovery period.
3D printing for medical purposes has also become hugely popular in training programmes and education. It can easily and quickly print anatomically correct models of organs and tissues. These models can let medical students and trainees have hands-on learning experiences by practicing on these very realistic simulators. Providing students and trainees with this hands-on learning helps to improve their dexterity and confidence way before they have to perform intricate procedures on humans. These models are invaluable guides that let surgical teams visualise difficult anatomical structures. From this, they can plan solutions more thoroughly before the real thing occurs, which enhances their problem-solving skills.
Many medical professionals, especially surgeons and operating theatre staff, rely heavily on a mixture of tools, instruments and models. This equipment helps to conduct procedures and consultations effectively. For many years, these tools have been expensive and not readily available in the form needed for specific medical applications. They also have never been easy to customise to meet individual requirements. 3D printed medical equipment has transformed this massively. It has allowed medical professionals to create precise tools and planning models that are specifically tailored to individuals and procedures. An example of this can be patient-specific guides and jigs which can now be 3D printed to precisely match patients’ anatomy. These are devices that are used to guide surgical instruments or position implants. They ensure that drilling angles, implant placements and incisions are highly accurate. This reduces errors and creates successful outcomes.
Professionals can harness this technology to streamline their supply chains. Rather than buying from a large inventory of tools that may not be suited for every application, they can print instruments on demand. They can easily use sterilised and biocompatible materials to ensure they are safe and to a high hygiene standard. Using this reduces waste, lowers costs and shortens the time spent.
This powerful technology can be used for many medical applications. It can help streamline processes, shorten time spent on jobs and create innovative tools, materials and resources. 3D printing for medical purposes allows professionals to quickly gain vital resources so they can focus on helping patients and saving lives.
A huge part of medical 3D printing that is life-changing is for prosthetics and implants. Traditionally, making a prosthetic limb or medical implant is a long and expensive process. It can be imprecise when using traditional methods as well. 3D printing changes this significantly as it provides professionals with customisable prosthetics and implants. Technicians and engineers in the medical sector can make quality parts that meet a patient’s exact measurements. This is achieved via digital scans of their body. The technology transforms this scan into a prosthetic or implant that is highly precise. It ensures that they fit comfortably, function efficiently and give durability to last for years.
For those who have lost a limb, it is vital that they receive a prosthesis that looks and feels natural. It needs to seem like their body to be able to benefit psychologically and physically. Having these 3D printed medical tools achieves just this for a patient in a quick and cost-effective way. The flexibility this technology provides allows professionals to make precise adjustments, repairs or upgrades easily. They can achieve a better look and feel that suits the patient’s body to help them feel like it’s a natural extension of their body.
The tailored approach that 3D printing offers also benefits the world of implants. Joint replacements and dental implants can be created to align with a patient’s bone structure. Having this capability reduces post-op complications and also lowers the chances of implant rejection.
An exciting and transformative aspect of medical 3D printing is the opportunity to bio-print. This is the process of using living cells and bio-inks to create tissues and, eventually, functional organs. Bioprinting is currently in its infancy, but it holds huge potential to solve a common problem of the limited number of organs available. Every year, thousands of patients worldwide wait for organ transplants, and many won’t receive them in time. If industry experts can successfully bio-print organs that can function just like the real thing, every patient has the potential to receive a working organ quickly.
The bioprinting process starts with harvesting cells from a patient or a compatible donor. These cells are grown, multiplied and mixed with a specially formulated bio-ink which includes the right nutrients and support structure. The cells are created layer by layer by the 3D printer to form a tissue scaffold that gradually makes a functional organ. Many professionals have already successfully printed simple tissues like skin and cartilage. This means as the technology grows, more complex structures can be achieved, such as kidneys and even hearts.
Being able to use this technology for bioprinting can help many get the vital organs they need. When taking a patient’s own cells, the risk of organ rejection can be reduced. Transplants can also have fewer complications and patients can receive long-lasting results. For printed tissues, this allows experts to use them as research tools. They can study diseases, test new drugs and try unique treatments.
3D printing in the medical industry gives surgeons the chance to print patient-specific organ replicas to practice on and discover the best way to successfully operate. This helps them to perform complex procedures and speeds procedures up. Using this approach, there have been successful surgeries in recent years across the world. In Belfast, surgeons managed to successfully rehearse a kidney transplant using a 3D printed model of her donor’s kidney. Her dad was the donor, but he had the wrong blood type and, due to the 3D model, they found he had a large cyst. Through the model, surgeons could accurately tell the size and location of the tumour and cyst.
Microfluidics, produced using advanced micro 3D printing technologies such as Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF) PµSL, are revolutionizing the med-tech, medical, and pharmaceutical industries by enabling the rapid development of high-precision, miniaturized fluid handling systems. These microfluidic devices are essential for applications such as drug discovery, diagnostics, and lab-on-a-chip technology, where precise control over extremely small liquid volumes is critical. By leveraging BMF’s ultra-high-resolution 10µm and 2µm micro 3D printing capabilities, companies can produce intricate microfluidic channels, reaction chambers, and bioanalytical devices with unmatched precision and repeatability.
In the medical sector, micro 3D-printed microfluidics play a crucial role in point-of-care diagnostics, allowing for faster and more efficient disease detection, including in applications such as COVID-19 and cancer screening. The pharmaceutical industry also benefits significantly, as microfluidic devices enable high-throughput drug screening and organ-on-a-chip systems that replicate human physiological responses for more accurate preclinical testing. The ability to rapidly prototype and manufacture these devices using micro 3D printing drastically reduces development time, making it easier for researchers and companies to bring new technologies to market.
Micro3D by IPFL is at the forefront of microfluidic manufacturing, offering an extensive range of production capabilities tailored for precision applications. With access to 10µm and 2µm resolution micro 3D printing, IPFL ensures that even the most complex microfluidic designs can be realized with exceptional accuracy. In addition to additive manufacturing, the company also specializes in diffusion bonding, a critical process for producing high-quality, multi-layered microfluidic manifolds with optically clear and robust seals. By combining these advanced technologies, IPFL delivers cutting-edge microfluidic components that meet the highest standards for medical and pharmaceutical applications.
Dental industries also benefit from 3D printed medical tools which have completely changed dentistry. Dentists can use this technology to create custom bridges, crowns and aligners. Using this gives a better fit to those who need dental devices and helps to make wait times quicker. A popular use of 3D printing in dental is to make clear aligners. These straighten teeth and are a better alternative to traditional braces. These aligners can be made quickly and for an affordable price, allowing more people to have easy access to them.
This technology can also be used to make intricate dental models to aid dentists with planning and practicing difficult procedures. 3D printed models are also perfect for patient education so they can understand their dental issues and treatment plans.
3D printing in the pharmaceutical industry is also increasingly popular. It particularly comes in use for drug development. The technology speeds up the drug development process as experts can make intricate molecular structures. This allows them to test new drugs quickly and efficiently.
3D tissue models are used for drug testing as they can closely mimic the structure and function of human tissues. This gives an accurate way to test new drugs and see what works. Using this technology can avoid the need for animal testing.
It is even becoming possible to accurately print pills that work. Pills that are 3D printed can be customised to meet individual patient requirements. Experts can ensure the exact dose of medication each patient needs can be encapsulated in their pills. Having this power is particularly helpful for those who need combinations of drugs or for patients that can’t swallow traditional pills.
Medical 3D printing is bringing a new wave to healthcare which is defined by customisation, patients and accurate precision for microfluidics. It has many possibilities in the future and professionals can ensure that medicine continues to progress. The most exciting part of its potential is the ability to print working organs to save countless lives. It is expected for hospitals to have dedicated on-site 3D printing labs that will be capable of producing all sorts within hours. This will help surgeons make treatment plans in real time and adapt to a patient’s changing condition quickly.
This technology will begin to help tackle boundaries by creating unique medical solutions. More patients around the world will have accessible and affordable medical solutions thanks to 3D printing in the medical industry. It will also be fully integrated into everyday medical practice to transform many lives, creating a future where the impossible is possible.
