Biomedical Applications of Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing, broadly known as 3D printing, is a class of manufacturing processes in which a 3D construct is built through sequential layer fabrication. This rapid prototyping methodology is transforming how medical devices are designed, developed, and manufactured by enabling low-volume and on-demand production without dedicated equipment or tooling. In brief, computer-aided design software is used to generate a 3D model that is then exported into a file format that describes the volume or surface mesh in 3D space. Another program, generally known as a “slicer,” is then used to translate the 3D data into individual layers to be printed using a multiaxis positioning system through a variety of processes, including extrusion deposition, solidification, polymerization, sintering, or binding. A subset of additive manufacturing includes living cells during the printing process and has been termed bioprinting. Specifically, bioprinting enables robotic deposition of cells and materials into custom shapes and patterns to replicate anatomical complexity associated with tissues and organs. Bioprinting has been adopted for tissue engineering with the goal of developing highly customized cell-laden scaffolds to enable healthy human tissue to be regrown from a patient’s own stem cells. This chapter provides an overview of common 3D printing modalities and design considerations for bioprinting. Current applications of 3D printing technologies in different facets of the medical field are highlighted to demonstrate the current and future impact of additive manufacturing in healthcare.