Introduction to three-dimensional printing in medicine

The application of three-dimensional (3D) printing in medicine has increased rapidly in the last few years. Various new commercial 3D printers and 3D bioprinters are introduced into the current market. 3D printing scientific community has witnessed a rapid growth in the application of 3D printing for various medical needs. There has been a research advancement in 4D printing with a widened scope of 3D bioprinting. The growing demand for 3D printing and its use for commercial and industrial purposes in medical technology have facilitated the need for introduction of new international standards and regulations. The need for organ replacement has generated curiosity and competition among researchers to race for organ 3D printing, which can be identified with increased publications and patents that are filed in recent years. Hence, there is a need to update the readers with the latest information. The second edition of this chapter updates the contents of first section to fourth section with current information and some modified pictorial representations. New section describes the relevance of the new chapters added to this edition and updates the readers with insights on advancement of 3D printing in the last decade. Briefly, this chapter introduces the reader with a brief history of 3D printing in medical technology, components of 3D printing, 3D bioprinting, organ 3D bioprinting, advantages of 3D printing with current challenges and commercially available 3D printers in the current market. New sections introduced in this edition detail about the ASTM and ISO standards that are used for 3D printing in medicine, the regulatory framework with current challenges, ethical and social concerns with the current 3D printing scientific community, and the importance of intellectual property in safeguarding the interests of the innovators.