Thanks to orthopaedic 3D printing, prostheses can be customised and recovery accelerated.
3D printing has taken many industries, such as engineering and architecture, by storm. But there is no doubt that its most notable advances and achievements have been in the field of medicine. In orthopaedics, for example, 3D printing is opening up endless possibilities for many patients by improving their treatment and quality of life.
Notable among the advantages of orthopaedic 3D printing are the optimisation of processes and the reduction of costs. This has particular relevance in the case of children’s orthopaedics. Prostheses for children have to continually be renewed as the child grows. Thanks to the low cost of 3D printing, this renewal no longer puts such a major financial strain on families.
This technology also provides greater customisation possibilities for the prostheses and more reliability. By being able to introduce any type of material into the printer, biocompatible materials can be used to reduce the possibility of rejection, for example.
And it is not just prostheses that can benefit from this technology. It can also be applied to other orthopaedic products, such as plaster casts. Various companies have developed 3D plaster casts that can be tailored to individual patients. They are also waterproof and can help bones heal faster. And the design is more lightweight and breathable than traditional casts. They also usually incorporate software that enables the specialist to monitor and manage treatment remotely.
Orthopaedic 3D printing is set to have a very important role to play in the future. As the population increasingly ages, it will become more necessary to replace bones with prostheses. In this field, this technology offers many advantages, such as the ability to produce implants designed specifically for the body of a certain patient.
The industry is putting great stock in orthopaedic 3D printing for the future with research aimed at making significant improvements and advances in a short time. According to a study by the UK company Future Market Insights, 3D printing in the medical sector in 2016 could be worth as much as 279.6 million dollars. And affirms that the growth possibilities of this technology are very high and will result, within a few years, in reduced costs, greater affordability and a more widespread presence in the vast majority of medical centres.
The advances that could result from 3D printing in orthopaedics and other branches of medicine are highly significant: from implants and dental crowns to stem cells, blood vessels, bones and organs.
In conclusion Orliman will be closely monitoring the application of this technology as it advances and its emerging possibilities for two reasons: firstly, to enable us to offer new and better options to our customers for improving their quality of life and, secondly, because we have always put great stock in R&D for the development of high-quality products.