Commentary, J Nanomater Mol Nanotechnol Vol: 4 Issue: 3
Future Medicine: The Impact of 3D Printing
David K Mills1,2* | |
1Center for Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Science, Louisiana Tech University, USA | |
2The School of Biological Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, USA | |
Corresponding author : Dr. David K Mills Center for Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Science, Louisiana Tech University, LA 71272, USA Tel: 318-257-2640 E-mail: dkmills@latech.edu |
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Received: May 06, 2015 Accepted: June 11, 2015 Published: June 14, 2015 | |
Citation: Mills DK (2015) Future Medicine: The Impact of 3D Printing. J Nanomater Mol Nanotechnol 4:3. doi:10.4172/2324-8777.1000163 |
Abstract
Future Medicine: The Impact of 3D Printing
Advances in 3D printing materials, equipment, methods and techniques are already enabling on-demand, highly customized patient treatments. Developed in the early 1990s as a powderbased fabrication technology for the rapid prototyping of tools using metals and ceramics, 3D printing uses a digital file to produce an object of almost any shape via an additive process that lays down successive layers of material. The availability today of 3D printers for home use has led hobbyists to eagerly adopt it as a convenient means for creating simple plastic objects rapidly, cheaply, and with an amazing degree of accuracy. However, developments over the past five years have shown that the impact of this technology is no longer restricted to simple materials and hobbyists.3D printing is seeing tremendous growth in the fabrication of tailored prosthetics, medical implants, novel drug formulations and the bioprinting of human tissues and organs.