On the adoption of additive manufacturing in healthcare: a literature review

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss different 3D printing techniques and also illustrate the issues related to 3D printing and cost-effectiveness in the near future. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review methodology is adopted for this review paper. 3D printing is in the initial phase of implementation in healthcare; therefore, a study of 70 research papers is done, which discusses the research trends of 3D printing in healthcare sector from 2007 to mid-2018. Findings Though additive manufacturing has a vast application, it has not been used to its full potential. Therefore, more research is required in that direction. It is revealed from the review that only a few researchers have explored issues related to cost, which can clearly show cost-effectiveness of adopting 3D printing. Originality/value This paper helps in understanding the different 3D printing techniques and their application in the healthcare. It also proposed some methods which can be applied in delivering customized pharmaceuticals to the customer and to improve surgery.

Additive Manufacturing Processes in Medical Applications

“…There are many reviews on the medical applications of AM [ 28 , 32 , 40 , 55 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 ]. Most of them focus on certain application areas, such as surgical instruments [ 55 ], orthopedics [ 32 ], cardiology [ 108 ], or have a material focus in certain area such as metals for prosthodontic applications [ 115 ].…”

“…Some studies have looked at different AM processes, for example, material extrusion and binder jetting for producing pharmaceuticals [ 116 ] or ceramics for dental applications using material extrusion, binder jetting, VAT photopolymerization or powder bed fusion processes [ 111 ]. Furthermore, some only looked at the general applications of AM [ 112 ] or the whole process chain developments including, for example, the design phase [ 40 ]. There are reviews which focus on applications and even categorize those in some of the AM processes, such as VAT photopolymerization, powder bed fusion and material extrusion [ 109 , 110 ], but the other processes are missing.…”

The State of the Art of Material Jetting—A Critical Review

“…Ramola et al stated that MJ technology produces 3D models with higher accuracy than SLS or 3DP [ 83 ]. Ibrahim et al investigated the dimensional accuracy of MJ, 3DP and SLS printed mandibular anatomy parts, which showed that SLS parts had a lower dimensional error (1.79%) than MJ (2.14%) and 3DP (3.14%) parts but MJ printed parts had the highest accuracy [ 84 ].…”

3D printed medical parts with different materials using additive manufacturing

“…In the medical field, there are requirements for effective communication and materials. 102 Additive manufacturing is 104 This can easily create a surgical mesh which supports tissues and organ during surgery.…”