3D printing in healthcare

3D printing has been in use in healthcare for a long time, and not just for educational and presentation aids. It is also often used in diagnostics, pre-operative or surgical aids and hip and cranial implants. Dentists use metal 3D printing to create dental implants and polymer 3D printing to correct certain orthodontic defects. It is still in the experimental phase, but 3D printing has shown its first success in printing human tissues. The greatest scope of applications and uses for additive manufacturing lie in the area of medical devices. 

ING Corporation, based in Frýdek-Místek, is a pioneer in developing and manufacturing custom orthotic and prosthetic medical device from polyamides. They are working in the Science and Technology Park in Ostrava on developing unique cranial orthoses to help baby heads grow correctly. Their partner Invent Medical is also developing and manufacturing other medical devices such as shoe inserts and protective face masks. 

The Prague-based Art4Leg makes individualized designer prosthetic covers in the shape of a natural human leg. They use HP Jet Fusion additive technology as well as 3D scanning to design and customize the new cover. The cover design can be smooth, patterned, airy or organic to express the lifestyle and character of the person for whom it has been designed. 

Try out the quality, precision and material strength of the HP Jet Fusion 3D printer, which all meet the basic requirements for the manufacture of medical devices and other applications.