Problems with raw materials are also a limitation. Most, like the plastics used for a new set of teeth, must be ground into small particles for the printer. The printed product, such as teeth, may need additional smoothing and polishing to remove bumps and rough areas. Finally, the practice of clinical 3D printing faces several administrative challenges.
Creating high-fidelity models can take a long time, although the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) currently doesn't reimburse for this work. Therefore, it is up to practice leaders to consider allocating staff time and other resources in this environment while weighing the potential benefits of providing this service. Future reimbursement will depend on the systematic collection of usage data and the demonstration of clinical impact. A recently approved Category III Current Procedural Terminology Code (CPT) for 3D printing will contribute to these efforts.
If a request for reimbursement is approved, questions about grass and property may be heightened. However, 3D printing technology is still relatively new and has only recently been adopted in the medical device manufacturing sector, meaning that manufacturers are still adapting to some remaining difficulties. Here are three advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing for medical device manufacturers. First, the speed of 3D printing allows manufacturers to create devices in response to patient demand.
Traditional implants can take weeks to design and manufacture, especially if they must be customized for a patient. Combined with the possibility of personalized medical devices, the "just-in-time" approach that allows 3D printing could result in personal devices on demand. These components may be more suitable for patients than the devices they might have had to wait. Some medical device companies already use 3D printing to rapidly develop and test drug delivery devices, such as inhalers and injectors.
These devices should be comfortable and easy to use. Often, manufacturers can only determine if a design is truly ergonomic and designed for human use through repeated testing. Traditional design and manufacturing methods can take weeks to produce a new prototype. With 3D printing, it's much faster to replicate previous designs.
3D technology allows you to design and print a prototype in a few days. Manufacturers can reduce this waste, and 3D printing in and of itself isn't necessarily a waste. For example, since 3D printing uses only the materials that end up in the final product (no material ends up in the factory), it is, in some ways, less wasteful than traditional manufacturing. And the plastic used in 3D printing can often be recycled.
However, plastic and high energy consumption are not suitable for the environment, no matter how you look at them. Medical device manufacturers who want to work with 3D printing must accept these environmental costs or seek an alternative. A limited amount of materials can be used in 3D printing. Composite devices or devices that require unique non-printable materials or components can be difficult or impossible to 3D print without cutting out some details.
However, new materials for 3D printing are constantly being announced. For some manufacturers, suitable materials may be out of reach for months or years. However, some materials, such as fabrics, will be difficult or impossible to print. In such cases, manufacturers may rely on traditional manufacturing methods, either wholly or partially.
Suppose a design error causes a 3D printer to make the same mistake on several hundred devices. In that case, manufacturers will have to dedicate a significant amount of additional work to correct those errors. These post-labor costs can cancel out the money a manufacturer could have saved by switching to a 3D printing process. Some operations management experts believe this drawback is enough to prevent 3D printing from becoming competitive in the short term. However, it must be said that this problem is not guaranteed.
New 3D printing technology will likely improve the quality of 3D printed devices, if only gradually. In addition, greater familiarity with 3D printing techniques can improve the initial rate of 3D-printed devices. However, the devices are unlikely to reach the consumer from production to the consumer without the need for additional labor. Medical device manufacturers can benefit from 3D printing in a variety of ways. This technology makes it possible to reduce production costs, have specific devices for each patient, and adopt a just-in-time manufacturing approach.
However, manufacturers must know the current disadvantages of 3D printing technology before investing too much. Join more than 200,000 medical device professionals who outperform their peers. The second is bioprinting, which refers to using 3D printing to create scaffolds for tissue growth or the direct printing of cells or biomaterials. Using 3D printing in healthcare has many benefits, including creating customized medical devices, producing complex structures, and creating models for surgical planning.
Over the past few years, 3D printing has become increasingly common in the clinical environment, with applications to various clinical challenges. In addition, 3D printing has been used to create personalized and specific implants and prostheses for each patient. This could help students learn more about the human body and could be used to develop training models for medical professionals. Clinical applications were not far behind, and the first descriptions of patient-specific 3D printed models derived from radiological images appeared in the 1990s.
Despite its popularity, 3D printing is still a relatively new technology, and there are many gaps in available information about health and safety risks. Now imagine a world in which three-dimensional objects are printed, such as the case of a medical tablet, a personalized medicine, or even a new kidney made from the cells themselves. A typical workflow for creating image-based 3D printed models starts with isotropic or nearly isotropic CT or MRI images. Because 3D printing is a relatively new technology, there are no clear guidelines on ensuring that medical devices created with 3D printers are safe and effective.
Although the cost of 3D printers has fallen in recent years, they are still too expensive for many health centers. As a result, the FDA actively follows the clinical 3D printing industry and has authorized several software products to produce surface models from image data. Keep in mind when using X-ray equipment, make sure you wear a dosimeter badge.
