“Additive manufacturing has made its way into our healthcare system,” says Mark Wehde of Mayo Clinic Division of Engineering. “These 3D printers are now being used for both anatomic models and cutting guides to help surgeons prepare for extremely exacting surgeries. More and more they are finding application in the creation of simulation models used in augmented reality applications, allowing surgeons can practice a surgery before they go to the patient. More recently, with the advancing quality of metal printers, the holy grail of patient-specific implants at the point of care is upon us. Hospitals are already implanting 3D-printed models using both PEEK (a thermoplast) and titanium. There are several manufacturers who provide these custom-printed implants. Within the next year or two we will start to see some hospital systems printing some of their own implants, and we will start to see studies aimed at evaluating the outcomes when we provide patient-specific replacement parts closely modeled to the patient’s own anatomy.”

Stephanie Whalen, product development manager at NewDealDesign as well as a mechanical engineering consultant, says that “accessibility and process development in 3D printing has opened the way for both more-advanced device construction as well as more custom treatment solutions. I expect to see more of this in 2020.”

Ralph Hugeneck of Nypro, a Jabil Company, says that 2019 saw significant developments within additive manufacturing such as “a dramatic increase in the range of available materials, while costs have decreased. I expect both of these trends to continue in 2020. More specifically, there will be an increase in medical and healthcare devices made with complex polymers produced by AM vs. injection molding, while in metals, the orthopedics space—knee and shoulder joints, spinal components—will continue to embrace AM’s ability to produce complex parts faster and at a lower cost.”