6 Ways In Which 3D Printing Technology Can Save Lives
3D printing technology is not limited to printing consumer goods and toys. It can also save human lives. This may come as a surprise to many readers, but it is 100% true.
The technology is already saving many lives as you read this post. 3D technology has done a tremendous job in advancing the medical field.
Recently, a child named Lucy Boucher was the first child to have a kidney transplant assisted by 3D printing technology. This technology made the complicated task of transplanting a 35-year-old’s kidney into a 4-year-old child much simpler. You cannot ignore the extra risk involved when a transplant is performed between people so far apart in age. But, 3D printing technology made this possible.
This technology can do wonders. Let me tell you about some of the medical fields in which 3D printing technology is creating marvelous changes.
1. 3D Printed Organs
Using 3D tech, scientists can build organs for the human body. They just need to supply instructions to the computer and raw materials to the 3D printer, and 3D tech will do the rest of the work.
Isn’t this amazing?
If scientists can build organs using these techniques, then surely the organs can be customized according to the individual patient’s needs, producing better results. Automation could make this process even better in the future.
2. Better Medical Imaging
Medical imaging is a core aspect of medical care. Now, scientists and doctors are taking medical imaging to new heights with the help of 3D printing technology.
How does it work?
First, doctors use MRI or CT scanning to make an image of a particular patient or the patient’s organs. Then, they make a dummy patient using the scans and 3D technology. They treat the dummy patient and check for results.
Researchers can then collect those results from many different patients and analyze what treatment produced the best results. In this way, doctors can choose the best possible treatment for the human patient.
A similar technique can be applied in cancer treatment. Doctors can carry out different experiments and analyze patients’ predicted results.
3D dummy patients are also good for teaching purposes. They can help medical students to understand the structures of the human body and to practice with real ease.
3. Improvements in Medical Education
Dummy models are really helpful for medical education. Students can carry out different experiments and techniques on realistic dummies so that they can get experience with realistic scenarios. Not only medical students, but also other students in hands-on fields like engineering or science can benefit. Lots of schools have already implemented this technology.
4. 3D Printed Casts for Broken Bones
You know how painful broken bones are? They take a long time to recover from. And, in some cases, it is quite difficult for the patient to recover full fitness. 3D technology can be handy in this scenario.
Doctors can take X-rays or MRI scans, then build a needed structure that is an exact match for the patient using a 3D printer. This can be helpful for thousands of patients. A cortex exoskeletal cast is one such example. These casts are far better than the traditional casts used for broken bones.
5. Engineering Safer Vehicles with 3D Printing Technology
With the help of 3D technology, riding in many kinds of vehicles will become much safer. Manufacturing safety items is not the easiest task for companies. 3D technology can be really fruitful in designing and building better and safer vehicle parts.
Using the technology, car companies can design, produce, and test different parts at a high rate, then choose the best ones. Airline companies can also use this technology to make air travel safer.
3D printing technology has certainly automated many tasks for humans. We can do things much faster, cheaper, and with greater accuracy. This could be bad for some people, because some may lose their jobs, but we cannot ignore this technology’s rise.
Cheap 3d printers can easily be used to do wonderful things.
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