3D printing of Medical Devices
3D printing of Medical Devices has made wearables one of the most trending sectors of Medical Device Manufacturing. Unlike other types of Medical Devices, wearables and implants require special treatment when it comes to designing. The Rigid PCBs and heavy power supplies do not fit with wearables and small implantable devices.
To ensure a product in the wearable category justifies the purpose, the design must satisfy the user’s comfort. A novice user in the current generation does not want to put in a lot of effort. Anything that requires more than a few seconds to comprehend is labelled as junk or unworthy. With smartwatches and sensor-based devices becoming a popular trend and numerous MedTech start-ups and giants investing in the segment it’s tough to keep innovation alive and prevent saturation.
3D printing is a simple yet most popular technology to prevent saturation in the segment.
5 Use cases of 3D printing in Medical Devices
In prototype development and Medical Research
Prototyping is a process of developing multiple iterations of a Medical device to figure out the best possible model. 3D printing is one of the most popular methods to develop prototypes before transferring the design for mass manufacturing. For instance, at Johari, we created multiple iterations of a glucose monitoring device to understand how the device will look and function. Glitches were identified at the preliminary stage. Multiple iterations were made and finally, the prototype was transferred for mass manufacturing.
Pre-Clinical Testing & development
While doing anatomy analysis, a 2-D image might not give clarity. In such a situation, 3D printing plays a very crucial role. The specific target area and associated treatment can be conjugated easily in 3D format. Many times surgeons can also use this technology to clearly identify the areas to operate.
Development of wearables and implants
Wearable devices and implants are highly in demand. The global market for 3D-printed medical devices is expected to reach more than $1 billion by 2026 (Future Market Insights) and wearables hold a major part of it. Rigid PCBs are not suitable for small wearable and implantable devices.
These require specially customized flexible PCBs to mold into different shapes and sizes. Complex implants, fit-for-purpose tools, personalized prosthetics, and many more similar biosensor-based devices are highly dependent on 3D Printing Technology for various purposes.
For Hearing aid & Prosthetic Manufacturing
3D-Printing technology is also extensively used for Hearing aid production & Prosthetic manufacturing. Additive manufacturing is highly recommended for manufacturing ancillary tools (jigs & fixtures) too.
For Education & Training purposes
Lastly, 3D Printed Models are used for educational and training purposes in research institutes and universities.
Conclusion
The new additive manufacturing method is exclusively used to develop vaccines and drugs by MIT researchers. 3D printing has a bright future in Medical device development and research. Recently, the technology has been used to develop artificial graft tissues and protein molecules too. In electronic Medical Device Manufacturing, the technology will be harnessed in manufacturing wearable and implants on a large scale.
