In the medical field, due to the obvious individual differences between patients, the complexity of human tissues and the fact that patients are too price-sensitive, it is desperate to search for a new biological material adjuvant therapy, which far more closely matches the pathological characteristics of patients. It is noted that additive manufacturing has the ability to overcome those limitations by virtue of its exclusive characteristics of personalized customization, small-scale production and high precision. This paper aims to summarize the characteristics and applications of 3D printing technology used at four levels in the medical field, including adjuvant therapy and anatomical model, implants and scaffolds, biological 3D printing, and pharmaceuticals, as well as, to present the recent innovation and discuss existing issues with 3D printing that related to medical applications. It is highlighted that 3D printing technology will be further built on medical application.
Export citation and abstract BibTeX RIS
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.