3D Printing: It's Everywhere and Inevitable

In preparation for writing this month’s cover story, 3D Printing: What You Need to Know, I attended a program on 3D printing technology in the medical and dental fields. While printing is poised for growth in dentistry, the potential of the technology in the medical profession is fascinating. For instance, materials and printers to print live tissue are in the works, although still in their infancy. 

Katie Weimer, VP, Medical Devices-Healthcare at 3D Systems Corp., shared a story about her company’s involvement in a surgery to separate 13-month-old craniopagus twins who shared two inches of brain tissue. In 2016, 3D Systems worked with the medical team at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in New York City to virtually plan the complex surgery and print 3D models of the twin’s brains, vascular systems and surgical guides used...