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Additive Manufacturing for Medical
At 3DGBIRE, we understand that medical and healthcare professionals demand precision, safety, and customisation. Additive manufacturing offers unparalleled freedom of design, adaptability, and personalisation — enabling everything from surgical tools to anatomical models, custom implants, and even pioneering work in bioprinting. By combining rigorous standards with innovative capabilities, we support medical teams in delivering better outcomes and saving more lives.
Benefits of 3D Printing in the Medical Industry
- Personalised Patient Care - Enables the creation of patient-specific implants, prosthetics, and surgical guides tailored to individual anatomy. Improves comfort, fit, and effectiveness compared to traditional “one-size-fits-all” solutions.
- Faster Prototyping & Innovation - Allows rapid design and testing of new medical devices. Speeds up product development and reduces time-to-market for innovative solutions.
- Cost Efficiency - Reduces manufacturing and material waste compared to traditional methods. Makes low-volume, customised production more affordable.
- Surgical Planning & Training - Provides accurate anatomical models from CT/MRI scans for pre-surgical planning. Enhances training for medical students and surgeons using realistic 3D-printed models instead of cadavers.
- Advanced Prosthetics & Orthotics - Produces lightweight, affordable, and highly customised prosthetics for patients, especially in underserved regions. Enables rapid adjustments and replacements.
- Bioprinting & Regenerative Medicine (Emerging) - Supports research into printing tissues, organs, and scaffolds for regenerative therapies. Holds promise for solving the organ donor shortage in the future.
- Improved Patient Outcomes - More accurate surgeries with 3D-printed guides and implants. Shorter recovery times and reduced surgical risks.
- On-Demand Manufacturing - Hospitals can produce medical tools, surgical instruments, and patient-specific devices locally. Reduces supply chain dependencies and improves responsiveness in emergencies.
Materials
To meet the rigorous demands of oil & gas applications, we use materials chosen for their thermal stability, mechanical strength, chemical resistance, and suitability for AM.
Some examples:
| Material | Key Properties | Typical Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Medical-Grade Plastics (e.g. medical PLA, PEKK, PEEK, ULTEM, ABS-med) | Biocompatible, can be sterilised, good mechanical strength, chemical resistance | Prosthetic components; surgical guides; dental models; reusable tools |
| Photopolymer Resins (biocompatible / Class I-III) | High detail, smooth finishes, fine features, sterilisable (depending on resin) | Dental crowns / bridges; hearing aid shells; intricate surgical guide models |
| Metals (e.g. titanium, stainless steel, cobalt-chrome) | Very high strength, excellent fatigue resistance, compatible with sterilisation, can be used in load-bearing implants | Orthopaedic implants and hardware; hip/knee components; spinal cages; bone plates |
| Stainless Steel (316L, 17-4PH etc.) | Excellent corrosion resistance, strength at elevated temperature, good weldability / finishing | Flanges, connectors, structural components, piping splice parts |
| Silicones & Elastomers | Flexible, soft, skin-friendly, shock absorbing | Prosthetic liners; soft tissue modelling; seal/gasket components; ostomy care components |
