News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
3D printer OEM Stratasys has announced that its RadioMatrix radiopaque 3D printing material is now fully commercially available in the United States. Previously deployed in limited settings, the material can now be widely used by healthcare providers, medical device manufacturers, and research institutions for advanced medical imaging, education, and training purposes.
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, tablets have long been produced through standardized processes that leave little room for fine-tuning how a drug behaves once ingested. Chinese pharmaceutical technology company Triastek is challenging that model. By applying 3D printing to drug product development and manufacturing, the company is introducing a more controlled and predictable way to engineer oral medications.
MakeGood, a nonprofit focused on disability design, has unveiled the 3D Printed Toddler Mobility Trainer, an affordable, open-source device that helps children with mobility challenges develop independence, coordination, and social skills.
Italian studio Essesi Design Studio has developed Nimble, a conceptual modular prosthetic fin designed to help amputees swim more effectively. The attachable device replaces a missing foot and lower leg, combining a lightweight carbon-fiber shell with a 3D printed flexible rubber lattice that generates thrust while reducing stress on the residual limb.
Austrian medical training and innovation firms Addion and Eyecer.at have begun using 3D printer OEM Stratasys’ Digital Anatomy Solution to create 3D printed anatomical eye models for training in eyelid surgery.
A research team at Missouri University of Science and Technology has developed a light-driven 3D printing technique designed to streamline the creation of organs-on-a-chip—tiny tissue-like devices used for drug testing and medical research.
Flying at high altitudes or traveling in space exposes the human body to extreme changes in pressure, temperature, and oxygen levels—environments that traditional cell cultures fail to mimic. Scientists at Texas A&M University have developed a 3D bioprinting method to study these effects.
Treating medical emergencies in space is challenging, as immediate care is limited and returning to Earth is both costly and time-consuming. To address these constraints, a research team led by Professor Park Chan-heum from Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital has developed BioCabinet, a space biology research payload designed to produce living tissue in orbit and evaluate disease responses under microgravity conditions.
Scientists at the University of Virginia have introduced a new kind of 3D printable material that is compatible with the body’s immune system. The innovation is expected to support safer implantable devices, next-generation drug-delivery systems, and even improved solid-state batteries.
Researchers at the University of Sydney have developed 3D printed blood vessels on glass that replicate both the anatomy and fluid dynamics of real arteries. Published in Advanced Materials, the technology provides a new platform to study stroke mechanisms and test patient-specific medications.