July 2017 could be thought of as the “month of medicine” on 3D Printing Industry. Amidst the publication of Gartner’s 3D printing hype cycle, and discussions around net neutrality, individuals and research teams around the world put their heads together to develop cutting edge technology that could improve the quality of healthcare.
Revolutions in healthcare
The most shared article this month Dani Clode’s Third Thumb prosthetic experiment, designed to “reframe prosthetics as extensions of the body.”
Researchers at ETH Zurich used 3D printing to help create the world’s first entirely soft artificial heart.
In diagnostics, breast cancer screening got a boost from the Stormram robot.
A new, tunable 3D printer ink from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) claimed to be a precursor to “the next pharmaceutical revolution.” Also in pharma, scientists proved, for the first time, that a type of Pakinson’s medication could be 3D printed using a combination of inkjet and UV curing methodologies.
And $13.2 million was invested in a new biomedical facility at the National University of Singapore Centre for Additive Manufacturing (AM.NUS).
Beyond medicine
Outside of the lab, we also went underground, discovering the part 3D printing has played in the construction of London’s Forthcoming Crossrail Elizabeth Line.
At Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) the U.S. Navy’s Disruptive Technology Lab unveiled the military’s first 3D printed submarine hull. At 30 feet long, the hull is still the Navy’s largest 3D printed asset to date, though with allocated funding in the national budget, that may change in 2018.
North Dakota State University (NDSU) also took a (literal) moonshot in a project developing self-replicating 3D printers for space.
Nominate the best 3D printing applications of the year now in the 2018 3D Printing Industry Awards.
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Featured image shows the Third Thumb’s many customizable functions. Image via Dani Clode.
