iCAT 2026 PLENARY SPEAKERS

We have also invited certain notable guests to share their expertise in the field of 3D printing and its future applications.

Mika Salmi

Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland

Challenges and opportunities of medical additive manufacturing

Western countries are facing significant challenges, including an ageing population and the demand for improved healthcare solutions. In healthcare, each patient has unique needs, yet conventional medical solutions often rely on generalized approaches. Additive manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a promising avenue for crafting personalized healthcare solutions. Advances in medical imaging and image processing now enable the creation of precise 3D models of patient anatomy, which can be leveraged for tailored designs and treatments. This study explores both current and prospective applications of AM in medicine by examining various case examples.

Medical applications of AM can be classified into six categories: 1) medical models, 2) medical aids including orthoses, splints, and prostheses, 3) tools, instruments, and components for medical devices, 4) inert implants, 5) biomanufacturing, and 6) pharmaceutical applications such as drug printing. In clinical practice, medical additive manufacturing is routinely employed in university hospitals, particularly for applications involving the head area, whereas its use in other areas remains less prevalent. Medical models serve purposes such as preoperative planning and training, and they provide 3D visualizations of tumors and histopathology. Medical aids, orthoses, splints, and prostheses produced through AM are designed for external, non-invasive use, often integrated with standard appliances for a customized fit. Tools, instruments, and parts for medical devices enhance clinical procedures; these might feature patient-specific dimensions and be invasive, such as drill guides, surgical instruments, and orthodontic appliances. Templates for allograft surgery exemplify such tools. Inert implants, typically made of titanium alloy, are placed within the patient to replace defective or missing tissues. Plastic alternatives are being explored and tested using cadavers. Biomanufacturing merges AM with tissue engineering, producing active structures placed within patients. These structures, often porous, are tailored to match the defect, with optimal morphology varying by tissue type and potentially being osteoinductive, osteoconductive, or resorbable based on requirements. In pharmaceuticals, AM is used for mass-producing pills, such as the FDA-approved epilepsy medicine Spritam, which offers faster dissolution than traditionally manufactured pills. Given the uniqueness of every patient, AM holds promise for personalization. However, demonstrating the benefits of AM requires consideration of cost implications and the added value of solutions, such as time savings during surgeries. Moreover, selecting the appropriate AM process and material, obtaining patient data, and determining actual needs are not straightforward tasks.

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