Design for additive manufacturing in the medical sector. Tools and cases

Abstract

This work presents a review of the three main axes that constitute the knowledge base when designing products for additive manufacturing in the medical industry: technology, materials and design tools. Through four different study cases of diverse medical products that match the existing categories in the established classification of standards, different design approaches and strategies are presented and suggested as feasible solutions that generate medical products. These cases studies intend to cover some categories where additive manufacturing can be used in the medical sector: a post-surgery protection cast developed using reverse engineering technologies and free-form modelling tools customized not only regarding anatomic shapes but also in terms of aesthetics, a surgical simulator that improves the surgeon’s education process in a non-expensive manner, which could also be shared and spread combining soft and hard parts, a hip surgery retractor designed together with experts that increase the performance of the commercial solutions and a bone replacement implant with an innovative approach that combines engineering polymers with metallic surface coatings. All these case studies present the diversity of possible applications when working with the medical industry, as well as the required skills and knowledge needed to start with this task. Beside this, it has been stated the convenience of engineers to work hand by hand with medical professionals, combining skills and visions to innovate and improve the patient’s journey