Three-dimensional (3D) printing in healthcare could be as disruptive to the healthcare sector as the Internet has been to the retail sector and will become a standard part of the healthcare portfolio, says data and analytics company GlobalData.

3D printing makes prototyping and direct part manufacturing in small batches much easier for medical device manufacturers.

3D printing can revolutionize the supply chain by closing gaps between sourcing, production and distribution, according to a study conducted for the company’s Disruptor Tech database. The technology can directly create ‘clinical trial ready’ devices, doing away with the need for expensive tooling of computer numerically controlled (CNC) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). This can not only cut down costs but also shorten the time a device takes to reach the market.

Global head of pharma at GlobaData, Bonnie Bain, says, “What sets 3D printing apart from other methods is unmatched customization with high accuracy, its ability to test multiple configurations and the ability to create a patient-specific device more accurately. 3D printers can dramatically reduce the cost of custom-made medical devices, including hearing aids, dental implants, hip replacements and artificial limbs.”

The use of 3D printing in healthcare is not limited to medical devices. A 3D-printed drug to treat epilepsy has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Impressive work is being carried out in tissue engineering and bioprinting of organs. Recently, researchers have 3D printed the most sophisticated artificial cornea ever. A prototype for a 3D bioprinter to create completely functional human skin has been presented by scientists. In future, the aim is to create replacement organs for humans such as the heart and liver.

Bain continues, “As the performance and scale of industrial 3D printing platforms continue to evolve, 3D printing is increasingly finding a way into mainstream manufacturing processes. At present, 3D printing for manufacturing is a discrete, mostly off-site process but, over the course of the next decade, 3D printing will find itself incorporated into existing production lines, with objects printed on demand.