3D Printing in Advanced Economies - Organ Printing

It’s always interesting to explore how different technologies are applied in different parts of the world. 3D Printing, in particular, has channeled a bevy of creative energies through its many applications all over the globe. In breaking down the current and potential ramifications of 3D Printing, let’s consider these items within the realms of developed countries. This will be a two-part piece where I will cover our progress and possibilities in developing countries.

In well established economies, 3D Printing has been developed in many inventive areas including the following industries: medical, automotive, aerospace and weaponry. For the purpose of this introductory investigation, let’s take the example of organ printing for discussion. Organ printing has already been used to save lives, beginning with saving a baby’s life in 2012. 

Kaiba Gionfriddo had been born prematurely with lung development problems, diagnosed as tracheobronchomalacia about six weeks after his birth. This meant his windpipe was weak, causing his trachea and left bronchus to collapse. Even after a tracheostomy and the use of a ventilator, he still could not breathe comfortably and his heart stopped almost every day. Dr. Glenn Green and Dr. Scott Hollister then used 3D printing to build a bioresorbable lung splint for Kaiba, using computer modeling software to create the splint and match Kaiba’s windpipe. 3 weeks after the operation, Kaiba no longer needed a ventilator to breathe. This is an amazing feat which would have seemed like science fiction about a decade ago. It’s also important to note that this wasn’t a proven solution prior to this case and the doctors only obtained FDA approval as this was an emergency case. This can now be used as a precedence to further research and application of organ printing.

The ethics behind this are already controversial and will continue to spark much debate as we continue to expand on cases where this technology can and will be used. This could potentially save millions of lives which would have otherwise have been lost as viable organs are in such short supply. This also has impacts geographically depending on the beliefs and regulations of each area. Similar to the stem cell applications, each region will have different thoughts on when we can intervene and when we should not play God. I, along with many others, anxiously await to watch the global landscape of these stories unfold.

  

For more details on Kaiba’s case and insights into how 3D Printing is being used in the above mentioned industries, please follow link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2013/10/08/what-can-3d-printing-do-here-are-6-creative-examples/. 

Written by: Carol Lam

3D Printing: Transforming International Development

3D printing - manufacturing a 3-dimensional figure from a digital file – an idea that seemed out of this world just a few years ago, is becoming more and more affordable through rapid innovation and low-cost machines.  The expiration of original patents for 3D printing has lowered the cost and increased access for low-income areas seeking to use this technology. RepRap, a self-replicating, open source, 3D printer which costs under $500, has the potential to transform the way we think about international development.

3D printing can be used to inexpensively produce instruments used to monitor weather related disasters or conduct research, farming tools, household items, clothing, or emergency housing.  Leveraging the use of open source appropriate technology, which enables users to access, review, and share best practices over the Internet, would allow 3D printing technology to continually improve economic standards in developing communities.

Oxfam, an international organization focused on reducing global poverty, is already demonstrating the capabilities of 3D printing in sanitation efforts in Lebanon through the replication of water tap and faucet parts as well as missing parts of sanitation kits imported to the region.  3D printing allows developing communities to cut costs and reproduce tools much cheaper than importing or using limited resources to develop prototypes/spare parts.  Currently most 3D printers in developing countries are owned by NGOs or universities, but imagine if one were available in every village?  The possibilities would be endless.

Of course, communities must invest this type of technology.  3D printers are not cheap but RepRap’s relatively inexpensive model and the investment of training individuals with the technological skills necessary to use a 3D printer are transferable skills that are ever-more relevant in today’s world of rapidly increasing technology that could be applied to other tech-related jobs.  Similar to the explosion we have seen in the use of mobile phones in developing countries, 3D printing will be the next big technology to make a major impact on local economies and greatly increase the quality of life for low-income communities.  How do you think 3D printing will impact developing countries?

Additional links:

Check out this interactive 3D4D Google map to see where 3D printing is being used for development around the world.

Other affordable 3D printers in the marketplace

Sources:

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/feb/21/3d-printing-offer-developing-savings-replica-kit

http://arxiv.org/pdf/1410.5349.pdf

Photo credit: Flickr user Creative Tools