1、3D PRINTING INSIGHT REPORT|1FROM POLYMERSTO PROSTHETICSThe growth of 3D printing in biomedicine CAS INSIGHTS3D PRINTING INSIGHT REPORT|33D printing is the process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file.The process is also known as additive manufacturing,as the 3D-printed objec

2、t is achieved by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created.1 Once only accessible to those who held patents in the technology,3D printing has now become available to the masses,with several companies gaining traction by turning 3D printing into an everyday tool.23D printi

3、ng-based applications are being used across a variety of fields,from manufacturing of consumer products to reconstructing evidence in forensic pathology.1 However,one of the most promising and fastest growing areas of advancement of 3D printing technology is in biomedicine.With the ability to manufa

4、cture pharmaceutical products,prosthetic ears and even artificial organs,the potential of 3D printing in biomedicine is seemingly limitless.In this insight report,we analyze the CAS Content Collection to provide a unique landscape of 3D printing in biomedicine.In addition to summarizing the trends i

5、n 3D printing technologies and materials,we will also highlight the exciting innovations in tissue and organ fabrication,implants and prosthetics,pharmaceuticals and,beyond.Introduction40 years in the making:A history of 3D printingThough the idea for 3D printing was envisaged as early as the 1940s,

6、3 it was not until the early 1980s that this idea became a reality,when Hideo Kodama filed a patent for a photopolymer rapid prototyping system with a laser beam curing process.2,3 The idea was never commercialized;however,innovations from other inventors soon followed.In 1983,Charles Hull invented