Track: Graduate Student Paper Competition

Abstract

Since 3D printing was developed, it became the most promising technique to speed up prototyping in a wide variety of areas across the industry. Rapid prototyping allows the medical industry to customize the surgery procedures, thus predicting its result. Biomedical applications made by medical grade elastic thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU); a non-traditional plastic material which allows to obtain additional benefits in rapid 3D prototyping because of its flexibility and anti-bacteriological capabilities. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of TPU polymer, FDM objects sourced from CT scanned 3D surfaces for helping surgeons in preoperative planning and training for increasing environment perception, that is, geometry and feeling of the tissues, whilst performing standard procedures that require complex techniques and equipment. A research was performed to assess the physical and qualitative characteristics of TPU 3D developed objects, by developing a proper SWOT analysis against PLA, a widely used, and cost-effective option in FDM industry. Therefore, giving a proposition opposite to other known modern medical planning techniques and bringing out the benefits of the application of TPU-sourced, FDM parts on professional medical training. As a result, PLA stands for its reliable processing and wider availability whilst TPU’s flexible capabilities gives the advantage of improving the realism in 3D printed parts. Surgical planning and training together with rapid prototyping, would improve accurate medical prototyping for customized procedures, by reducing surgery times with unnecessary tissue perforations and fewer healing complications; providing experience that using other traditional FDM materials like PLA cannot be reached.