Additive Manufacturing of 3D Anatomical Models-Review of Processes, Materials and Applications

Magdalena Żukowska; Maryam Alsadat Rad; Filip Górski

doi:10.3390/ma16020880

Additive Manufacturing of 3D Anatomical Models-Review of Processes, Materials and Applications

Materials (Basel). 2023 Jan 16;16(2):880. doi: 10.3390/ma16020880.

Authors

Magdalena Żukowska¹, Maryam Alsadat Rad², Filip Górski¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, Piotrowo 3, 61-138 Poznan, Poland.
² School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.

Abstract

The methods of additive manufacturing of anatomical models are widely used in medical practice, including physician support, education and planning of treatment procedures. The aim of the review was to identify the area of additive manufacturing and the application of anatomical models, imitating both soft and hard tissue. The paper outlines the most commonly used methodologies, from medical imaging to obtaining a functional physical model. The materials used to imitate specific organs and tissues, and the related technologies used to produce, them are included. The study covers publications in English, published by the end of 2022 and included in the Scopus. The obtained results emphasise the growing popularity of the issue, especially in the areas related to the attempt to imitate soft tissues with the use of low-cost 3D printing and plastic casting techniques.

Keywords: additive manufacturing; hard tissues; medicine; methodology; physical models; soft tissues.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The article was created thanks to participation in program PROM of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange. The program is co-financed from the European Social Fund within the Operational Program Knowledge Education Development, non-competitive project entitled “International scholarship exchange of PhD students and academic staff” executed under the Activity 3.3 specified in the application for funding of project No. POWR.03.03.00-00-PN13/18.