Reddit AMA with Doctors Who 3D Printed Tracheas, Saving Baby's Lives

[Larry]

Hey guys, a Reddit AmA just went live. Featured in the AMA are Dr. Glenn Green and Dr. Scott Hollister from University of Michigan. The have successfully 3D printed Tracheas saving the lives of 2 babies.

A bit about the process: The splints are custom-designed and custom-fabricated using high-resolution imaging and computer-aided design and were created directly from a CT scan of the babies’ trachea/bronchus. We then use the CT images to create a splint using a 3D printer out of a material called biopolymer. Once the splint is implanted during surgery, it acts as a scaffold as the tissue repairs itself. It’s then absorbed into the body over the next 3 years.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comment...d_printer_ask/

Feel free to ask them any questions you may have about the process as well as where they see 3D Printing headed.

[RobH2]

It really is incredible to be involved in a technology wherein we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. None of us have any real idea of what we'll be seeing in 5-years, much less 20. It's going to be exciting and it's going to evolve in ways we never dreamed of. I am not investing too much into the current machine I have because in a year it could be completely obsolete. Who knows what we RepRappers may be able to print a couple of years from now, maybe not Tracheas but still, something we hadn't expected. I for one can't wait to see the evolution.

[old man emu]

They are using this type of printer:
"Our own lab has been laser sintering PCL since 2003."

OME

[RobH2]

Really interesting. However to my point, that's not a common technology that a beginning RepRapper would get into I don't think. I would expect that the price tag of the laser alone makes it prohibitive unless you are have a market and are manufacturing. Am I mistaken?