A review of rapid prototyping (RP) techniques in the medical and biomedical sector

The evolution of rapid prototyping (RP) technology is briefly discussed, and the application of RP technologies to the medical sector is reviewed. Although the use of RP technology has been slow arriving in the medical arena, the potential of the technique is seen to be widespread. Various uses of t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of medical engineering & technology Vol. 24; no. 4; pp. 149 - 153
Main Author Webb, P. A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Informa UK Ltd 2000
Taylor & Francis
Subjects
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical Engineering
Computer-Aided Design
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Medical sciences
Models, Anatomic
Prostheses and Implants
Prosthesis Implantation
Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases
Surgical Procedures, Operative
Technology. Biomaterials. Equipments
Therapy, Computer-Assisted
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Lithography
Prosthesis
Technology
Surgery
Rapid prototyping
Review
Modeling
Treatment planning
Medical application
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Summary:The evolution of rapid prototyping (RP) technology is briefly discussed, and the application of RP technologies to the medical sector is reviewed. Although the use of RP technology has been slow arriving in the medical arena, the potential of the technique is seen to be widespread. Various uses of the technology within surgical planning, prosthesis development and bioengineering are discussed. Some possible drawbacks are noted in some applications, owing to the poor resolution of CT slice data in comparison with that available on RP machines, but overall, the methods are seen to be beneficial in all areas, with one early report suggesting large improvements in measurement and diagnostic accuracy as a result of using RP models.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-3
content type line 23
ObjectType-Review-1
ISSN:0309-1902
1464-522X
DOI:10.1080/03091900050163427