Suppose the surgical equipment here is a surgical knife. Now that would be easy to make since there is just one component and that component is the knife itself. Suppose also the hospital has the surgical knife 3D printer, the design blueprint and also the metal raw material, would the hospital want to "print" out the surgical knife?
Now, let's extend this to other surgical equipment. Would there be a need for hospitals to "print" out any surgical equipment?
Now, let's extend this to other surgical equipment. Would there be a need for hospitals to "print" out any surgical equipment?
You're not going to print out a knife. It's far cheaper and more effective to run a manufacturing line and churn out a million scalpels.
What you'd use the printer for is stuff like custom-fitted implants (like this jaw). Rather than having to use an off-the-shelf part (which probably doesn't exactly match the original equipment), you can implant a device that is exactly the right size and shape.
Spot on! One useful application is customised objects which would otherwise be more costly to make.
I am sure companies are able to make the custom-fitted implants with the current equipment if you pay them the right price. With 3D printer however, there is potential to bring down the cost. At the end of the day, patients can pay less.
Not everybody has access to manufacturing lines or to suppliers. If you're in the middle of nowhere in some run down part of the world and a particular emergency needs a specific tool or medical equipment you could quickly print one off. It's not always about cost, but access. And I don't think printing out a scalpel is going to break the bank.
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