U.S. military widely used 3D printing technology + medical help veterans print prostheses

In the military field, 3D printing has had a new application, but this time it is not printing drones or weapons, but printing artificial limbs for soldiers who have lost their limbs on the battlefield. It is understood that medical engineers at the United States Walter Reed National Military Medical Center are using additive manufacturing to develop custom artificial limb solutions for veterans. In fact, the center is even running a 3D Medical Application Center (3DMAC). There, a dedicated team of engineers and 3D printing technicians are developing custom equipment based on the requirements of veterans. 3 The DMAC received requests from the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop customized assistive devices for veterans. If there are no existing parts or equipment on the market, the team will design and develop custom equipment on its own. In one case, the team developed a special 3D print foot called "Short Feet" that can be mounted on the veteran's stump. The reason is that an old soldier wanted a prosthesis so that he could walk around the pool during his honeymoon instead of wearing a full artificial leg. In response to this request, the 3DMAC team first used plastic 3D to print a pair of feet that could be easily attached to the stump. After confirming the fit, the final version was printed in titanium alloy 3D. This is just one of 3DMAC's many 3D printing projects. In addition to ancillary equipment, the center is also responsible for the research and production of medical equipment such as surgical planning models, custom dental implants, and skull plates. One item worth mentioning is scanning the soldier's face before the war. These 3D scan data will be compiled into a database. In case of misfortune, such as soldiers disfigured in an explosion or facial injuries, they can use his or her 3D scan data for facial reconstruction. "What we need for the wounded fighters, what we will create," 3DMAC said.