[Additive manufacturing in health care (part 1) : printing of non vital structures]

Additive manufacturing is creating a real revolution in every sector of human activity, including health care. The main reasons are a reduction of manufacturing cost, of waste production, and of energy consumption. In the health care sector, it offers unique production opportunities for medical material, especially in low-income and emerging countries. However, as the 3D (bio-)printing techniques evolve, there are more and more viable alternatives for total or partial organ replacement in order to restore function. In this first article, we will focus on medical materials and on "hard" tissues such as bone, cartilage and teeth. In a second article, we will highlight the potential of 3D bio-printing to produce tissues of vital importance.