Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 17, 2025
Multicolor 3D Printing of Complex Intracranial Tumors in Neurosurgery
Published on: January 11, 2020
Multi-colour extrusion fused deposition modelling: a low-cost 3D printing method for anatomical prostate cancer
Michael Y Chen1,2,3, Jacob Skewes4, Maria A Woodruff4
1Redcliffe Hospital, Metro North Hospital Health Service, Queensland, Australia. michaelyuechengchen@hotmail.com.
Abstract:
Three-dimensional (3D) printed prostate cancer models are an emerging adjunct for urological surgical planning and patient education, however published methods are costly which limits their translation into clinical practice. Multi-colour extrusion fused deposition modelling (FDM) can be used to create 3D prostate cancer models of a quality comparable to more expensive techniques at a fraction of the cost. Three different 3D printing methods were used to create the same 3D prostate model: FDM, colour jet printing (CJP) and material jetting (MJ), with a calculated cost per model of USD 20, USD 200 and USD 250 respectively. When taking into account the cost, the FDM prostate models are the most preferred 3D printing method by surgeons. This method could be used to manufacture low-cost 3D printed models across other medical disciplines.
