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Updated: Oct 29, 2025
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3D Printing of Biomolecular Models for Research and Pedagogy
Published on: March 13, 2017
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3D Printing of Physical Organ Models: Recent Developments and Challenges
Zhongboyu Jin1,2, Yuanrong Li1,2, Kang Yu1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310027, China.
Summary
3D printing offers great potential for creating patient-specific organ models for medical use. This review explores suitable 3D printing technologies and materials to overcome challenges like cost and accuracy for wider clinical application.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medical Imaging
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Patient-specific physical organ models are crucial for medical diagnosis and treatment.
- Traditional methods for creating organ models have limitations in accuracy and cost.
- 3D printing technology presents a significant advancement for manufacturing complex organ models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review mainstream 3D printing technologies for organ model fabrication.
- To identify suitable techniques and materials for direct and indirect printing methods.
- To address challenges such as cost, mimicking performance, and accuracy in clinical applications.
Main Methods:
- Categorization of 3D printing methods into 'directly printing' and 'indirectly printing'.
- Analysis of organ model requirements across different clinical application scenarios.
- Evaluation of material selection and cost-reduction strategies for 3D printed organ models.
Main Results:
- 3D printing enables the creation of organ models with patient-specific anatomy.
- The review highlights the importance of selecting appropriate 3D printing techniques and materials.
- Strategies for reducing costs and improving the convenience of organ model production are discussed.
Conclusions:
- 3D printed organ models show significant contributions to surgical procedures.
- Addressing challenges in cost, accuracy, and performance is key for broader clinical adoption.
- Future perspectives focus on improving evaluation criteria and overcoming current limitations in the field.
