Redefining Medical Applications with Safe and Sustainable 3D Printing

Additive manufacturing (AM) has revolutionized biomedical applications by enabling personalized designs, intricate geometries, and cost-effective solutions. This progress stems from interdisciplinary collaborations across medicine, biomaterials, engineering, artificial intelligence, and microelectronics. A pivotal aspect of AM is the development of materials that respond to stimuli such as heat, light, moisture, and chemical changes, paving the way for intelligent systems tailored to specific needs. Among the materials employed in AM, polymers have gained prominence due to their flexibility, synthetic versatility, and broad property spectrum. Their adaptability has made them the most widely used material class in AM processes, offering the potential for diverse applications, including surgical tools, structural composites, photovoltaic devices, and filtration systems. Despite this, integrating multiple polymer systems to achieve multifunctional and dynamic performance remains a significant challenge, highlighting the need for further research. This review explores the foundational principles of AM, emphasizing its application in tissue engineering and medical technologies. It provides an in-depth analysis of polymer systems, besides inorganic oxides and bioinks, and examines their unique properties, advantages, and limitations within the context of AM. Additionally, the review highlights emerging techniques like rapid prototyping and 3D printing, which hold promise for advancing biomedical applications. By addressing the critical factors influencing AM processes and proposing innovative approaches to polymer integration, this review aims to guide future research and development in the field. The insights presented here underscore the transformative potential of AM in creating dynamic, multifunctional systems to meet evolving biomedical and healthcare demands.