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Mapping the Global Research Landscape of 3D Printing in Orthopedics
Zahra Machlab1, Sofia Haddadin2, Omar Viswanath3
1Stony Point HS.
Background:
Three-dimensional (3D) printing has expanded from prototyping and anatomic modeling to patient-specific guides, implants, and tissue-engineering applications across orthopedic subspecialties.
Objective:
To characterize the global publication landscape of 3D printing in orthopedics, including geographic and institutional contributions, collaboration patterns, publication growth, and evolving research themes.
Methods:
Web of Science Core Collection was searched on June 16, 2026 using terms for 3D printing/additive manufacturing combined with orthopedic terms. Articles and reviews were included. Bibliographic records were analyzed descriptively, and VOSviewer was used for author co-authorship and keyword co-occurrence mapping. Association-strength normalization was used for network visualization; the keyword overlay map applied a minimum occurrence threshold of 42.
Results:
The search identified 3,070 publications spanning 1965-2026. China contributed 968 publications (31.6%) and the United States 531 (17.3%). Shanghai Jiao Tong University was the most productive institution with 88 publications, followed by Peking University (66) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (65). Publication output accelerated markedly after 2013-2014; 91.7% of records were published during 2017-2026, although 2026 data were incomplete. In the author network, Changchun Zhou had the highest total link strength (116), followed by Yujiang Fan (94) and Lei Wang (68). The most frequent keywords were "3d printing" (1,010 occurrences), "additive manufacturing" (738), and "mechanical-properties" (558).
Conclusion:
Orthopedic 3D-printing research has expanded rapidly and is geographically concentrated, with strong representation from Chinese institutions. The literature connects orthopedic surgery with biomaterials, engineering, and patient-specific technologies. Future work should emphasize reproducible bibliometric methods and clinical studies addressing durability, effectiveness, cost, and implementation of 3D-printed orthopedic technologies.