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The Future of 3D Printing and Healthcare

When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as  airplane  and  automobile parts  to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in  the 1980s  as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and  patient-specific models  to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D print patient-specific models, more acc
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Medical Plastics Certification for Undergraduates at New Plastics Center

Medical Plastics Certification for Undergraduates at New Plastics Center
Innovative medical devices could improve health care and lower costs. Penn State Erie, The Behrend College opened a Medical Plastics Center (MPC) in Erie, Pennsylvania, with that mission in mind. MPC offers a fabrication and testing facilities and a unique certification for undergraduate students, writes Doug Smock in PlasticsToday.
Ralph Ford, the director of the engineering school, told Smock:
The purpose of the new center is to provide specialty education for plastics engineering technology students and to conduct research in the medical plastics field with industry partners.
Smock gives more details on MPC:
The MPC will house a dedicated medical plastics lab that features an ISO Class 8 cleanroom, a 55-ton liquid silicone injection molder, a materials compounding extruder, autoclave sterilization, and injection molding machines with up to 200 tons of clamping force. The center can accommodate impact, moisture, creep and melt index testing along with circuit board prototyping and fabrication.
Starting this year, students enrolled in the Plastics Engineering Technology baccalaureate degree on campus can also receive a Medical Plastics Certificate. Students opting for the certificate will study topics including plastics and medical product design and development, quality control, manufacturing, finance, marketing, and testing and regulatory requirements.
Ford estimates that about one-third of the 35 plastic engineering students that graduate per year will be interested in the certificate, according to Smock.
According to BCC Research, the market for medical plastics in the United States is expected to reach 4.4 billion pounds by the end of 2015, up from 3.4 billion pounds in 2010, writes Smock. Penn State developed its program when local companies said they needed more engineers with specific expertise in health care-related plastics to help grow their companies, according to PlasticsToday. Penn State received support from industry partners to start the new center.

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