# A review of 3D printed medical implant design

## TL;DR

This paper reviews the design process of 3D printed medical implants, from patient scans to final implant creation, highlighting challenges and opportunities for standardization.

## Contribution

The paper identifies research and standardization gaps in four stages of 3D printed implant design.

## Key findings

- Challenges exist in integrating 3D printing into implant design.
- Variability is encountered in the design process.
- Standardization opportunities exist in medical imaging and 3D printing file formatting.

## Abstract

This paper reviews the design of customized 3D printed (also referred to as additively manufactured) implants. A focus is placed on the information flow of design as it is processed, starting from a patient’s scan and culminating with the 3D printing compatible customized implant’s design. We discuss the challenges related to the introduction of 3D printing technologies into the design of the implant, the variabilities encountered, and opportunities for standardization. The paper identifies research and standardization gaps in four stages of a 3D printed customized implant’s design process, namely, medical imaging, constructing CAD (3D) model of VOI, design, and 3D printing compatible file formatting. We hope the paper will help drive research to overcome future challenges encountered in the design process of 3D printed customized medical implants.