Advances in the design and manufacturing of prosthetic devices have emerged at an unprecedented rate in the last few decades. The many innovative solutions, however, face limitations such as the sometimes prohibitive costs incurred during manufacturing and the need for personalised features and bespoke design. 3D printing is now commonly employed in the creation of medical devices and can provide effective solutions to both issues. The implementation of 3D printing comes with its own challenges, including selection of appropriate materials and durability of the product.
The addition of the fourth dimension, time, into 3D printing can bring significant advancements in prosthetics. This state-of-the-art technology, with the capacity to alter the characteristics of prosthetic devices over time, will add tremendous value to the field.
This Collection welcomes submissions that bring together the use and/or development of 3D and 4D printing technologies and all aspects of the design, manufacturing and improvement of new and existing prosthetic and orthopaedic solutions. This includes dental prosthetics.
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