Recent Patents on 3D Printing Technology in Artificial Bone Printing Devices, Materials, and Related Applications

Background: 3D printing is a kind of rapid prototyping technology. It is a digital model file-based technology that uses powdered metals, plastics, and other bond able materials to construct objects by stacking them layer by layer. In recent years, 3D printed artificial bones have been widely used for repairing or replacing damaged bones. Therefore, the application of 3d printing technology in the field of orthopedics has attracted more and more attention. Objective: This paper introduces the research status of 3D printing technology in the field of orthopedics and discusses the future development direction. Methods: Summarize various representative patents related to 3D printing bones all over the world. Results: By summarizing a large number of patents related to 3D printing bones, the research status of printing devices, printing materials, structure optimization, and related applications of 3D printing bones are analyzed, and the related problems and development trends of 3D printing bones are discussed. Conclusion: The combination of 3D printed bone materials and the optimization of the artificial bone unit structure will improve the mechanical properties of bone grafts and increase the success rate of transplantation. Bone repair aids and surgical guides will improve the success rate of orthopedic surgery and will be more widely used in the future. 3D printing technology is more and more widely used in the field of orthopedics, and there will be more research results in the future.