3D Printed Implants for Joint Replacement

The 3D printing technology started and developed at the early stages of the eighties, where it is based on constructing the object layer by layer by using the appropriate material and technology and where it helps in producing a physically real object through a digital transformation process. Using 3D printing technology has many benefits, especially in the medical sector, where it could be used for speeding up the surgical operation, replacing human organs, to manufacture customized prosthetic limbs, a wide range of the material that can be used, customized designs that can be implemented since the anatomy of any person is unique and this means the geometry and dimensions of anyone bone are different from anyone else, producing surgical tools and instrumentation like jigs that can be used by the surgeon to position the implant correctly. In this chapter, the innovation of using 3D printing technology is addressed and elaborated to tackle the rapid progress and development in this sector.