A new patent from Stratasys hints at a new 3D print application: Body Part Printing.
Published this May, US Patent US20250152366A1, “System and method for fabricating a body part model using multi-material additive manufacturing” summarizes the method:
“A method for physically reconstructing a body part using multi-material additive manufacturing includes receiving image data of the body part in the form of arrays of voxels, each array of voxels representing image data pertaining to the cross-section of the body part, translating the image data in the arrays of voxels to printable bitmap images representing combinations of modeling materials for reconstructing the body part, and dispensing the combinations of modeling materials responsive to the bitmap images in a layerwise manner.”
The method describes how to reconstruct a body part in at least two different materials, “configured to mimic a desired mechanical and/or physical property of the body part on a per voxel basis”, and this is all based on image data of a body part.
In other words, we have a system here that would accept a 3D scan / generated 3D model of a body part, and then produce a replacement body part.
The properties mentioned in the patent for printed body parts include: “stiffness, flexibility, density, colour, transparency, water absorption (%), solvent absorption (%), non-polymerized liquid fraction, and nano-particles fraction.”
The patent’s text clearly suggests that this is a process intended for Stratasys’ PolyJet multimaterial system. The patent actually mentions specific Stratasys materials, including TangoPlus.
The data for use by this system is described as coming from a CT scanner, MRI system, or ultrasound device, all of which are capable of obtaining 3D scan data of a patient.
As I read through this patent, it is very clear that Stratasys has spent considerable effort on this due to the level of detail provided. For example:
“Typically, each voxel of image data is translated into a macrovoxel composed of a plurality of printing voxels, e.g. 10-1000 voxels or 300 voxels of building material. The present inventors have found that by varying the material composition based on changes in tomography voxel values, a more natural physical representation of the different tissues can be replicated, including smooth transitions between different types of tissues.”
It appears that Stratasys could announce a product that implements this system in the future. Their existing PolyJet system is quite versatile and could definitely perform this work. My expectation is that most of the effort to bring this system to life would be in the software area, where raw 3D scans would have to be converted into a form suitable for use in the PolyJet process.
Ultimately, this might mean that Stratasys may create a PolyJet platform specialized for the healthcare industry that would be available to produce replacement body parts on demand, right in a hospital. One can imagine printing replacement finger bones or other body parts as required.
I have a suspicion there will be quite a bit of certification work to be completed before this system could be deployed.
Via Google Patents
