3D printing has raised a lot of attention from fields outside the manufacturing one in the last years. In this paper, we will illustrate some recent advances of 3D printing technology, applied to the field of telemedicine and remote patient care. The potentiality of this technology will be detailed without lab examples. Some crucial aspect such as the regulation of these devices and the need of some standards will also be discussed. The purpose of this paper is to present some of the most promising applications of such technology.

1. The Eve of 3D Printing in
Telemedicine: State of the
Art and Future Challenges
Piero Giacomelli
IT Department, Spac S.p.A., Italy
Åsa Smedberg
Department of Computer and Systems Sciences,
Stockholm University, Sweden

2. Piero Giacomelli, Åsa Smedberg
eTELEMED 2014
The Growing Wave of 3D Printing
• 3D printing technology raising the critical
mass, dropping the price and making
manufacturers willing to sell their product to
individuals and not solely to private
companies.
• 3D printing design is available on the Web
making it possible for users to share their
recipes with one another to build 3D printings.

3. Piero Giacomelli, Åsa Smedberg
eTELEMED 2014
3D Printing in Use
• 3D printer connected to a PC that codes the
object design
• Different types of 3D printing processes, with
different materials (plastics, silicone,
modelling clay, metal foil, e.g.).
• Used in different areas, such as rapid
prototyping, customization of products,
clothing, home repair/hobby, food/candy, and
for medical purpose.

4. Piero Giacomelli, Åsa Smedberg
eTELEMED 2014
Use of 3D Printers in Medicine
• 3D printing of implantable devices, for example
to restore ventilation in newborn child
• 3D visualization of a tumor to help clinicians
prepare for surgery
• 3D printing of human tissues for possible future use,
for example in hip and knee replacements

5. Piero Giacomelli, Åsa Smedberg
eTELEMED 2014
Online 3D Printer Communities
• Design schema for 3D objects can be shared
among the community members
• So far, purely technical issues are targeted; the
next step will be to move into more
health/application related domains (hygiene
factors, processes, standardized routines, best
practices, new health application areas, etc.)

6. Piero Giacomelli, Åsa Smedberg
eTELEMED 2014
Future Challenges
• Legislation has not kept pace with the technical
development –for example regarding:
– sanitary (standards)
– certification of medical devices
– safetiness of the product, both for patients and clinicians
– 3D printing in other countries for domestic surgery
purposes
• Conversations on the use of 3D printers in
healthcare
• Evaluations of the use of 3D printers in the health
area.