Application of 3D Printing in Medicine: Technologies and Challenges

Abstract

With the rapid development of 3D printing technology, its application scope has involved various fi elds such as aerospace, the automobile industry, medical treatment, food and others. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the release of “ levetiracetam instant tablets, ” made with 3D printing technology. This means that 3D printing could be used to mass-produce drugs. This article reviews the principles, advantages, and challenges of 3D drug printing technologies: stereolithography, inkjet printing, powder-liquid bonding, and fused deposition, and looks forward to their future development in the preparation of solid preparations of medicine. With the continuous development of computer control, 3D printing industrialization and medicine excipients, and other technical fi elds, the application of 3D printing technology in the pharmaceutical industry will become more and more extensive.