Annotated Bibliography

Rachel Lantz
3D Printing Industry. (2014, May). 3D Printing Basics: The Free Beginners Guide. Retrieved
from http://3dprintingindustry.com/3d-printing-basics-free-beginners-guide/
This resource is a comprehensive guide for 3-D printing including its history, materials,
processes, and uses in the modern world. The most essential aspect of the website to my
research is under "3-D Printing Applications" in which the author discusses the impacts
printing has on the medical and dental industries. In the medical field, printers are used to
create orthotic insoles, hearing aids, and hip and knee implants. They are also being used
to create skin grafts, bone, tissue, and human organs; however these products are decades
away from being more than experimental. Furthermore, the dental industry has been able
to create dental crowns and dental aligners which have made the dentistry much more
efficient and effective. From this website, I learned that dentistry has been greatly
impacted by 3-D printers and I am interested in looking more into this industry.
Butler, S. (2014, August 24). Medical Implants and Printable Body Parts to Drive 3D Printer
Growth. Retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/aug/24/medicalimplants-drive-3d-printer-growth
3D printers are greatly impacting the medical and dental fields as doctors and dentists are
able to print human tissues and teeth implants. According analysts, bio-printing will
become commercial within the next ten years. Throughout this article, Butler discusses
the predicted effects of printing financially and this information will provide data to
support my research.
Collins, S. (2014, July 23). Will 3-D Printing Revolutionize Medicine?. Retrieved from

http://www.webmd.com/news/breaking-news/20140723/3d-printing
The video shows a woman who has lost her fingers on her left hand, but has regained
mobility through the use of a "Robohand". These assistive devices are created using 3-D
printers and are inexpensive (ranging from $500 to $2,000) compared to previous
medical devices that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to obtain. The parts of
the device are created by plastic threads that are fed through the printer and melted layer
by layer to form the desired shape. I have learned that printers have greatly impacted the
occupational therapy specialty, making it more efficient and affordable to patients. This
video and article will provide evidence for my argument regarding 3D printing in therapy.
Griggs, B. (2014, April 5). The Next Frontier in 3-D Printing: Human Organs. Retrieved from
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/03/tech/innovation/3-d-printing-human-organs/
Thomas Boland, co-founder of TeVido BioDevices, works as a professor at the
University of Texas to create 3-D printers for living human cells. He has repurposed an
InkJet printer to print using human skin cells. Using this method, he is able to print skin
in layers and in specific patterns. Boland's research is currently moving to plastic surgery
where he is working with human fat cells to create breast implants for breast cancer
survivors.
Groopman, J. (2014, November 24). Print Thyself. Retrieved from:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/24/print-thyself
In this article, Groopman states that many medical institutions have succeeded in
developing living human tissue. However, they have yet to develop human organs
through the use of 3D printing. Although the technology to create organs is available,
scientists must discover the right conditions for its proper manufacturing. Since I am

researching how printers will affect internal medicine, this article is useful in supporting
my argument.
Hart, B. (2012, March 6). Will 3D Printing Change the World?. Retrieved from:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gcaptain/2012/03/06/will-3d-printing-change-the-world/2/
Hart asserts that 3D printing will change medicine for the better, allowing easier access to
prosthetics and bionic limbs for patients and especially soldiers. This article also focuses
on the negative effects of printing as Hart discusses the fact that many individuals may
not have the proper materials to create certain objects as plastic may not be sufficient and
different types of 3D printers may have to be used to create more complex products. I
will be able to use this article as a part of my counterargument as I must address the
negative effects of printing in medicine as well.
Luimstra, J. (2014, July 3). Scientists Can Now 3D Print Vascular Networks. Retrieved from:
http://3dprinting.com/news/scientists-can-now-3d-print-vascular-networks/
Luimstra reports that a team of individuals from Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and the
University of Sydney have created blood vessels through 3D printing. Their methods will
pave the way for other medical professionals to ultimately create human organs. The
research provided in the article is useful to my argument as it supports my claims related
to internal medicine.
Luimstra, J. (2015, February 16). US Military Wants to Scan Soldiers Before They Go to War.
Retrieved from: http://3dprinting.com/news/us-military-wants-scan-soldiers-go-war/
The United States Military has expressed a need for improving the healthcare of soldiers.
As many of them may face serious injuries, military officials are speaking with military
doctors to implement a system in which doctors would take CT scans of soldiers before

they go to war so if they return injured, doctors will be able to use the 3D image to
generate prosthetics, assist with facial reconstruction, etc. Luimstras article is useful to
my research as I will be able to use the information to support my arguments regarding
plastic surgery and internal medicine.
McCluskey, P. D. (2015, January 18). 3D Printer Helps Doctors Prep for Complex Surgeries.
Retrieved from http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/01/18/with-printer-doctorsget-help-prepping-for-complex-surgeries/Wf4GVpGMHapbG6sWGYlEYP/story.html
Priyanka McCluskey discusses the benefits of having access to 3-D printers in the
medical field. She emphasizes the fact that many hospitals are able to use CT and MRI
scans to generate 3-D images of tumors or other irregularities so the surgeon may practice
on the model before going into surgery. These models are created using acrylic resin and
take several hours to print. McCluskeys article is useful to my research as it provides
much evidence in support of 3D printing in internal medicine.
Ventola, C. (2014, October). Medical Applications for 3D Printing: Current and Projected Uses.
Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4189697/
Ventola describes 3D printing in medicine from all angles. He discusses the different
types of 3D printers, the benefits and disadvantages to printing in medicine, the medical
specialties printing affects, and the future predictions for 3D printing in the medical field.
This article is applicable to all aspects of my research, so this information will be vital to
my argument. I will also refer to the extensive list of resources linked to the article to
continue my research.